Fall Planting
I thought I would take some time to talk about Fall planting. Just because summer is almost over doesn't mean we have to stop planting and growing more food. If we choose the right crops for the fall we can still get great fresh food in late fall. With some practice, planning and helpful innovations you can have produce all winter!
I was ahead of myself a little this year after harvesting my garlic from this bed. Three weeks ago we seeded this bed with Bush Beans, Swiss Chard, Beets, Cilantro, Spinach, Greens mix, and Carrots. Everything came up great except for the greens which were planted in this bare patch. Now that summer is pretty much done there is no time left for a new planting of the green mix so I changed it up and planted Red Russian Kale and Spinach.
First you want to get your soil ready by adding compost, or composted manure and lime or wood ash. I would avoid using wood ash if you plan to plant potatoes in any of those beds in the near future as it will cause scabbing on your potatoes. Now that your soil is ready prepare your rows and get your seeds handy. Plant as instructed cover and pat down the seeds before watering. Watering is very important to successful germination and after the seeds sprout. Keep the soil moist but not heavily watered for the first five days or more to get the seedlings established.
As the danger of Frost approaches you will need to have some old sheets or blankets to cover your beds through the night to protect them from the extreme dip in temperature through the long evenings. If you are already a cold frame you will simply need to close its doors at night or better yet using a hoop tunnel do nothing at all!
I will be posting more articles about cold season growing soon, so stay tuned. I'm sure you have lots of questions, feel free to ask them here, and if you like this please up vote!
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