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Plant now for autumn bounty

July 25, 2008 12:15 am

THERE'S STILL time to plant a fall veg- etable garden. Growing your own food can provide a rewarding sense of accomplishment and a source of nutrition right in your own backyard. How convenient to be able to walk out the back door and select items for dinner without driving to and then standing in line at the grocery store.

Food is a lot fresher if you can prepare it immediately after it's harvested. With a little planning, your fall vegetable garden can provide fresh vegetables up to and even past the first frosts.

Many varieties of vegetables can be planted in mid- to late summer for fall harvests. Succession plantings of warm season crops, such as corn and beans, can be harvested up until the first killing frost. For most of our area, the first killing frost occurs between Oct. 19 and 29.

Cool season crops--such as kale, turnips, mustard, broccoli and cabbage--grow well during the cool fall days and can withstand light frosts.

Timely planting is the key. To determine when to plant a particular vegetable for the latest harvest in your area, you need to know the average date of the first killing frost and the number of days to maturity for the variety you are growing. Choose earliest maturing varieties for late plantings. The formula below for determining the number of days to count back from the first frost will help determine when to start your fall garden.

Take the number of days from seeding (if you started your own seed) or transplanting outdoors to harvest, plus the average harvest period, plus "fall factor" (about two weeks), plus the "frost tender factor (another two weeks, if applicable) (two weeks). That equals the number of days to count back from first frost date.

The frost tender factor is added only for those crops that are especially sensitive to frost--corn, beans, cucumbers, tomatoes and squash--as these must mature two weeks before frost to produce a reasonable harvest.

The fall factor takes into account the slow growth that results from cool weather and short days in the fall, and it amounts to about two weeks. This time can be reduced from two to five days by pre-sprouting seeds. Almost any crop that isn't grown from transplants can benefit from pre-sprouting.

Sprout seeds in doors, allowing them to reach a maximum length of 1 inch. Sprouted seeds may be planted deeper than normal to help prevent drying out, and they should be watered well until they break the soil surface. Care should be taken not to break off the sprouts when planting them.

SOIL PREPARATION

When planting a fall garden, prepare the soil by restoring the nutrients removed from spring and summer crops. A light layer of compost or aged manure, or a small application of complete fertilizer will boost soil nutrients in preparation for another crop.

Dry soil can make working the soil difficult and inhibit seed germination during the mid-summer period. Plant fall vegetables when the soil is moist after a rain, or water the area thoroughly the day before planting. Seeds may be planted in a shallow trench to conserve moisture.

Cover the seeds about twice as deep as you do in the spring. An old-time trick for germinating seeds in mid-summer is to plant the seeds, water them, and then place a board over the row until the sprouts just reach the soil surface; at that time remove the board. A thin layer of organic mulch helps retain soil moisture and keeps the soil warm without deterring germination.

Once young plants are established, a thicker mulch layer can be used to hold moisture and control weeds. Irrigate when necessary so the young plants have sufficient moisture. Fall plantings often have fewer insect problems by avoiding the peak insect activity of midsummer. However, some insects, such as cabbageworm and corn earworm, might be even worse late in the year than in summer; vigilance is still required.

Avoid some pests and diseases by planting crops of different families than were originally in that section of the garden.

SECOND CHANCE

The fall garden gives you a chance to try again any crops that failed in the spring. Some crops actually grow better in the fall in some areas. Cauliflower and long-season Chinese cabbage, for example, do not produce well in Virginia's mountain areas in spring because they can't reach maturity before the cool weather ends.

Cool-season crops such as cabbage, broccoli, spinach, and Brussels sprouts can withstand some cold. Their flavor may even be enhanced after a frost. They cannot stay in the garden all winter, but they do not need to be picked immediately when frost comes.

Kale, spinach, evergreen bunching onions, lettuce, parsley, parsnips, and carrots are some crops that may survive all winter in the garden. Mulch these overwintering vegetables with 8 inches of mulch to prevent heaving of the soil. Most of these vegetables can be dug or picked as needed throughout the winter or in early spring.

So plant a fall garden and prepare to be surprised at all you can grow.