Fall Vegetable Gardening Basics

June 12, 2009

Gardening
If you’re dreaming of having fresh vegetables throughout the winter but don’t have a lot left from the summer planting, don’t despair. There are actually many vegetables which can be planted in the early fall, and still have time to ripen before the worst of the winter weather season kicks in.

Plants which grow roots and tubers can survive underground even after frost kills the tops of the plants. If you add plenty of mulch to these types of vegetable plantings, you’ll have the best success.

It’s not always easy to find vegetables seeds or starter plants in the fall though, so you may need to buy your seeds earlier in the year and put them away for fall planting, or buy them online if your local stores are no longer selling them later in the season. You’ll also need to check the seed packages or plant growing instructions to see what the harvest times are, and plant accordingly.

If your area tends to get it’s first frost around October 30th for instance, then you’ll need to plant vegetables now which have harvest times of less than 50 days or so. If the first frost doesn’t hit your area until late November however, you can plant almost any vegetable which needs less than 70 days till harvest - and many fall into this category.

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Garden Tip...

There is no sight more attractive in a window-garden than a fine Ivy vine trained up the casement, over the wall and ceiling; its dark, rich, glossy leaves, and thrifty look, make it an object to be admired. If grown in pots in the house, the soil will soon become exhausted, if the plant is growing rapidly, and it should be changed or enriched with decayed manure at least once each year, care being taken not to disturb the roots to a great extent. It is a mistake to allow Ivies too much pot-room, they will do better if the roots are considerably confined. Soap-suds or liquid manure if applied once a mouth when the plants are growing, will promote a luxuriant growth. When dust accumulates on the leaves, as it will, if grown in-doors, wash it off with a damp cloth or sponge; if this is long neglected, you need not be surprised if you soon discover the leaves to be covered with red-spider or scale-lice. Cold water is the best wash, when washing be sure and treat the underside of the leaves as well as the upper surface. I would recommend the "English Ivy" as being the best sort for general cultivation.
~ James Sheehan
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It’s best to clean and clear your vegetable garden areas of anything left from the spring and summer plantings first. This will help reduce the chances of spreading diseases or pests to your new plants. You may also want to mix in some fresh compost to help renew the soil with additional vitamins and minerals.

Your fall vegetable patch can be as small or as large as you’d like, and just like the spring and summer plantings you can put them directly into the ground or you can create raised vegetable gardening beds instead. You can also plant the fall vegetables into containers instead, and this is particularly useful to do in areas where you’re not quite sure if the vegetables will have enough time to ripen before the first frost. If you end up with an earlier than expected frost, you can simply move your containers into a more protected area such as inside your home, in a garden shed, or in the garage.

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Garden Tip...

If one has a fine lawn and desires to keep it so, he should never work upon or mow it when the turf is wet or soggy. The impression made by the feet in walking over the sod while in this state, will leave the surface rough and uneven afterwards. Do not water the grass or plants while the sun is shining hot, as it will scorch the leaves and make them turn yellow. All weeds, such as dandelions, plantain, etc., growing up through the grass, should be carefully and thoroughly dug out by the roots with a knife or pointed spade; if allowed to remain, they will soon become so numerous as eventually to kill out the grass and give to the lawn an appearance of neglect.
~ James Sheehan
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