Swiss Chard and White Pansy. Photo courtesy of Bonnie Plants
As summer draws to a close, you may be thinking your vegetable garden days are over. But that’s not necessarily true. Many cool-season crops hit their stride as the temperatures drop and some even taste better thanks to a little bit of frost. So long as their basic growing conditions are met, vegetables don’t particularly care what season it is—and neither should you. For tips on how to grow a successful fall vegetable garden, we talked to a few expert gardeners about what to plant and when.
Some summer vegetables, such as plum tomatoes, can go on producing until the first frost—long after other tomato varieties have stopped, according to Gene Sumi, education coordinator and horticulturist for Homestead Gardens in Davidsonville, Maryland. Peppers and okras can also be harvested in the fall just before the frost. “These vegetables can be left in place a little longer to complete their extended life,” he says. “However, by September, most of the summer vegetables should be removed and replaced by cool-season vegetables.”
Even though fall doesn’t technically begin until September 21, you should begin planting cool-season vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, peas, and spinach in late August or early September for an October or November harvest, according to Stan Cope, president of Bonnie Plants in Alabama.
“You’ll need to carefully calculate your growing season so you can ensure plants have time to produce before freezing weather arrives,” Cope says. “Generally, you should plant fall vegetables when daytime temperatures range between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (the cooler the better), night temperatures should be above 40 degrees, and you’ll need enough sunshine to ensure plants will get at least six hours of sun per day. You’ll also need to give plants at least an inch of water per week.”
To get started, Cope recommends removing all the debris left over from your summer garden so fall crops have plenty of room to grow. Add compost to your garden beds and landscapes. Soil should be light and well-aerated with good drainage since fall gardens are more likely to get soggy from rain. Mulch will keep the soil cool and moist during the last days of summer.
“You can also mix in an all-natural, fertilizer like Bonnie Plants’ Herb and Vegetable Plant Food, made from soybean oilseed extract, known to contain 150,000 nutritional and organic compounds that include vitamins, minerals, amino acids and proteins, enzymes, plant hormones, and carbohydrates,” says Cope. “All are vital to plant growth.”
Sissy McKenzie, manager of Behnke Nurseries’ Beltsville Garden Shop, uses organic fertilizer in her garden. “It is important to keep down the weeds in your vegetable garden,” she says. “Remember, weeds are living things and they are feeding on your fertilizer and taking water away from your plants. I get rid of them by using a hand tiller in small areas or a hoe.”
Salad Delight, Red Cabbage. Photo courtesy of Burpee
Next, you need to find out your local frost and freeze dates. Once you have that information, you can begin planting your fall garden. “Remember, when growing vegetables in the fall, plants need to be in the ground in time to mature before the first frost, and to yield most of their harvest before the first heavy freeze,” says Cope. “Some cool-season crops mature in as little as 30 to 40 days, while others may take several months to produce.”
For planting fall crops, you may opt for transplants that are already growing to expedite the process or use regular seeds. “It is also important to keep in mind that just as summer crops need warm weather and extended hours of daily sunlight, cool season vegetables prosper in cool weather with less hours of sunlight than summer vegetables,” Sumi says.
Planting vegetables for fall and winter harvest has some desirable benefits over the early spring crop, according to Sumi. For starters, the soil is warmer now than it was earlier this year and “this warmth encourages quick seed germination and faster starts when planting vegetable seedlings,” he says.
Additionally, cruciferous cool-season vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, and collards, increase their sugar content when exposed to freezing temperatures, thus enhancing their flavor, and these vegetables will be affected less by any pests such as insects and weeds later in the fall.
Along with cruciferous plants, Sumi suggests planting all of the fresh and cooked greens, such as Mesclun arugula, mustard greens, bok choy as well as root vegetables like beets, radishes, turnips kohlrabi, and rutabegas. “Onion sets and garlic cloves may be planted at this time for harvesting the bulbs in late-spring/early summer,” he says.
Carrie Engel, retail greenhouse manager at Valley View Farms in Hunt Valley, suggests using a journal to keep track of your garden’s progress and taking pictures regularly. “There are certain insects that will appear at certain times,” she says. “If you’re keeping a journal, you’ll know what to look out for and when.” To get rid of those pests, Engel suggests biological insecticides, such as Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis), that are safe for organic gardening.
As winter grows closer, you can extend your garden harvest by using floating row covers on frosty nights, or by planting in containers that can be brought indoors overnight, according to Cope. “Be ready with some kind of protection to cover your plants,” he says. “You can opt for something commercially manufactured, such as, cloches, polyethylene blankets, and corrugated fiberglass covers, or try simple household items like old towels, bed sheets, or even used plastic milk jugs with the bottoms removed.”
Most importantly Engel reminds gardeners to plant vegetables they like and know they’re going to eat. “It’s a source of pride when you grow your own fruits and vegetables,” she says. “And it’s healthy, too.”
L’Oreal Thompson is the Assistant Editor of Chesapeake Home + Living.
Contacts:
Behnke Nurseries: behnkes.com or 301-937-1100
Bonnie Plants: bonnieplants.com or 334-738-3104
Homestead Gardens: homesteadgardens.com or 410-798-5000
Valley View Farms: valleyviewfarms.com or 410-527-0700
