I've seen spinach bolt when it's only a few inches high. You might try one of the Chinese varieties. They seem to be more heat resistant.

Like you, I've been experimenting. From reading Eliot Coleman, I thought originally I could plant in early September and get a crop under a low tunnel. Not so. I live on a mountain side and have a cool summer. Starting in early September, with already cool temperatures, is just too late. So I planted mid-August, and found that was still too late except for carrots. And the kale NEVER matures that late. I have been puting that in first thing in the spring for the last couple of years.

This year I planted most everything the last week of July and the first week of August. If I get a chance, I will also pick up a pack of lettuce transplants and a pack of chard transplants (one greenhouse in the area has a clue about fall gardening) and put them in this coming week. I also plan to sow another bed of carrots and turnips this week or next weekend. We never have enough carrots to make it though the winter! ;-)

Good luck with your fall garden. I'm getting to prefer this season, even on my mountain side.

Catherine

I was just reading up on this last night. I have planted my last bit of bush beans, hope they finish. I am also going to start some bok choi, dill and bunching onions. Not sure about the onions but I have a pack of seeds and they don't keep from year to year so what the heck.

On a side note, what do you find helpful for that first frost that kills everything, and then the weather is nice for another month. Will throwing a sheet or two over the top of the squash help?

Yes, a sheet or blanket works well for mild frosts. If plastic, it must be held up and off the plants. Of course, the cool season crops won't need any protection until hard freezes start occuring.But they would still benefit from nightly covering to slow heat loss from the soil throughout the fall.
With my short, unpredictable growing season, bok choy and radishes are the easiest fall crops (planted late Aug or early Sept). This year, I thought of trying some fall spinach in my unheated greenhouse by starting them indoors under lights, hardening them off and transplanting them out after the first frost wipes out the eggplants. I'd better get on that right away.

I'm hoping to get some stuff in by the end of this month, but I fully intend to either put my little Harbor Freight greenhouse over the planting bed, or put a hoop house on there around November or so to keep the growth going later. Fall planting is tricky, and I always fail at spinach, so I can't offer you any suggestions there.

Really it depends on the DTM for each crop, so I don't think that a full fall garden can be planted all in one go on a certain date. It also depends on how much cold that the crop can stand. Amazingly, the arugula I planted last fall never fully died, despite temps down to zero, and was up and chugging along nicely in February. The carrots top-died and then came back in the spring, but were woody and somewhat bitter; however my horse enjoyed them anyway.

I would think it is too late to be planting sweet corn, but for advice you should contact your county "extension agent" or state agricultural college for a "planting schedule" or guide.

I have started "fall planting" already. Planted beets a week or so ago. Will plant lettuce, spinach, and radishes in a week or two.

Zone 6A here--stupid site won't let me change my info. I sow kale and collards in mid July, beets and carrots at same time, though beets could be started later. This week Asian radishes and escarole. Too hot for fall lettuces until early Sept. The fall zukes, cukes and beans have been in for some time.

This is off the topic, for Laceyvail's benefit.

I changed my zone this year because our backyard weather went from desert like summer to 50-70s. To change the zone, go to My Profile on top of the GardenWeb page. In the profile, there is a Garden Zone where you can modify it.

I';ve tried twice to change my info at my profile and it just doesn't take it. I'm not wasting time trying again. Maybe this winter when I'm not so busy.

Thanks for all the good input!!! While it may be late for corn, if the seed selected only needs 58-60 days to maturity then Ishould be OK.
I know someone who has rethought his planting schedule and now plants things in mid summer for fall harvest which most of us plant as soon as frost is past. e.g. Beans, corn, etc. etc. Obviously, tomatos and long season stuff still need spring planting. I'm starting to seriously consider this myself. The last couple of springs have been rain and more rain with a lot of "unseasonal" 90-100 temps thrown in. Corn, beans, and such we primarily grow to freeze so don't care if we're harvesting in July or September.
There's a famous quote that a garden is a "work in progress" and I'm continually experimenting and refining as I go.
Thanks again,

Depending on what vegetable I'm planting, here in Southern Nevada I begin planting my fall crops in late July and keep planting until November. A week ago I planted corn and in the next day or so I'll be planting Green Beans - Broccoli - Carrots - Spinach - Chard and Winter Squash.

Greg
Southern Nevada