Applestar and me the only ones doing a fall garden or what?

[gixxerific]

So far I have only heard of applestar other than myself planning a fall\winter garden.

I started some seed in peat pots today. Than I went to Lowe's to get more peat pots and low and behold they had some fall veggies fresh off the truck, so take a wild guess at what I came home with. I will still keep my baby's going, I'll call it succession planting, yeah that's it, plus there will be a variety.

I'm going to put in Broccoli, Cauliflower, Arugula, Brussles Sprouts, Mustard, Spinach, Carrots, various lettuces, Peas, Onions, Swiss chard and Celery for now.

Anyone else out there doing a fall\winter garden. If so please post up what you are doing. This is my first time in the fall so it's a learning experience. Hopefully we can all learn from each other.

Dono

[rainbowgardener]

I'm planning to put in a little bit of fall garden this year. It will be my first time to do that. I'm thinking just replace the spinach and lettuce and broccoli that I grew in spring that have been done long since. Maybe put in one double row of peas. I don't have very much sunny gardening area. As it is my next task in the garden will be to take a chain saw to a couple trees, so that I can keep the sunny area I do have; they keep getting bigger and shading more. So maybe next weekend plant a few seeds for fall...

[Zofiava]

I'm doing a smaller scale fall garden. It gets bitter cold here, so I think I am limited as to what I can do.

[gixxerific]

I'm doing a smaller scale fall garden. It gets bitter cold here, so I think I am limited as to what I can do.

Ah yes, 2 more to add to the club.

Things like spinach and I believe brussels sprouts can withstand a hard freeze. Spinach can overwinter and produce a early spring crop as well, double bonus. Get experimental you never know. Most of the items on my list are said to taste better AFTER a frost.


Well anyone else want to join the club.

Dono

[Gary350]

I am planting my fall garden today and tomorrow. I have 5 rows I can plant so far that use to be potatoes, beans and corn.

I am going to plant spinach, peas, turnip green, swiss chard, leaks, beets, lettuce, broccoli, kale and maybe more.

[Earl K]

ooooooooh yeah.I'm in the prep. stages now but still a bit hot down here.Some things didnt do so well the first time so I'm gonna do it again.

[TZ -OH6]

I planted sugar snap peas yesterday in the area opened up after I harvested my Garlic and Shallots, and I have Brussels sprouts in some open areas in the tomato garden. Every place else has long season plants in it.

[tedln]

I've planted some late season cucumbers, asparagus beans, yellow crook neck squash, and Goliath tomatoes. I have no idea how well they will germinate and grow before the first frost. I grew some leaf lettuce in the shade of my cucumber trellis in the spring. I may plant some more as a fall crop in the bed with my Goliath tomatoes after the weather starts cooling a little.

I still have some plants that survived the late June, early July heat of Texas. My bell peppers have started blooming again and one plant is almost loaded with nearly mature peppers. 1/2 of my squash plants survived the heat and continue to produce. My tomatoes became dormant in the heat. A few plants died, but most survived and are starting to put on new blooms. I probably have 50% of my spring garden ready to bloom and produce in the fall.

I expect everything to die with the first frost. I then clean my beds, and remove all soaker hoses and tomato cages. I use the time from the first frost to the last frost adding soil and compost to my beds. Building new beds and doing other things to prepare my garden for the spring planting.

This year I plan on enclosing my cucumber trellis bed in clear plastic and using it as a cold frame for growing seedlings for the spring planting. My intention is to grow some heirloom tomatoes and exotic peppers in the cold frame. I will also purchase some hybrid tomato seedlings as early as possible and harden them off in the cold frame. I like my tomato seedlings to be really leggy when I plant them because I plant the root ball as deep as I can.

Okay, those are my plans for the fall garden and winter preparations.

Ted

[applestar]

OK, with my name in the subject line, I feel like I have to say something...
As I mentioned before, I'm going by the theory that you calculate back from average first frost date
= (days to maturity + 1 week for slower fall growth + 1 week for production period) things like peas, beans, cuke, etc. that you want producing for a while
= (days to maturity + 1 week for slower fall growth) for single production plants like corn, broccoli, carrots, etc.
Keep in mind that at the same time, things like broccoli, cauliflower, and lettuce can be protected from frost under cover (I'm aiming to attempt keeping my lettuce alive and "picking " until Thanksgiving at least), B. sprouts are better after frost, and spinach, carrots, and daikon can be protected until hard freeze (and with heavy mulch, even through the winter....)

I'm experimenting with over-wintering under heavy mulch/cover -- veg's should be practically mature for best cold resistance. Of course if you live in warmer areas where things actually grow through the winter, then your Fall/Winter plans AND plants will be different.

I've the Brussels sprouts started of course, Romanesco-type Cauliflower also known as Broccoflower, and Russian Red Kale, a qt berry pack of heading lettuce starts.

Tried sowing peas 2 weeks ago -- 1 out of 6 pole peas growing in one area -- too hot for others? 3 in another area (under the cukes). 6" snap peas trying to produce pods -- too early?
Sowed more peas -- snap and shelling bush peas -- on Monday.
Am sowing more today after I dig up all the potatoes.

Last Monday, Direct seeded succession of bush beans, corn, and carrots. Tried sowing some lettuce and spinach though it may be too early, fall Daikon and some direct seeded broccoli (not sure if that will work). The Cauliflower that I thought I missed the chance on growing turns out to mature in 50 days so I'm going to start those today.

I NEED MORE GARDEN SPACE!

[freedhardwoods]

I don't know if you would consider this a fall garden, but I keep planting all summer. As one thing finishes, I till it in and plant something else.

[Bigdtc]

I want to but it has been too wet here..

[hendi_alex]

I don't really think of my effort as being a 'fall' garden. Rather I try to keep a succession of things growing year round. I would expect to keep squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, egg plant, bell pepper, pumpkin growing until frost. Will likely plant some beans for late harvests. Garlic, kale, collards, arugula, lettuce, parsley tend to do well through the winter and into the spring and into early summer. Basil is grown year round, but moves to the greenhouse as the first frost date nears.

[gixxerific]

Cool all kinds of people kicking it in the garden still. I'm getting tools together right now to go do some planting. Broccoli, cauliflower, swiss chard, b sprouts and a few others.

Gonna make myself a 1\3 mix of each composted cow manure, mushroom compost and potting soil for my veggies to hang out in. It's supposed to get hot again here so if these fail I will just try again later.

Dono

[gixxerific]

OK, with my name in the subject line, I feel like I have to say something...

I NEED MORE GARDEN SPACE!

Your not gonna sue me for using your name are you?

As for the space thing you hit it on the nose. I almost thought about expanding my garden today but I will wait until it's mostly to all gone than it will be a little easier.

[hendi_alex]

I've got pretty much unlimited space on our 130 acres. It is a shame but the value of our 130 acres probably would not buy a good two acres in most of developed N.J. and wouldn't buy a decent quarter acre lot in the city. Location, location, location. Want lots of cheap land to play on, go to a poor site or undelveloped location. We have 11 acres in a pretty good location in the nearby town of Camden. It may be worth as much as twice the value of our farm/homesite. As recently as thirty or forty years ago, this agricultural land was worth between $75 and $200 per acre. Now such land usually sells for between $500 and $1500 per acre, still pretty cheap when compared to any kind of developed area.

[applestar]

Just came inside mere steps ahead of heavy rainstorm.
Tuned the compost pile (we polished of a dozen ears of corn among 2 adults and 2 little kids yesterday -- lots of husks and cobs had to go out so might as well put then on the bottom of the pile) Layered in with some of the $5 bale of straw I got yesterday as well the latest bucket of drowned weeds, so the compost is double in size It was 105ºF (so really could've waited for it to cool down but the pile was a little too green last time and too wet so I figured it could use the extra brown and will soon heat back up again).

Didn't get to dig the potatoes or plant the peas, but, remember the corn I sowed on Monday? I sowed them under the bush beans. That was the spot I wanted to grow fall corn but the bush beans were still going strong; yet, I was running out of time to sow the corn. Really had to strain my noggin for this one, but hit upon this solution to sow the corn and let the beans continue to produce until the corn sprouted.
Well, today, peeking under the bean bushes for ready-to-pick beans, I saw 1" and 2" corn seedlings! So after a week of bean production, these plants were unceremoniously cut down. Stripped of every little bean and off to the compost pile they went, with another layer of straw covering them on top. Corn is a good one for this method because they need to get hilled anyway, so I can add more compost and amendments later. The bacterial nodules on the bean roots should condition the soil with extra nitrogen too. Actually I intend to retrieve the bean plants when the corn grows a bit more and mulch them around the corn before hilling so the bean plants can break down around the corn -- I think that should complete the nutrition cycle.

[gixxerific]

Sounds like your are doing good Applestar.

Alex I would take 100 or so "worthless" acres over my half an acre that is worthless to me. I'm an outdoors man I hate living in a subdivision. HATE IT! but we couldn't afford what we really wanted maybe some day.

Here are some pics of phase one.

My friends the bee's. We did all this together. I NEVER go out there and not have bee's hanging everywhere, we coexist well though.

[img]https://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj185/gixxerific/DSC02670.jpg[/img]

Cauliflower in back broccoli in front to the left a sweet potato to the right my Cantaloupe which is doing amazing.

[img]https://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj185/gixxerific/DSC02679.jpg[/img]

From left to right Cant, Swiss Chard hiding in the shadow, Arugula, Mustard Greens, the 2 dark spots are Brussels Sprouts seeds and my out of control Cucumbers.

[img]https://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj185/gixxerific/DSC02680.jpg[/img]

My biggest Cucumber this year and it's brother, and my dog of course (Maya).

[img]https://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj185/gixxerific/DSC02677.jpg[/img]

The garden from a distance, I wanted a photo of what was were so I could plan for next year.

[img]https://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj185/gixxerific/DSC02682.jpg[/img]

Well have fun and let's keep this thread going. It's motivating me and hopefully others as well.

Dono

P.S. by the way that is my main garden I have other things here and there around my yard. I have a lot of landscaping around and if I can see dirt through the foliage I plant something.

[tedln]

I guess I'm more like Alex. I have lots of room, but choose to garden in four little raised beds. I will be adding a fifth this coming spring for onions which will become a bed for something else when the onions are grown and harvested. I am always amazed at the quantity of vegetables that can be produced in a small area.

I also don't really divide my gardening activities between seasons. I simply plant stuff as early as possible and keep planting successive crops of other plants until it simply is to cold to plant anything else. At that time, I try to give my garden and myself a little rest and repair before starting over again.

Ted

[gixxerific]

I also don't really divide my gardening activities between seasons. I simply plant stuff as early as possible and keep planting successive crops of other plants until it simply is to cold to plant anything else.

That is pretty much what I do as well but as you can see from the pics It wouldn't be prudent to till up my whole yard. I might have the city at my door if I did that. But with limited space you can only do so much which is why I put everything as close as possible. It gets crowded but it usually does pretty good.

Dono

[crobi13]

I plan on planting enough garlic & onions this fall to get through next spring & summer. I would like to try to do the same with carrots but I think it gets too cold here for that.

[tedln]

crobi13,

I've never done well with onions until this year. I planted 120 of the Texas A&M, 1015 sweet onions thinking I wouldn't be able to use or give all of them away. The wife and I probably used fifteen or twenty before they were gone. We gave them to neighbors, family, and friends. The recipients were calling in a few days asking if I had any more of those onions. They didn't last long. I think my two biggest mistakes were not planting enough and not planting them early.

Next spring ( early February for onions) they will be planted early giving them time to get really large and they will have a bed which will hold 450 instead of 120.

The 1015 onion is called a supersweet and can be eaten almost like an apple. Because they are so sweet, they are not good storage onions but will keep for awhile if dried properly before storage. It is a hybrid descendant of the Grano 502 onion which is the parent onion of all supersweet onions such as the Maui, Vidalia, and Noonday onions.

I will also be trying to grow some garlic. I've never done that. I'm trying to get a bed ready for the fall planting of garlic for a summer harvest next year. I have no idea what I'm doing with garlic. You are supposed to consult an expert and select a garlic variety for the region you plan on growing in. I plan on buying some of the large elephant garlic at the grocery market and trying to grow it.

Ted

[gixxerific]

I plan on planting enough garlic & onions this fall to get through next spring & summer. I would like to try to do the same with carrots but I think it gets too cold here for that.

I believe carrots are one of the most cold hardy plants there are. I have never done it but have read that you can just leave them in the gorund all winter under snow and whatever, after the tops have fallen over. I have also heard you can harvest them and bury them in the ground (during winter) for storage. Wish I could do that with my wife.

Tedln I have never done garlic either but have heard that's all you need to do is get store bought garlic and put the cloves in the ground and bingo you have garlic come next year.

[!potatoes!]

got a few things going in for fall...one of the slightly too many things I'm trying to get done at once these days.
-a bunch of red-flesh radishes
-some garlic a bit later
-kale
-maybe something else, time willing.

[Diane]

I'm going to put in Broccoli, Cauliflower, Arugula, Brussles Sprouts, Mustard, Spinach, Carrots, various lettuces, Peas, Onions, Swiss chard and Celery for now.

Anyone else out there doing a fall\winter garden. If so please post up what you are doing. This is my first time in the fall so it's a learning experience. Hopefully we can all learn from each other.

Dono

OK I'm inspired. I'm thinking onions, which I have growing right now for the first time, and garlic.
All of my plants have just gotten up to steam. I haven't harvested much yet.

I plan to plant onions near the (slug) eaten up pepper plants that are making a surprising comeback. Nothing may come of these peppers but I can't pull them when they're trying so hard now.

[applestar]

Ooh that reminds me! I ordered potato onions and Egyptian walking onions which are coming some time in September! I'll also be planting garlic again -- I have about 2 dozen bulbs hanging to dry in the garage. Not huge, but at least a dozen of them are same as the store size, so I call that a success! I'll be saving the biggest cloves to plant again mid-October. Where? I've NO idea. (Actually I'm planning to plant these self-perpetuating/multiplier onions around the apple trees as part of their "guild" since they need a semi permanent location.)

I'll have to think about where to plant garlic this time, since it needs a place until mid-July AND I need to be able to keep it on the dry side during July. Hm, hm... maybe on the perimeter of the raised beds... ? Can't give them prime spring/summer growing locations.... THIS year, I grew them in the same bed as newly planted Cherry trees AND inter-planted with strawberries AND added a couple of sweet potato slips. Right now, the Sweet Potatoes are threatening to take over the entire bed and the day neutral Tristar strawberries are suffering from too much humidity. Still producing a handful of berries every couple of days -- the kids are *tired* of strawberries. It's actually good because I'm FINALLY able to start freezing zip-bags of strawberries (as well as blackberries) I might make some jam when I have enough saved, and they'll be great addition to smoothies later on.

[gixxerific]

OK I'm inspired. I'm thinking onions, which I have growing right now for the first time, and garlic.
All of my plants have just gotten up to steam. I haven't harvested much yet.

Ha ha I got you, add one more to the club.

Applestar you sound like you are n the same boat as me, wanting to plant everything you can but nowhere to put it. Like I said before If I can see dirt though the foliage I plant something there. I was this close to ripping up some tomato's today to make room since it hasn't been a great year for them. But I just couldn't they still have green fruit on them. I am expanding next year but ti still won't be enough. I have thrown a bunch of ideas around for other locations as well, we shall see how it evolves

Dono

[tmace]

I usually do a fall planting of all those things, but this year it has been so cool that the broccoli, peas, spinach, and swiss chard are still doing great. I did start some new cauliflower inside and planted a another crop of beets and beans. I have no more room. I plant so when something goes out something else is growing bigger to take up the space. I will do lettuce and radish later though.

[crobi13]

Thanks Ted.
I have not had much luck with onions either. I planted many onion seeds this spring, I think I only have 1 still growing. My mistake I think was that I started from seed, never having planted any veggies before. This time, I'm going to try using starter onions.
I have 2 sets of carrots growing now & they are doing really well. The tops of my first set are now over 2 feet high! I sampled 2 of them so far and they are the BEST tasting carrots I've ever had

[tedln]

I've never planted onion seed. To be honest, I'm afraid to. I have no idea how to grow onions from seed to fully grown plant. I tried onion sets a few times with poor results. This year, I planted onion seedlings and let someone else worry about getting them from the seed stage to the seedling stage. They worked very well and I plan on doing the same next year.

I've had good results with carrots in the past and they taste so much better than the carrots from the market. I planted some this year, but made the mistake of planting them in the shade of my cucumber trellis along with my lettuce. The lettuce did great, but the carrots only made tiny little roots on very large plants. I'm not really that much of a carrot fan, so I will use all of my space in the shade next year for lettuce. If I have any unused space, I may try carrots again in full sun.

Ted

[gixxerific]

I have never had good luck with either carrots or onions but still keep trying. Never did them from seed (at least onions) either but am trying it this year. I started some last Sat. Both of those need just the right kind of soil. I'm going to do both again of course but this time I think I will dig VERY DEEP trenches maybe 10 inches or more deep and pretty wide. Then fill that with my planting soil mix that I put together. So it will be plenty loose and well draining to see how they do like that. We have lots of clay around here and they sure don't like that, or the rocks.

Good luck, Dono

[Diane]

Thanks Ted.
I have not had much luck with onions either. I planted many onion seeds this spring, I think I only have 1 still growing. My mistake I think was that I started from seed, never having planted any veggies before. This time, I'm going to try using starter onions.
I have 2 sets of carrots growing now & they are doing really well. The tops of my first set are now over 2 feet high! I sampled 2 of them so far and they are the BEST tasting carrots I've ever had

I found a small bag of starter onions while shopping at Kmart in the spring. I hope I can find another.
This is my first try with onions. The onions are now at least three to four times larger than they were when I planted them. Not as large as store bought ones. I planted at different times and can't remember who came first.
Most are still green and growing but a few turned brown and aren't big at all. I pulled the brown off and replanted.
In my compost I found onions with roots, so I planted them. I got a lot of green and then a flower and now seeds. The original onion was just about gone.
I threw some seed in with the onions. We'll see what happens.

[St. Louis gardener]

Hey Dono, good to see another St. Louis-area gardener on the forum! Re: the carrots. I planted two kinds this spring but, like everything else in my tiny (15-by-11 foot) in-ground garden, they are too close together and so aren't doing well (about half the size they should be by this time). I dug a trench at least 12 inches deep, so thought they would have a chance, but they are a disappointment. My only chance is to leave them in the ground for awhile (although I don't want them to get tough and woody). Will pull a bunch every few weeks for awhile to see if there is any growth/improvement.

Thinking about expanding to raised beds in my lawn next year. That's the only way I would be able to access the plants from all four sides. Any advice would be appreciated.

[Rambo 09]

I'm doing one to.

[splat42069]

I just ordered some pepper seeds from https://www.tomatogrowers.com
for this winter indoors. I got Jimmy Nardello ,Cherry Pick 1 and, White Habanero .

I have a 1000 watt HPS/MH switchable ballasts light. I'm gonna try and grow 2 of each plant in 3 gallon buckets.(After I germinate them in a Solo cups). I don't kno what else I'm gonna grow yet but I got room for 3 more plants under the light in 3 gallon buckets.

[Rambo 09]

Why don't you just but seeds locally.

[gixxerific]

Why don't you just but seeds locally.

Because you won't be able to find the variety.

Whats up St Louis Gardner this site is great hope to see you around.

Dono

[splat42069]

^^^^^^^^^

What Gixxer said. I cant cant find these varietys at a local nurssery or walmart/lowes.

To get the good stuff you gotta put alittle money into it.

[St. Louis gardener]

Yes, I just recently found the site, and I think it's terrific. BTW, I may have spoke too soon about the carrots. I picked some petite & sweet today, just because I was making a stir fry, and wanted something orange. Well, they turned out pretty good, even though some were intertwined with others because I planted them too close together. But the taste was great. I've made a pact with myself to incorporate something from my garden in each and every meal I cook, at least through the fall.

About those raised beds, I've checked out some info on other threads on this site, and will probably catch up with you, Dono, on one of those.

[Jewell]

Hi, I have a city lot that I have been playing in for some time. No planning . I use bed methods because they are easier for me and I tend to mix flowers and vegetables.

This year I am finally looking at the success/failures of different varieties of winter hardy vegies. (Gosh I actually have to remember what varieties I planted ~not always easy)

Since I have been playing with winter gardening for a few of decades, I am finally trying other varieties of kale from the usual Siberian with mixed results. I am wondering if any members have favorite varieties of spinach, kale, chard or other greens that they have chosen for cold hardiness, leaf miner resistence, and flavor?

I also have favorite heirloom varieties of vegetables that are suitable for our usually cool, wet summers and am in to trying new varieties.

Anyone have sources for European seeds and bulbs for year round vegetable gardening that ship to USA?

Sorry with so many questions. The more I garden the more questions I have

[gixxerific]

This year I am finally looking at the success/failures of different varieties of winter hardy vegies. (Gosh I actually have to remember what varieties I planted ~not always easy)

Can't help you on the varieties to use, sorry. This will be my first fall\winter planting.

I feel you on the remembering of varieties though. Actually this planting is the first time I ever wrote down what I planted and when. I would usually put the tags in the ground with the plants but after a season of growing they get lost or are mixed up with the last years tags. (Get it together Dono) I even took pictures this year to remember where what type of plants are so I can plan a better crop rotation next year. I'm trying to be more pro-active this year, this site is helping motivate me more so let's hope we all learn something and have even better gardens next year.

Dono