In an earlier thread, Patty asked some questions about planting broccoli in the fall garden. While answering her questions, I realized that you sometimes need to do a few things differently in order to get good seed germination AND to get your plants off to a good start for the fall garden. So, here are some random hints and tips. If anyone else has fall-specific advice, feel free to add it here.

TO CARRY OVER EXISTING PLANTS: Many warm-season plants can be carried over to the fall garden as long as they remain relatively disease-free and pest-free.

Tomatoes: If your spring-planted tomatoes have avoided most of the foliar diseases, you can cut them back hard--usually by abour 50%, feed them, water them well and they will usually regrow, bloom and set fruit when cooler fall temperatures arrive, and will produce fairly well in the fall. Sometimes, though, with plants that produce very large fruit (over one lb.) or that produce extremely heavily (like Bloody Butcher or 4th of July), their energy is pretty depleted and they may not produce well in the fall. I usually look at each plant in early to mid-July and decide whether to cut it back and keep it, or replace it with a new plant for fall.

Peppers: Peppers usually "stall" in the hottest part of the summer and stop flowering and setting fruit, although there are some peppers that just keep on producing. You don't have to cut them back. At about the same time you cut back your tomatoes, just feed your peppers and water them well. Keep them well-mulched and well-watered. Prevent foliar disease by watering with soaker hoses or drip irrigation to keep water off the leaves. If your plants haven't started blooming by September 1st, feed them with a Bloom Booster type fertilizer and that should induce blooming and fruiting.

MELONS (CANTALOUPES, MUSKMELONS, WATERMELONS AND OTHER MELONS): These will keep right on producing until the first frost if you keep them watered and well-mulched. Often, though, spider mites attack their leaves when the temperatures soar. Prevent and control spider mite infestation by spraying the plants (tops and bottoms of leaves) with liquid seaweed once every two weeks. If mites are getting out of hand, spray once every 3 days for a total of 3 sprays.

WINTER SQUASH AND PUMPKINS: Can be carried over into fall if you control the squash bugs and squash vine borees. Spider mites like to attack these too, often about the same time they are hitting your melons. Spray with liquid seaweed as discussed above in the melon paragraph.

SWEET POTATOES AND OTHER ROOT CROPS: Continue to water and monitor for pests. These need a long season to produce and are usually harvested in the fall.

NEW PLANTS FOR FALL:

TOMATOES: For your fall tomatoes, you can begin setting them out in June and continue into July as time and space permit. If you are putting them into a space that already grew a summer crop, throw a few handfuls of compost and one handful of Espoma Tomato-Tone fertilizer into the planting hole. Plant, mulch, water well and watch for signs of insect infestation. Usually, fall tomatoes don't have a lot of insect issues unless you overfeed them with nitrogen, which will turn them into spider mite and aphid magnets.

CORN: Sweet corn takes a long time to produce, so be sure to plant it by the recommended date and keep it well-watered. In our heat, fall corn often grows more quickly than spring corn because it is growing in warmer soil and air. Watch for signs of corn earworms and corn fruitworms and treat plants with Bt if needed.

SUMMER SQUASH: If production dropped on your spring plants, and you start new ones for fall, you should get plenty from the fall plants....probably enough to fill up your freezer. Watch for spider mites and squash bugs, and treat with liquid seaweeed (for the mites) and hand-pick all squash bugs and their eggs.

BEANS: Bush beans planted for the fall garden will often give heavy, high-quality crop yields in the cooler temperatures of autumn. You also can plant pole beans, but need to get them into the ground pretty early as they usually take longer to produce.

COOL SEASON CROPS: You can start these from seeds sown in paper cups, which allows you to germinate them inside in cooler air temperatures, or you can direct sow. If direct sowing, wet down the soil thoroughly so it is wet several inches below the surface. Sow your seeds as the seed packets direct, and keep the soil moist until they germinate. Shade the beds for a few days if you can (I discussed that in detail in Patty's Broccoli thread) to help increase germination.

Some seeds, like all the cole crops (broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbages), beets, turnips, rutabagas and spinach will germinate better if you pre-soak the seeds for 12 to 24 hours before planting them in a seedbed. With beets and spinach, especially, this works even better if you pre-soak them in water in the refrigerator. When they come out of the fridge, they think "winter" is over and it is time to sprout!

With carrots and lettuce, surface sow on a moist seedbed because they need light to germinate. You can lightly scatter some fluffy compost or peat moss over them, but only very lightly. Mist twice a day to keep them moist. Lay a piece of cardboard, a wood, or a sheet of plastic on top of them to keep the soil moist. Check it twice daily and remove at the first sign of germination.

When it is time to transplant the seeds you started inside, harden them off over a week or so by gradually exposing them to more and more light. Transplant them in late afternoon or early evening to lessen the possibility of transplant shock. If it is REALLY hot, shade them for a few days. Keep them well watered and be ready to spray the brassicas with Bt at the first sign of caterpillar damage.

SOIL PREP: Depending on what you grew in any given spot in the spring garden, you may need to add a couple of inches of compost and some organic fertilizer (I like Espoma Vegetable-Tone because it contains trace elements) to the beds after you've removed the spring crop and before you plant the fall crop.

Leafy crops like lettuce, spinach and collard greens often do best if not planted until very late August or early September.

Remember that it is VERY hot and these plants will need careful attention to get them through their first few weeks. They may seem slow to grow in the heat, but will do just fine as the air temperatures cool.

Green peas need to be planted early enough (8 weeks before your first expected frost) to mature before the first frost because freezing temps. can cause them to abort blossoms. Covering them with a frost blanket can get them through the first cold spell and give you weeks more of production.

Southern peas should be planted ASAP for the fall garden as they love the heat and will grow and produce pretty well, but will slow down as temps. cool off.

Different pests may be a problem in the fall than what you normally see in the spring and summer, so remain alert.

Good luck with your fall plantings,

And, by the way, in our climate, fall is a GREAT time to plant strawberries!

Dawn