Fall Vegetable Gardening
Well it has been a tough summer for any kind of gardening. Since I have set up a simple irrigation system with a timer, my plants didn’t suffer in the vegetable garden. I also had put down a layer of compost in the spring which the plants really loved – especially the tomatoes. However, the pesky armadillos spent their nights finding out which area of the garden had been irrigated and dug there. I lost most of my first crop of beans to them. I thwarted them when I planted my second crop of by using fabric mulch which I nailed to the sides of my raised garden! The irrigation was under the mulch, so the plant roots stayed cool and moist, but the armadillos couldn’t freely dig in those plots. I made slits in the mulch and planted the rows in those slits.
The hungry and thirsty birds were a nuisance in the tomato plot. I have a wildlife pond and two birdbaths that I keep full, but the tomatoes seemed irresistible to them. I could have draped the plants in bird netting, but felt that a few pecks in my tomatoes were tolerable. The cucumbers are still producing. The sweet potato bed is completely covered and growing out into the paths. I can’t wait to harvest them in early November. My one year old grape vine produced fruit for the first time this summer. I haven’t seen as many stink bugs and grasshoppers as usual. I think the birds and the drought have kept them at bay.
But, the planting season doesn’t end with the arrival of the fall months. Here in Hill Country, we usually don’t get our first frost until sometime after November 15. With cooler temperatures, gardening at this time of year can be very enjoyable. Many gardeners prefer the fall vegetable gardening season to the summer season. Many plants for fall vegetable gardening should go into the ground in August. The young plants (tomato, squash, and cucumbers) will appreciate a little shading with some shade cloth in their early weeks – especially if temps are still in the 100 degree range as they were this summer.
Many vegetables love some cool weather and can go in right now. Onion seed, beans, beets, collard and garlic can go in now. Peas can still be planted in October. And if you like radishes or spinach, you have time to harvest more than once. Plant a row of spinach or radishes, then plant another row in one or two weeks. These cool weather plants can be seeded as late as the first week of November.
If you prefer gardening in containers, think about putting some herbs or fall vegetables in those pots. This is a great time to add some herbs to any garden. Add some sprigs of thyme or oregano or a few chive and parsley plants combined with a row of spinach to a planter. They will stay green and pretty until November and enrich your soups and salads all fall!
Well it has been a tough summer for any kind of gardening. Since I have set up a simple irrigation system with a timer, my plants didn’t suffer in the vegetable garden. I also had put down a layer of compost in the spring which the plants really loved – especially the tomatoes. However, the pesky armadillos spent their nights finding out which area of the garden had been irrigated and dug there. I lost most of my first crop of beans to them. I thwarted them when I planted my second crop of by using fabric mulch which I nailed to the sides of my raised garden! The irrigation was under the mulch, so the plant roots stayed cool and moist, but the armadillos couldn’t freely dig in those plots. I made slits in the mulch and planted the rows in those slits.
The hungry and thirsty birds were a nuisance in the tomato plot. I have a wildlife pond and two birdbaths that I keep full, but the tomatoes seemed irresistible to them. I could have draped the plants in bird netting, but felt that a few pecks in my tomatoes were tolerable. The cucumbers are still producing. The sweet potato bed is completely covered and growing out into the paths. I can’t wait to harvest them in early November. My one year old grape vine produced fruit for the first time this summer. I haven’t seen as many stink bugs and grasshoppers as usual. I think the birds and the drought have kept them at bay.
But, the planting season doesn’t end with the arrival of the fall months. Here in Hill Country, we usually don’t get our first frost until sometime after November 15. With cooler temperatures, gardening at this time of year can be very enjoyable. Many gardeners prefer the fall vegetable gardening season to the summer season. Many plants for fall vegetable gardening should go into the ground in August. The young plants (tomato, squash, and cucumbers) will appreciate a little shading with some shade cloth in their early weeks – especially if temps are still in the 100 degree range as they were this summer.
Many vegetables love some cool weather and can go in right now. Onion seed, beans, beets, collard and garlic can go in now. Peas can still be planted in October. And if you like radishes or spinach, you have time to harvest more than once. Plant a row of spinach or radishes, then plant another row in one or two weeks. These cool weather plants can be seeded as late as the first week of November.
If you prefer gardening in containers, think about putting some herbs or fall vegetables in those pots. This is a great time to add some herbs to any garden. Add some sprigs of thyme or oregano or a few chive and parsley plants combined with a row of spinach to a planter. They will stay green and pretty until November and enrich your soups and salads all fall!
No comments:
Post a Comment