Plant a fall vegetable garden and reap the rewards of cool weather vegetables. Nobody said the end of summer meant the end of gardening, but that’s exactly what most gardeners do. Plan ahead and learn exactly when you should plant the fall vegetable garden and what kind of cool weather vegetables to plant.
Table of Contents
Decide on the type of vegetables to plant. Since you want the best crop possible, figure the days to harvest and the average first frost date for your area. Count backwards to decide when each type of vegetable should be planted, so they will mature before being killed by winter weather. If you don’t know your gardening zone, go to the National Arboretum and find the cold hardiness zone for your area.
The following list gives the fall vegetables and the Fahrenheit cold temperatures at which they can survive. This is not an exhaustive list so check at your garden center for other vegetable seeds or plants.
If the summer vegetable garden is ready to call it quits, it’s time to prepare the vegetable garden bed. Rip out all the old vegetation and the roots. Turn the soil and work in compost and fertilizer. Forget the fertilizer, if planning on a lot of root vegetables. The added nitrogen from the fertilizer makes the roots small.
If you’re on schedule for planting, then plant vegetable seeds. When the ground is still warm, plant seeds a little deeper so they’re in cooler, moister ground. If you’re behind schedule, consider planting transplants from the nursery. Shade seedlings from the hot summer sun by using row covers. To keep a crust from forming over the newly seeded soil, keep the ground moist and scatter a thin layer of compost over the area. Use overhead watering to keep leaves cool, and mulch root plants, to keep the roots warm as the weather cools.
When you plant a fall vegetable garden, start off with a plan. Clean out the waning summer garden, turn the soil and work in compost. Plant vegetable seeds if you’re on schedule, and keep them evenly moist. Some vegetables can make it through the first light frost.
Refresh Your Vegetable Garden for a Fall Crop
Most homeowners have probably spent hours looking at the different types of garden seeders. You may have even come across…
When it comes to vehicle lovers, cleaning their cars on a regular basis is essential to maintaining the paint job's…
Gas chainsaws are the perfect tool for a variety of outdoor tasks, including chopping up logs for firewood, clearing brush…
A home can be a daunting project, one that takes some time and energy to maintain. With hard work, determination,…
Today ginger is grown all over tropical and subtropical regions in Asia, in parts of Africa and South America, and…
Onions are one of the most popular vegetables in the world, and growing onions is a snap in the home…