With all the great produce pouring from our gardens right now, it’s hard to imagine fall is right around the corner. To insure you continue to get produce into autumn, now is the time to plant a fall vegetable garden. Some vegetables grow best in the cool weather of fall. The key is to make space now in your garden by pulling out and composting old bean, radish, or lettuce plants or even diseased cucumber and zucchini plants. Yank out spent plants to make room for a more bountiful crop later. Here are some good veggies to plant.
- Greens– Many cold tolerant greens, such a Swiss chard, kale, mustard, mesclun mix and spinach, can be planted now. Protect seedlings from slugs with iron phosphate organic bait and from other insects with floating row cover.
- Root Crops– Root crops, such as beets and carrots, can be planted in all but the coldest regions now for fall or to overwinter. Select quick maturing varieties such as ‘Red Ace’ beets and ‘Little Finger’s carrots. Wait to plant radishes until late August or September since these crop quickly and won’t appreciate the still hot weather of August.
- Peas– A fall pea crop is a delight. The pods slowly mature into autumn and stay sweet and tender in the cooler weather. I like snow or flat podded pea varieties, such as ‘Shiraz’ and ‘Oregon Giant’ for fall. You don’t have to wait until the peas fill out to eat the tender pods.
- Container Herbs– Consider planting a container herb garden now for use in winter indoors. Use VELCRO® Brand Peel Away® Seed Pots, potting soil and sow seeds of parsley, chives, thyme and oregano. Grow these outdoors now. Once established and before a frost, move them indoors to a sunny window to grow into winter.
Those are our outdoor tips. Share your favorites with us, and tell us what you’re making with your summer produce!
