Fall vegetable plantings?

17 years ago

Have you all been thinking about Fall gardens?

We've planted lettuce and some snow pea seed (for the tendrils, the pods may or may not have time to develop). Actually, I think we are little too early since it is still very hot and dry here.

Anyway, the idea is to take advantage of cool, late Summer rains. Mostly, it works fairly well.

I've planted Walla Walla sweet onion seed about the 20th of August for years but the last few tries haven't been very successful. The plants mostly have quickly gone to seed in the Spring. That's not the way it's supposed to work.

Any ideas as to why this is happening.

Steve

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Comments (6)

singcharlene
17 years ago
Hi Steve,

Last week I planted spinach, lettuce, carrots & radishes. I'm going to plant every two weeks to try to have greens into the holidays.

Anybody have ideas for the best season extending covers to use on top of my raised beds? I received a gift certificate for my birthday to Burpee Seed catalog. They had a row cover to purchase but it was only two feet wide and was 12 feet long. My beds are 4 feet wide and 10 feet long. I liked the idea of being able to zip them open instead of lifting off plastic every time you want to tend to or just peep in.

We've had very pleasant cool weather for starting seeds outdoors with some rain too. But supposed to heat up next week--which will make my tomatoes and peppers happy I think.

Have a nice day--hopefully part of it in your garden!
Charlene
tucker303
17 years ago
I am pondering doing this. Peas, lettuce and radishes.

I have never planted anything for a spring harvest (other than garlic last year). Are there other overwintering veggies one can try....or at least ones that won't mind the cold weather if mulched? Ideas to extend the season...carrots????
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david52 Zone 6
17 years ago
Spinach, planted in Aug, overwinters very well and we got a very good harvest in March. I've got peas that should go in soon, I have a trellis which grew peas in the spring, now its green beans, and I'll plant peas in there again. I'll do garlic in mid-sept, and cilantro seems to do well all winter as well. But mostly, I like to go fishing in the fall.

Steve, you might try planting the onion seed directly in early March. It takes a few weeks to germinate, and the tiny plants seem to be very cold tolerant. I don't remember exactly what varieties I used to do this with, but one year we did Vidalias and always yellow and red ones. The white sweet ones were all 5" in dia by August.

These past few years, I have an arrangement with the gardener down the road where I supply him tomato plants and he supplies me onion slips, so I haven't done it in a few years.
zachslc
17 years ago
Cilantro in the winter? Huh?
david52 Zone 6
17 years ago
In zone5/6, in a sunny area, cilantro stays green and can grow all winter long. If you plant it on the south side of a building and keep it reasonably moist, you can snip leaves all winter. I have a patch outside the back door, so its easy to dump some water on it every now and again. Out in the flat veggie garden, it stays green all winter, and is snipable, but isn't very tall so one has to use patience and sharp pointed scissors. But it seems to taste even stronger, so a little goes a long way, and a dozen leaves floating in a bowl of soup make it worth the effort.
digit
Original Author
17 years ago
The only season extending covers I use regularly are plastic film sheets over pvc pipe hoops, Charlene. It isn't too tough to slide it all off during a bright, sunny day. But, I don't do this in the Fall - mostly it is for a little extra space for flats coming out of a jam packed greenhouse.

I think we will just wait for March for the Walla Walla's. It seemed to work well for 4 or 5 years but I'm not looking to strike out again. We grow more onions each year from seed and it works - why not the WW's?

Cilantro? The darn stuff has such a short season, trying it as an overwintering crop should be worth a try. One of my favorite seasonings.

Thanks everyone!

Steve