Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Fall Gardens 101: From the Master Gardeners themselves

As promised, I went to the Master Gardeners' free seminar on Fall Veggie Gardens. It was a grand ole time! there were a TON of people there.

But on to what's important! The things they recommend growing down here in the fall (you know, to basically hold the hands of those of us who thought we knew what we were doing at one time, but obviously don't)...

Get a soil test done. Central Texas soils tend to be higher in Phosphorous (which means that you should choose fertilizers with a low middle number)

If you plant Broccoli, Cauliflower or Turnips, do not plant these in the same spot every year. Even if you switch between Broccoli and Cauliflower, do not plant them where you planted the other type the year before.

Things to plant now:
Arugula,
Asparagus (it's a 3 year plant so make sure you really want it),
beets,
broccoli (stagger them, otherwise you'll be eating nothing but broccoli for a week),
carrots,
cauliflower (when you notice a head growing, gently pull the leaves around it up and over the head and clothes pin them in place--this keeps the head white, otherwise it will turn an off-white color),
collards,
kale,
garlic (hardneck is recommended, when the leaves turn yellow, that's when they're ready to be pulled),
kohlrabi,
lettuce,
onions (transplants--look for the pencil thin transplants, when the leaves fall over, it's time to pull them up),
peas (sugar snap is recommended. Plant some now and some in January)
Radishes,
spinach,
swiss chard,
rhubarb
strawberries

use a soil innoculant for peas and beans

Potatoes: plant in the middle of Feb, and harvest in May. Since potatoes need soil to be added to the plant every week or so, it's easiest to get some bushel baskets, cut the bottoms out, place on the soil and plant a potato at the bottom. As the plant grows, add soil to the basket. When it's time to harvest, just pull up the basket and the potatoes fall right out.

General tips: harvest veggies in the AM and rinse before storing. Use bug and disease resistant varieties, don't water at night, rotate crops, destroy diseased plants (don't compost), and floating row covers are your friend.

Spider mites and aphids are going to be a problem always. get rid of them with a strong burst of water.

Peppers should be starting to do better now with the slightly cooler temps

Tomatoes shut down when night temperatures are above 74.

Spring planting is generally in March and fall planting is generally in September/October

For Strawberries, the crown needs to be above the soil. Grow them as annuals. susceptible to spider mites. plant in October and pinch off blooms until December/January. 30 days from bloom to fruit. Cover during freezes. Use mulch and cover with black plastic.

For rhubarb, the variety that grows down here is a green variety by the name of "Victory" (so it won't be the red that most people think of when they think 'rhubarb'). It is truely a cold weather plant as it will 'burn off' in the summer.

Swiss Chard grows year round and you can cut a couple of leaves off to eat and it will continue to grow for a couple of years. Remove the plant when it starts looking bad, but it should last a couple of years.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Did you meet Bonnie from Kiss of Sun? I think she said she'd be there too.

Rock rose said...

It was a wonderful presentation. I'm heading out to find some rhubarb seed!

katina said...

Pam: No I didn't! I would have liked to meet some of the people whose blogs I read.

Rose: You didn't hang around to the end? Patty had about 40 packets of the Victoria variety that she handed out. I took one pack, but gave it to my coworkers as I dislike rhubarb. When I left, Patty still had quite a few packets left...

Bob said...

Katina, you definitely want to plant cauliflower as I've had good luck with every variety that I've tried. Some put heads on in early winter and others will grow all winter and head out in the early spring. I love cauliflower raw and it is one of the few vegi's that I never give away. I usually just buy the starter plants from the nursery.

Unknown said...

I was there! So sorry we didn't know to greet each other. We need a secret blogger's handshake.

I never had luck with cauliflower like Bob, but I love the peas, chard, and fall tomatoes.

BTW, I have strawberries in the ground that are going on their third year. They get better every year. But I know Patty says to grow them as annuals. BUt they have a tough time not burning up in the summer. Each fall I take out the mother plants and leave the newbies that have spread by runners.

Anonymous said...

Katina, I would like to send you an evite, but I must have an old email address for you. Can you send me your email at pam at penick dot net? Thanks, Pam

Annie in Austin said...

All these vegetable posts are making me feel guilty for not growing a fall produce garden, even if the harvesters climb trees and have bushy tails.

Maybe a fall garden will happen! Thanks for all the good information, Katina.

Annie at the Transplantable Rose