Time to plant for fall garden

[Brandywinegirl]

I am starting Kale & Murdoc Organic Cabbage. I am starting them inside and will use a cover to keep the bugs out once I transplant them.

I have to plant more beets (white, orange and red) this week. I will plant several rows of Spanish Roja Garlic in October. My eggplant, tomatoes and cantaloupe are still growing. The cukes are on their way out.

[imafan26]

The silver queen corn I planted is not germinating well, only a few plants here and there so I have to go to plan B. I did plant some broccoli and brussels sprouts seeds so I hope some of the seedlings will survive. I will probably plant more kale as my toscano is looking sad. I have 2 cucumber seedlings, cutting celery, lettuce and baby bok ready to go into the ground. I'll try more beets. I have a bunch of hot peppers serrano, tabasco and Thai chili in pots. I have a community pot of cayenne peppers that need to be potted up too. I usually keep peppers in pots but I could put some of them in the ground. I just planted Arkansas Traveler and German Johnson tomatoes. My zucchini is just sitting there, it makes male flowers and doesn't really grow and I am tired of threatening it, so I think I'll yank it and put in more chard or cabbage. My basil seems to be growing and the slugs have decided to leave the beans seedlings alone for now. I did pepper the area with slug bait. I might try snow peas again.

[striperbware]

In NY I am not sure if one can have a fall garden, but whatever it is called, I put in more seeds today and need favorable weather to last until mid-October to realize yields of beets, green beans and cabbage.

I also put in onion seeds, to allow them to germinate and then winter-over for next summer's harvest.

[imafan26]

I'm luckier, I don't have a frost date. I can plant year round but some things do better in cooler weather and other things like tomatoes will grow but have more issues with fungus without a regular preventive program in the rainy season.

[mattie g]

I started some of my fall garden on Sunday by planting half of my spinach and lettuce beds - I'll be planting the other half in about two or three weeks. I also sowed another planter of carrots and one of cilantro and dill, then I amended a bed that will be used for beets in about a month. I'll be planting a little section of peas pretty soon, too.

Oh...I also planted two more containers (five plants total) of basil to replace the plants that succumbed to downy mildew. I'm just hoping to get at least a few cups of pesto out of them!

[applestar]

End of July and it's already time to start planning/planting the fall garden.
[...]

I have three small beds that I never got around to weeding and planting this spring: 4'x6' rectangle (VGB), 4'x4' square (VGA), and 4'x6' triangle.

I just sowed some zucchini, summer squash, and pattypan squash seeds in VGB. I've no idea if this has any advantage, but they are supposed to mature in under 60 days.
[...]

I never got around to planting the hot peppers and some eggplants that had a very slow start this spring, so I planted them yesterday where I harvested a misery crop of potatoes. The hot peppers were trying to fruit in the little pots, so hopefully they will enjoy growing in the ground through August.

I have some determinate tomatoes that are just about finished. I'm thinking of sowing some faster maturing (65 days or under) pole beans to take their place on the bamboo stakes and string trellises. I might also try sowing some faster variety cucumbers since all my cucumbers were decimated by the groundHOG.

I have a row of three varieties of potatoes. Earliest variety is just about ready to dig up. I need to think about what to plant there. I did sow some of those summer squash where two plants were harvested to see if they do better on this side of the house as compared to VGB which is shaded in the late afternoon.

8/24 Far side of Spiral Garden under mostly finished tomatoes - sowed seeds
-- Winter Bloomsdale spinach and Swiss red orach+Summer Bibb lettuce
-- Swiss Red Chard
-- Swiss radish and Watermelon radish
-- Karina peas and Garden Beauty snowpeas
-- Karina peas

8/24 2ft section in Haybale row
-- Little Marvel peas

8/26 2ft section in Haybale row
-- Planted one 2xblock in HBR with plant food and lime

8/28 2ft section in Haybale row and 3ft section in Sunflower House
-- Denver's carrots, Swiss red chard, Swiss Red Orach, Mesclun mix

First week of September with 5-6 weeks to first average frost....
UPDATE:
-- Summer squash have started to bloom male flowers.
-- Cucumbers are growing tendrils and starting to vine, and I can see buds.
UPDATE:
-- shelling peas are 2-3" tall and snow peas are about 6" tall and looking for support to climb
-- radish, carrots, chard, spinach, lettuce have true leaves; onions seedlings are up
-- Cucumbers are growing tendrils and starting to vine, and I can see buds.

Summer squash in old potato bed

Summer squash and cucumbers in VGB (I did weed after taking the picture)

H-19 Littleleaf cucumber in Haybale Row

[digitS']

July 30 . . . I'll just say that "tomorrow" I will start the fall garden !

I will be planting snow peas and bok choy tomorrow as I continue to harvest my way thru the potato patch. . . The bok choy seed can continue going in over about the next 3 weeks. Then, I'll try sweet onion seed for a harvest in 2014. . .

Instead of bok choy to start, I planted twisted-stem mustard . That has already been harvested and brought in for dinner. The bok choy seed was sown later and as I was moving some plants around this weekend, I realized that they could be going into the kitchen at that size. Still, they should be nice plants in a couple weeks with a little more room. Our weather is back to the 90's & near-90's so, my transplanting of bok choy will have to go on hold.

The snow peas required a 2nd set of string on their trellis, today. They are about 18" tall.

The onion seed has been in the ground for well over a week. It hasn't come up . . . oops!

Steve

[mattie g]

Beets and the rest of my lettuce will go in this weekend. The lettuce I planted a few weeks ago didn't take kindly to the relatively warm weather we've had since then, so hopefully the coming cool down will help with this next few rows of seed.

Just trying to figure out if I should plant some peas...

[digitS']

Tue Jul 30 . . . planted the 2nd crop of bush beans about the 15th. . .

And, those beans are coming on strong! They followed the 1st sowing of peas - peas out/bean seed in. It works well in my garden.

One thing, this year the 1st planting of beans were NOT attacked by spider mites, prompting me to pull the plants after picking. No, they are back with a 2nd crop! Maybe I should have pulled them just so I wouldn't have so much work right now .

Steve

[mattie g]

Beets and the rest of my lettuce will go in this weekend. The lettuce I planted a few weeks ago didn't take kindly to the relatively warm weather we've had since then, so hopefully the coming cool down will help with this next few rows of seed.

Just trying to figure out if I should plant some peas...

I ended up sowing my letttuce and beets about a week ago. I'm just starting to see some little lettuce seedlings, and my beets have had very good germination success - I'd guess upwards of 90%. I'll have to thin at some point because the seed pods have put out many multiples. I'm gone for about 10 days starting tomrorow, but I'll water deeply before we go - hopefully the relatively cool temps and lower sun will help keep things from drying out too much if we don't get decent rains while I'm gone.

Decided against the peas. I just didn't have the time to get them in, and I figure it's a bit too late now. No problem...I'll get at them in about six months or so!

[ReptileAddiction]

Applestar-My cucumbers which were planted almost exactly when yours were are looking about the same. If you recall I put 6 in a fairly large pot and thinned down to 3. The smallest one is very small and hasn'tbloomed. The next one up is bigger and has bloomed but is still fairly small. The ta;;est has been blooming male buds for a few days now and is the tallest. I am growing one of the bush types so I am thinking that is why they are taking long to grow. I am hoping I see female flowers soon though because I am already tempted to yank them.

I yanked my last tomato today. They could have gone on another month but they were done anyway and I want to put in my winter crops. So far I have planted some carrots (which I only have like 3 plants because the 7 year old accidentally washed the seeds away ), peas, and 3 different types of lettuces. I still plan on planting a ton more peas and kale and more lettuce. How do you prevent your pea seeds from rotting? What I did was I soaked the seeds for 1/2 an hour before planting then planted them and only about 50% came up. I could order some inoculant but I don't feel to enthusiastic about spending money on that.

The weather here in Southern California has been really weird. It has been kinda cold which is crazy for this time of year. Usually most days are at least 90 but we are having days in the high 60's. Usually we don't get weather this cold until November. I still have yet to see the night temps drop below 50 though.

[applestar]

Here's the H-19 LL in a container on the patio. I've been covering with old nylon shower curtain when upper 30's and 40's.

It has two female blossoms that have finished blooming... Will they set fruit?

Haven't looked at the other H-19 LL planted in the HBR (protected 24/7 with floating cover -- was getting bad case of mildew last I saw) or the ...um Marketmore? In the spiral garden (rapidly losing direct full sun -- only gets sun from about 10am-3pm now) in several days. GroundHOG got the other one planted in VGB. (HBR and VGB are designated ID's of garden beds)

Upper 70's/50's for the rest of the week which should help.

[imafan26]

I'm starting to harvest from my late summer/fall garden. I have already gotten two cucumbers, I've seen a few pole beans, and what is left of my corn appears to be ready. The broccoli, brussels spouts, eggplant, cutting celery and chard are starting to take off and the zucchini has started to fruit. The basil is hanging in there along with the hibiscus sabdariffa (roselle), rakkyo, and shishito pepper.

I have at last successfully gotten a few of the bhut jolokia (ghost pepper) and trinidad scorpion peppers to grow. (I was lucky someone gave me a couple of pods). This time I remembered to use gloves and a respirator. Last time I handled the ghost pepper (it didn't even have one seed), my hands burned for about two hours.

I have starts of lettuce, won bok, tatsoi, beets, hon tsai tai, and pak choy (pe chai), that hopefully I have room for. I hope the slugs leave these alone. They ate the first ones I planted and I have baited the area outside the garden.

The older eggplants are finishing off for the year and I will have to prune them again, but I got about 8 eggplant every 10 days throughout the summer. I'm kinda ready for a break from them.

The lemons, mandarin oranges, papaya and hot peppers are still producing. The tomatoes are flowering but not putting out a whole lot of tomatoes. It is kind of unusual. I don't really know why the younger ones are doing that. The older sungold has an excuse, it is over a year old.

I scored an avocado this week from one of my friends. Her avocado is creamy and monstrous. It should be guacamole soon.

[Ohio Tiller]

I have carrots that are ready to dig and cucumbers that I could pull right now if I wanted to make pickles out of them.
Beets are coming along nicely they are about 3 inches in Dia.
I really like the fall plantings I don't get near the weeds or bugs messing with me.
Best part is nobody around me fall plants and they keep asking me why I waited so long to plant. I just laugh and say cause I guess I don't know what I am doing!

[applestar]

I've been wanting to post my update to this thread, but I was injured and haven't been able to get out to the HBR area where I planted the summer squash, two of the H-19 cucumber seedlings, and a patch of peas and mixed seeds.

I was harvested three 4" baby golden crookneck squash a week ago and saw at least 1/2 doz more that weren't ready to pick then, with the third summer squash plant starting to bloom female zucchini. With the drought -- no rain in a couple of weeksand not being able to water, I'm not sure how they are doing, but the plants haven't wilted yet as far as I could tell through my bird watching binoculars . (water retentive clay subsoil is eloping I guess). They were growing well without the SVB issues I normally get in early summer, but I saw a leaf footed bug on the outside of my window screen earlier, so there is possibility of those types -- leaf footed, squash, and stink bugs -- bothering the plants.

The pea vines look lush but I can't tell from the window if they are blooming yet.

The mixed seed patch is in sore need of thinning. I see daikon, carrot, S. chard, lettuce, etc. all looking healthy and wanting more space.

Parthenocarpic cucumbers are climbing a tomato cage wrapped in floating cover, which means I can't see anything from my window. Last I looked, there was quite a bit of mildew infecting the leaves... But they were ahead of the ones in a container on the patio, and they have two baby fruits, so there maybe some under there too.

[JayPoc]

Holy moly...I've been so incredibly busy that I haven't posted here in a long while. The few spare minutes I've had over the last month have gone into actual gardening as opposed to talking about it. At this point, all of the summer stuff has been harvested save a few onions, a few peppers, and some herbs. It was a pretty successful year, I think.

As for fall stuff, I started various types of lettuce, along with the whole spectrum of cole crops in trays right around the first of September. Probably a couple weeks later that I should have, but again, busy (and also its still pretty hot here in late August).

Anyway, I got about 50 or so kale plants in the ground two Saturdays ago, about 50 collard plants in the ground last weekend, and about 26 lettuce plants in the ground yesterday. All that's left to plant are the cabbage, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. I'm worried it may be too late for them...I doubt I'll get much from the broccoli and sprouts, but I should get some decent cabbage. I think things will grow pretty decent for the next 5 or 6 weeks, depending on weather...

[digitS']

Here's a little of what is now coming out of that bed of potatoes, harvested in early August:



The twisted-stem mustard greens are all gone with the last 2 coming out but the bok choy is right in the middle of its harvest. Oh and, I got the first pea pods yesterday. That last day of July sowing of snow peas is just a little too late. Note to self: go for the 20th of July from now on!

The latest bok choy that I've transplanted won't be large enuf to harvest now that we are having frosts. This is a prompt to get that old bench out of the greenhouse and move that bok choy in there in a bed! I hope it won't just bolt to seed from a double transplant. It isn't anything that I've ever done before that I can remember but I'd planned on it for that greenhouse bed.

Steve

[Ohio Tiller]

I was wanting a salad for lunch so I pulled a couple carrots that I had planted in July. I am so loving this years fall garden I have cucumbers that are getting ready to just dump at least a 100 cukes I am thinking I may pull them early and can some pickles.

[applestar]

I'm pulling up green onion/scallions that grew from Egyptian onion top sets that I planted when they formed back in the summer. I planted some more top sets in their place.

I thought the radish was going to be a bust because it hasnt been raining, but I harvested a handful of nice ones yesterday and gave them to my parents along with about 2 pounds of tomatoes. Also gave them some of the baby summer squash I harvested:

The potted cukes are sending out side branches from the base which all seem to have female blossoms on them

[applestar]

Today, I checked the zucchini and found a nice sized one
I'm totally sold on how these late plantings seem to have dodged the SVB's but will have to try a couple weeks earlier for more harvest before cool weather and frost threatens....

[mmt]

Fall Gardening!! Have never done that. It's cold and muggy in my backyard this days.

But I did start the green thumping by setting up my backyard composer, laid with some cut grass and fall leaves and start collecting kitchen compost. Hehe! hasn't got the full bucket yet.

Admiring your vegetable gardening you guys wrote above.

[digitS']

I noticed that those "last day of July" sown snow peas have more pods.

This, after 5 light frosts that have killed the dahlias from 3' above the ground, up! Cucumbers are toast, zucchini are mush . . .

But, the pea pods are ready! (Don't be quite that late again, Steve. This would never have worked with a more severe frost .) Hope the bok choy is still tender !

Steve's digits

[JayPoc]

So here's what I have (you can click the pics and then click again for maximum embiggoning):


The collard bed....this is where I grew corn this summer.


My main garden bed in fall/winter mode. Lots of lettuce in the foreground, with some cabbage, broccoli, and brussels sprouts in the distance. You'll also see a couple of pepper plants that I can't bear to pull since they're still producing like gangbusters. Oh, and a volunteer mater that I left in there....


And my personal favorite, the kale. This is a 4 by 8 bed, and should produce a ton of kale for me. Other than the above, I have a few things wedged in here and there around the yard and in containers.

[digitS']

Looks really good, JayPoc. You have lots & lots of greens!

I pulled all the kale in one garden today. My gardens are mostly on other people's land so it is time for me to wipe the slate clean. I have harvested kale for several months; the plants look like little palm trees .

The last of the snow peas were harvested today. It was 28°f this morning after several days with no frosts. That did it for the snow peas. The ones on the the outside are scarred from the frost. The bok choy seems to be still just fine. I have had plants survive our winters but they are so messed up by spring that they can do nothing but bolt to seed with the warm weather. Usually, they won't make it thru the winter.

I did move some of the younger bok choy plants into the greenhouse, yesterday. I won't turn the heat on in there until March but I'm curious how they will do.

Steve

[imafan26]

I got to eat my 5 ears of corn from my two surviving corn plants, they were good even though the planting was a bust. The eggplant is flowering and I have already harvested 6 cucumbers and 2 zucchini. The Swiss chard, broccoli and brussels sprouts are growing, and I have beans. I just planted some romaine, beet, tat tsoi, and Won bok seedlings into my community garden plot. I still have a few brussels sprouts seedlings so I need to find a place to tuck them in.

Right now I am harvesting the satsuma mandarins, some Meyer lemons, chayote, and most of the hot peppers are still producing. I bought a sweet chili last month but it turned out it was hot. I think it is a Kung Pao type pepper, it is similar in heat.

The ghost peppers I transplanted to gallons are doing great and I got the Trinidad Scorpions to sprout the first time out. I need to pot them up soon. I need to start my seeds for the bulb onions.

I like planting this time of year, it can still be muggy and hot, but it is a lot better than July and August in the garden and although the white flies are still hanging around and the rose beetles are chewing up the bean leaves, I am still getting a reasonable harvest with no pesticides except for slug bait on the perimeter of the garden. I have gotten some rain, but not much and not days of it so even the cucumbers are faring well as far as mildew goes. I cannot say the same for the zucchini, but the condition is mild, I may just remove the offending leaves. Even my tomatoes have started increase production again.

In my yard quite a few of my orchids are blooming and I am enjoying them too.

[applestar]

I spoke too soon....

Demise of the Golden Summer Squash

-- I don't know if you can tell in the photo, but part of the reason the stem was completely severed was that some birds had a thorough go at the SVB's. there were bird poop every where.

Garden Beauty snow peas are blooming:

Do you want to see an update photo of the container cukes? There's one fruit that looks almost ready to pick

(De Arbol and Trinidad Perfum hot peppers in the foreground)

[applestar]

Harvested first cucumber from the plant in the Spiral Garden a few days ago, and harvested the first cucumber from the container today. 70's/50's for a couple of days then back down in the 40's at night with high's only in the 60's. -- I think I might bring in the container by the end of the week.

Wouldn't you say cucumber plants would be happier where it's warmer at 70's/60's with as much direct sun as possible? ...so upstairs, I think.

[applestar]

Daikon and arugula are doing really well. Getting nice arugula harvest right now:

Daikon getting some size and nice arugula

. There are also Swiss red chard and carrots planted here.

[digitS']

A very common lunch for me here in the south window, yesterday:



I'm right back to early spring with snow pea pods, cilantro and scallions. Gotta be honest, the only onions I've got now are sweet onions. A quick saute of shallots would be the choice if the soopermarket scallions were not so quickly at hand. The cilantro is from summer-sown seed, of course. In the spring, there will be a few over-wintered plants. That cilantro will be the nicest of the year.

The last of the "fresh" garden produce and they are what has been in the crisper drawer for nearly a week. Oh, I guess there's some bok choy in there still. Bok choy getting established in the greenhouse, too. We will have to see if those plants do okay.

Dried, frozen & stored - despite our unseasonably warm weather at the moment, the garden is finished producing for the year. Light frosts every single morning . . .

Steve

[applestar]

Looks yum! Is that Thai/Vietnamese type rice noodles? What kind of dressing?

Here's my (mostly from the fall garden) breakfast treat this morning
Left over lump crab meat and Cherokee Tiger Large Red tomato wedges on a bed of arugula accented with chickweed, carrot and beet thinnings, young pea shoots -- garnished with sliced regular and icicle radish, blanched green peas, diced chopped yellow Trinidad Perfum pepper and minced Mexican Mint Marigold aka Texas Tarragon -- dressed with aged salty Plum vinegar (a by-product of umeboshi making process a couple of years ago), EVOO, and freshly ground black pepper.

Not pictured are toasted blueberry bagel slices slathered with butter and a mug of freshly ground and brewed organic coffee served black

[digitS']

Oh gosh, Applestar!!

I can't compete with that with my simple fare!

About all I can do is point out that your breakfast salad certainly isn't traditional but my 7 grain hot cereal with butter and honey, Honeycrisp apple slices on the side and a cup of freshly ground Columbian coffee (served black) - nothing from the garden - is traditional but dullsville by comparison!

The rice noodles are "Phnom Penh style" and would just look like a bowl of pho if I'd set chopsticks across the top of the bowl, included more broth, and sprinkled on bean sprouts! (You know, I have grown and sprouted mung beans but . . . it has been ages !)

Okay, mung beans next year!!

Steve

[imafan26]

All I can say is YUM. Both of your lunches look a lot better than I put out any day.