Cool-weather crops: what will you be planting soon?

12 years ago

It's almost time to consider our cool-weather vegetable crops. Although the summer vegs. are just beginning to produce (tomatoes, eggplant, etc.), the days are already getting shorter. And at SOME point the horrible high temperatures will get lower.

So I'm already planning to put in seed for: kale, chard, cabbagey vegs., spinach, more lettuce.

What are you planning to grow this Fall?

Carol

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Comments (4)

prairiemoon2 z6b MA
12 years ago
Carol,

You are just what I need. [g] A push to try to get a Fall garden going! It does seem like it will never be cooler, but today is nice any way.

We use Kale and Broccoli the most of the fall garden. I like the dark Kale for ornamental plantings but the green for eating. I suppose I should consider a little bit of lettuce. What varieties are you going to use? Oh, and peas! I want to grow some of the sweet peas that you eat in the pod. We enjoy those. Sugar Snap maybe.

How are you planning to start your seed? In the house or outdoors? I wondered if it was too hot outside to start them.

Our eggplants have done nothing this year for some odd reason but we have peppers that are a good size and I'm letting them ripen before picking. With the days getting shorter, do the tomato plants stop putting out flowers? I can't remember? Surprisingly, we are picking nice ripe cherrie tomatoes and the vines and foliage are really clean this year so far.

Our zuchinni had issues so I pulled the plants and I planted new seed about a week ago. I'm thinking I won't get any fruit from a plant started so late, but I had extra seed, so I thought I'd give it a try anyway. Especially since we had such a long warm fall last year. I also started string beans about 15 days ago and more last week, so I'm hoping to have a staggered harvest of them. Maybe I should sow another batch of string bean seeds too.
pixie_lou
12 years ago
I'm planning on doing spinach, peas and lettuce. Will put them in the 2nd week of August. I may attempt another planting of radishes - since I have the seeds. But I've attempted radishes twice this year. And they did not grow at all. I have no idea why.

I read somewhere recently to plant spinach seeds in late October. And you will get a spinach crop in March or April. I may try that as well.

Around 1 September, I will start cutting the flowers off of the tomatoes, eggplants, tomatillos. And hope that the plants put the energy into developing the fruit.
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Interested to hear what people say. I have a hard time with germination and no space for grow lamps. I have a lettuce that withstands the heat well into June if I get it going now, but won't germinate in the extreme heat. Kale produces well until late June last year. I get carrots to germinate by packing the soil down, spreading a layer of seed starter mix, wetting it well, putting down the seed, sprinkling another layer of mix and keeping it lightly sprayed every day. Did then in early September this way and now in May.
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Mulch will help keep the soil temps constant and moist which will help keep your cool weather crops alive longer. But mulch will only do so much. Look for varieties that do well in heat for a longer harvest period. you can also shade cool weather plants with snow fencing, shade cloth, tall plants, etc.. Making sure cool weather plants are well water is essential for longevity as well. Lucy
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Blake, this is broccoli raab, a.k.a. broccoli rabe, a.k.a. rapini, a.k.a. turnip broccoli, and not actual broccoli. The actual broccoli is huge and leafy and glorious, but no sign of heads yet. I think I'll probably try chard next year, to round out my options. I certainly intended to plant spinach this year, but I didn't get to it when I intended, and I'm sure it's too late now. I really wish I'd planted some sort of lettuce! diggingthedirt, yes, the unusually cool Spring hasn't escaped my notice, and I wonder if I'll ever actually see success like this again. It's a big boon for me, though, since I got my cool-weather stuff in a later than I'd intended. I think my tomatoes and squashes are doing OK, though, more or less, and I'm sure their day will come.
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Well, today I stopped by the seed and feed store, and asked the guy there if he had any fall transplants yet. He said that the Bonnie Plants rep hadn't brought any by yet - because it wasn't time to plant them. I thought to myself, " Now that's just great"! Apparently, they already knew something that I didn't. So, I went home and soaked every little plant in the garden with Neem. I'd really like for the current seedlings to make it...I mean, I brought them to life. You know what I mean? Oh well, when I get my DELUXE HOMEMADE EG SEED STARTER built, it will be a breeze. They might be buying seedlings from me! Heh. EG
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adrock430
12 years ago
Do you guys sow your brocolli and cabbage directly, or use transplants? If you sow, then when?
Thanks! Adam
diggingthedirt
12 years ago
Anne Raver has a good article about late season crops in today's NY Times. Page 2 gets into this, the first page is more ... lightweight.

Here is a link that might be useful: Anne Raver in todays times

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Cool-weather crops: what will you be planting soon?

Comments (4)

prairiemoon2 z6b MA

pixie_lou

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adrock430

diggingthedirt

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