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Vegetable Gardening

Fall Vegetable Garden

13 years ago

I have juast moved here to Augusta from Fort Lwis WA. I have never started a Vegetable garden before but, it looks like fun. I would like to start a fall garden with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and peas. I am not sure what I am doing. do I sow the seeds in the garden out side or do I start them in the house? What is the best way to start them in the house? Please help

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Comments (8)

hoodat
13 years ago
Your problem in starting them in the ground in that area may be heat. Have plenty of mulch on the ground to keep it cool and moist and then work a hole in the mulch where they will be seeded. Keep an eye on them for insects. There are still plenty of them around this time of year.
caroliniannjer
13 years ago
I'm new in Columbia SC--a very similar situation

I just sewed seeds for broccoli, brussels sprouts, collard greens & some more bush beans
Between now & mid-August (according to the timetables on the Clemson extension site) is when we're supposed to be setting out *plants* ...so we'll see how that turns out

I've had no problems starting crops in the heat, but we've been seeing blossom drop, end rot & other fruiting problems once the temps get up near 100

I think that it's way too early for peas, but beans have been working for me

You should see if you can find an extension site for your area like the Clemson site I've given below

Here is a link that might be useful: Clemson--Vegetable Crops
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You've gotten a whole lot of good information and suggestions here. Some of it sounds conflicting, but mostly it's not. Read all you can on these forums and in gardening books, especially those written for your region. You will quickly get the whole picture. I like your plan of action! I garden in raised beds too. I agree with seysonn that you should combine some of those small beds into one long bed. You'll get a lot more planting space that way, and will save work and money on edging them out. If I were you, I would divide your six foot wide corn/bean beds into two three foot wide beds side by side, but with a 3' path between. When you get raised bed soil in great shape you will sink to your ankles in it if you walk in the beds. You can still get pollination in your corn if you plant the two beds side by side. And, you'll have much easier access to beans in a 3' wide bed. I also agree that four feet wide will be too wide for raised beds. Three feet to three and a half feet will be far better. By reducing your beds to three foot widths, you can pick up another foot in your 2' paths. I have three foot wide paths between my beds and that is perfect. I have no trouble getting my wheelbarrow in for any job I want to do. Four foot wide paths is a waste of planting space, in my opinion. I also agree with the comment on pine straw. It is truly wonderful mulch. Since you have lots of leaves, use those as soil amendments and save the straw for mulch on your paths. ALSO, use it as mulch inside your beds. When you set your transplants in the beds in the spring, like tomatoes, peppers, etc., immediately put a thick layer of pine straw mulch over the entire surface of the bed and around your plants. This one thing alone will reduce your weed problems dramatically. When you plant vining crops, mulch the entire bed except the hill where you plant the seeds. Then as the vines spread, they will grow over the mulch. Your fruit will be clean and your bed will be weed free. See? The only time I ever plant a bed without mulch is when I am sowing the entire bed as a block like carrots or crowder peas, with no rows or paths in it. When I do this, I am always reminded why mulch is so great. I have to pull a lot of weeds until the crop plants get large enough to shade them out. I think your plan looks really great. With a little tweaking, it will be a garden to be proud of. Best of luck to you!
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A first year garden can be really "weedy", but keep in mind that most all of what w do refer to as "weeds", unwanted plant growth, are also wild flowers that can harbor beneficial insects, pollinators and predators. You could till the area and till in those "weeds" adding them to the organic matter in the soil and seed a cover crop, some of which have allelopathic (growth suppressing)properties, or cover the area with a good mulch (tree leaves are good here). Have a good reliable soil test done as well, now, so any amendments necessary can be added now and be ready for use next growing season. Contact your counties office of the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension Service about that soil test. In addition you may want to use these simple soil tests to help guide you in making the soil into a good healthy soil. 1) Soil test for organic matter. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. For example, a good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drainsÃ¢ÂÂ too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy. Here is a link that might be useful: UMD CES
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August 17, I put in collards, kale, mustard, turnips, rutabagas, butter crunch lettuce, spinach and beets. All seeds. Most just scattered on top of the ground and the rain beat them in and settled them. I put the beets and spinach in with an Earthway planter. i also rolled the dice on green and yellow wax bush beans, as well as zucchini and yellow squash. I hope for one good crop from the beans and squash and then frost can have them. But I'll harvest as long as I can. Should have time. I need to get cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower seeds started inside to set out by the middle of October. I realize that will be late, but they'll grow all winter here, so it won't be terrible. I usually have collards and kale into March here. I don't like the big heads like they have at the store for new year's. I like the baby leaves and so do the folks at work. I sell a lot of things cheap. Just for seed money. Token of appreciation, I suppose you could say. It's a fun hobby... Obsession... Fine line...
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First, in case you didn't know there is a Balcony Gardening forum here http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/balcony that could be really helpful to you as it is a very different form of gardening. Then, since you will be using containers, also be sure to check out the Container Gardening forum here http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/contain as that too is a very different form of gardening with different requirements. While I agree that gardening is trial and error activity in part you can save you self a lot of time and effort by first learning from others and so avoiding all the common errors new gardeners make. With balconies two biggies come to mind -(1) not nearly enough sun exposure due to the roof or floor above. South facing is often not enough. And (2) sometimes severe water draining problems for those who live below you every time you water. Since containers have to drain well that water has to go somewhere. So be sure to thoroughly explore those issues upfront. Then with containers the common mistakes are (1) using containers that are too small and/or too shallow. (2) filling those containers with dirt rather than a quality soil-less potting mix and that creates all sorts of problems. The potting mix is expensive so starting out with just a couple of containers instead of umpteen of them not only let's you learn as you go but also saves you a lot of wasted money. And (3) not understanding the very different feeding and watering regimens required for successful container gardening. So with your proposal I see a couple of issues. First, snowpeas as a container crop - take lots of room for minimal production and the trellis will shade the other plants so I'd suggest sipping them. Plus they have very different nutrient needs than broccoli and spinach. Put the broccoli and spinach in the same container as they are high nitrogen users and peas won't tolerate high nitrogen. Second, both basil and dill will need a much bigger container than 1 gallon. They are very tall plants with big root balls. Third, as already mentioned I think there are much less expensive and better functional containers available than the ones you have linked. Not that i am recommending them but for the price of 1 of your linked boxes you could buy 5 of these and have almost 3x the planting space. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-15-in-x-7-99-in-Plastic-Leonardo-Black-Bronze-Window-Box-WB100F-BB/203621275 Just some thoughts to consider. Enjoy your planning. Dave
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twc015
13 years ago
You should be able to direct sow broccoli and cauliflower in the ground. These can tolerate the high soil temperature during germination.

I would wait on the carrots and peas, especially peas. Peas need the cool weather. Carrots may have germination problems, but the foliage can tolerate the high temperatures well.

If you want to start plants inside the house, you need fluorescent shop lights for the best results. I like the T8 fixtures wal-mart sells because they have a good light spread. Be sure to keep the lights very close to the plants - nearly touching the tallest leaf. You also have to harden off the plants before setting them out if you start them inside. You can use any potting mix.

If you are growing just a few plants, I would just direct seed them; it will be easier.
coralb
13 years ago
I think you should direct sow your carrots and peas. I am in NC and it is too hot here to start fall crops outside yet. I will be starting my broc, cilantro, bok choy, and lettuce inside next week.
susancol
13 years ago
Farmerdilla, who is one of the more experienced Garden Web folks, and actually has a farm in Augusta, recommended to me once that for english peas, he direct sows them in fall - like October time frame. They then sprout and grow into small plants, and overwinter that way. (The leaves are very cold tolerant, but the flowers and pods are not). Then in the early early spring, those peas will take off growing and provide a Spring crop. So that's what I'm planning for this year.

You may be a little late for direct sowing Broccoli and Cauliflower. Are transplants available in your area? They may be a better bet. And since you're right on the SC border, the Clemson extension link above is probably the best one you will find to match your area. Just use the recommendations for the area of SC that you border.

Best of luck in your new home. You should be able to grow just about anything here in Georgia.

Susan
cyrus_gardner
13 years ago
Right now the temperatures are hovering near 100F here in this part of GA. I cannot see how fall crops can tolerate this weather. The dillema is that when you start them too late you are not going to be able to harvest a decent fall crop. That is why I am goiung take a break away from fall crops and travel instead. lol
farmerdilla
13 years ago
In Augusta ( Richmond County) I can set Broccoli and Cauliflower as October 15. I start plants outside in July. Shady spot with only dimpled morning sun. Not even a turnip will germinate here in the open until late August. For best results I like to get Broccoli cabbage and cauliflower set just past Labor Day. The October transplant of broccoli and cauliflower usually do Ok, but often don't head until January. I like them around Thanksgiving, which is also when I plant English peas. I start and set collards on the same schedule as broccoli and cauliflower, shooting maximum harvest for New Years. Every one has to have Collards for New years. Turnips, mustard, kale, rutabagas, I direct sow the last week of August and then at about three week intervals until October 15. I am growing Pak Choi this year on the same scheduled as the other transplanted brassicas. I don't recommend direct seeding of Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli or any of the large brassicas which require spacing of more than 15 inches.
caroliniannjer
13 years ago
That's great info Farmerdilla, thank you!

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