|
|
Frugal
Living Thrift
Saving Money Penny Pinching
Home
Frugal Living Tips and Frugal
Living Articles for
Frugal Happy Families
|
Search Frugal and Simple Living Sites by Keyword
Below
|
Fall Vegetable Gardening
By Richard
Murray
Even experienced
gardeners will often ignore the fact that their
gardening efforts can extend well into the fall season,
while in certain sections of the world; gardening is
virtually a year round endeavor. Extending the gardening
season is becoming more critical to all of us because of
the changing dynamics in the world’s food supply. This
is a situation that we will have to live with for an
extended period of time, so it is a good idea to do our
bit. The victory gardens of World War II provided 40% of
the country’s food supply, proving that we can make a
difference.
It is hard to think about planting more vegetables at a time when fresh
produce is so abundant in our garden, but late July and
early September are good times to plant cool weather
crops. Fall plants such as broccoli and cauliflower
usually taste better when grown in the cooler weather,
while others such as kale and Swiss chard reach their
peak flavor after the first frost.
Fall planting requires less work because the soil was worked up in the
spring, so a light cultivation is usually all that is
needed after removing all the previous crop waste. Place
the debris into your compost pile after being sure to
remove any diseased vegetation, Top dress the garden
with some compost or organic mulch and work it into your
soil. Then you can proceed to plant according to
recommended methods.
Examples of good fall plants are: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Chinese
cabbage, endive, kale, lettuce, parsnips, peas,
potatoes, radishes, mustard and spinach. Do not plant
the same crops back in the exact same place, but rotate
your crops to reduce potential disease problems.
It is a good idea to consult with your local garden center or your local
county extension service for advice on correct planting
times for your growing zone.
As the fall season nears, protection for these crops has to be considered.
One method is to cover the crops with sheets, plastic
sheeting, or mulch which will trap the radiated heat
from the ground and raise the temperature enough to
protect them from a light frost.
Some crops such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, potatoes, Swiss
chard, Chinese cabbage and kale are not affected by
frost or even moderate freezes and can be left in the
garden until the hard freezes set in. Root crops such as
beets, carrots, parsnips and turnips can be re-mulched,
left in the garden and dug up as needed.
If a hard freeze is predicted, pick the green mature tomatoes or pull the
entire plants.
Store them in a dry cool (65 degree) place where they will ripen in about
two weeks. Delicate plants such as squash, peppers and
eggplant should be harvested and stored in a comparable
location as the tomatoes.
After harvesting and while the weather is still pleasant, many chores can be
accomplished in anticipation of spring and next year’s
garden. Cleaning up garden refuse, adding soil
amendments to your plot and making a planting plan of
your garden to decide how you want to rotate your crops
while this year’s garden is still fresh in your mind,
are just three jobs to get out of the way.
Now you can kick back in your easy chair, read the seed catalogs and dream
of those prize winning vegetables you are going to
raise.
About the Author: Dick Murray loves to write about growing fresh, healthy
fruits and vegetables and has created an information
packed web site
web site dedicated to gardening basics and designed
for families who care about their food supply. |
Home
|
|
