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Gardening: Tips for Autumn Vegetable Growing
from: Carlo MorelliDue to their fears of early winter frosts, a lot of gardeners do
not think about fall gardening. If you're one of them maybe a
few tips can make you change your mind. You should, because fall
gardening produces some first-rate vegetables long after spring
planted plants are finished. Autumn garden vegetables are can be
sweeter and milder than those grown in summer and present a
different taste to the same old veggies. What are the best
plants to grow during the fall, of course, depends on space
available, your climate zone, and what you like to eat, just
like spring planting. Even heat-loving crops, like tomatoes,
sweet potatoes and peppers, will produce until frosts hit, which
can be fairly late in the year in southern zones.
Then there are other plants that will give up as early as the
end of summer, such as cucumbers, snap-beans and summer squash.
Still, they can be harvested up until the first frosts also if
planted mid-summer. Hardy vegetables - potatoes, carrots and
other root and tubers will keep growing until the temperature is
as low as 20 degrees, but those that aren't as strong can only
grow through light frosts.
When planning for fall gardening, look on seed packages for the
words "early season", or seeds sporting the least days to
maturity. Choosing the vegetables with the shortest growing
season helps ensure they can be fully grown and harvested prior
to the appearance of frost. You may want to shopping for fall
gardening seeds in spring or early summer when the stores are
still completely stocked. Seeds stored in a cool and dry
location will keep until time to plant.
Speaking of time to plant, you need to know when the first hard
frost will usually hit your area in order to know exactly when
the best time to plant for fall gardening is. I recommend
looking this up in a Farmer's Almanac. They are rarely wrong and
will give you specific dates. You also need to know just how
long your plants are going to take to mature. Then you will be
able to match up the plants with the right growing times to your
area.
Prepping your soil for fall gardening starts with getting rid of
any leftover spring-summer crops and debris. These leftovers may
spread bacteria and disease to your new plants if left in your
garden. Increase the nutrients in the soil by spreading a couple
inches of compost or mulch over the garden area. If summer
plants were fertilized heavily it may not need much, however, if
any. Turn over the soil's top layer, moisten it, and let set for
12-24 hours. Congratulations, you're ready to start planting.
Many gardeners shun fall gardening in order not to deal with
frosts, but if robust, hardy vegetables are planted properly
they can survive a few frosts and provide some wonderful tasting
fresh food.
About the author:
Carlo Morelli writes for www.OnlineTips.org, where you can find
tips on
talling fiberglass insulation,
entry door and many other home and garden projects.
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