Polk County Master Gardeners
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Fall Gardening
Now is the time to think of filling those holes in the vegetable garden left
when the lettuce and spinach started going to seed, the green peas quit
producing, and you pulled the onions. Even the green beans will be nearing the
end of their tour of duty soon.
You can have a fall garden that will produce right up until frost (and even
beyond for a few things) if you are willing to do a little calendar-counting.
The first thing to understand is that there are two types of plants as far as
frost is concerned: those that can take a little nip (frost tolerant) and those
that cannot (frost tender). Tomatoes, peppers, beans, eggplant, cucumbers and
melons are all frost tender, so they will die at the first frost unless you
protect them. Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, radishes, carrots,
collards, garlic, kale, lettuce, mustard, swiss chard, spinach and turnips are
all frost tolerant: they can take a bit of cold and sometime are a bit sweeter
for it.
The second thing to put in the calculator is the average first frost date in
the fall. For the Mena area, that is around October 24. Yes, I know that
sometimes it will freeze on October 1 and sometimes it will be warm well into
November, but averages are about the best we can do since we must plan so far
ahead. Now get out the seed envelopes for the plants you would like to grow this
fall and, for each one, get the average number of days from seeding to harvest.
For green beans, the package of seed I have left from spring planting says they
will start producing about 58 days after planting. That means the very latest
they could be planted with any hope of a harvest would be mid-August. The
frost-tolerant plants have a little more leeway because you can probably still
harvest them after we have a frost.
Prepare the beds just as you would for spring planting, adding organic
materials and getting a soil test to check to see what other amendments are
needed. Since August is usually very hot and dry around here, plan on soaking
the beds deeply the day before planting the seed and watering often enough to
keep the ground moist until they have sprouted. Then you should mulch around the
new plants to give them a little shelter from the heat and sun. You will need to
continue watering whenever the ground is dry under the mulch. If you purchase
plants instead of starting from seed, you can start a little later, but you will
still need to mulch and water frequently.
Feed your plants by side dressing with an all-purpose fertilizer just as you
would in the spring. Watch for insects and disease as in the spring and treat
them as early as possible.
And plan to enjoy veggies from your garden well into the fall.
By Barbara M. Tobias
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