You can make sure that your garden’s productivity into the fall by selecting bolts and frost-resistant vegetables.

The seasons are changing and as they do, as do the requirements for maintaining the garden at home healthy. In Middle America, fall is an ideal time to celebrate the fall season. It is a time of great variety to be done and so much that can be accomplished that there’s no reason to view the spectacular colors of fall as just a brief period prior to winter. I am confident that gardening in fall is the same productive as it is in summer and spring. . .and with a significantly lower mosquito issues!

I consider myself to be a lucky person to have been educated by my dad and uncle in the art of gardening as well as harvest during the autumn. We all do our gardening and harvesting on to the shores of the Big Sandy River here in the eastern mountains of Kentucky and this particular terrain presents unique challenges. I realize that a lot of people will be planting in areas that aren’t as secure and likely to chaos as sloping. However, autumn gardening can be easily adapted to any kind of situation. Although Dad is gone over 16 years, I recall him walking along the riverbanks with his trusted hoe on his shoulder and ready to fight against the myriad of weeds which caused a mess. I am able to say with certainty that Dad did not get bored with the battles he fought in. He was a firm believer in having a “clean” garden-using whatever method it required. Although hoeing may not be the most efficient method of keeping the weeds away but it is among the most effective and commonly employed methods. I hope that all of my readers could get to see his backyard and meet this remarkable man who has his trusty shovel in his fingertips. Yes, I said shovel! Though he does employ hoes, it’s incredible how well cleans his garden using his shovel. This isn’t your typical model, either. It features an edge that is serrated. That’s right. I said serrated, and he set the edge in by hand, filing each small crevice until it became an incredibly powerful weapon. The soil and weeds will not be able to compete with this tool that is unique.

Plan Your Fall Vegetable Plantings in the Summer

How do you begin? Good question. It’s summertime by making plans. Gardening without a comprehensive plan is a recipe for catastrophe, which is why we’ll start in August. If you intend to grow cole crops, such as broccoli, cabbage or cauliflower and I would suggest you do, these plants should be in place in mid-to-late summer at most. It’s likely that you’ll need to start your own since few garden centers sell the plants aside from spring. The only exception is the South. Start your seeds on flats if would like, but I prefer to begin them in the soil, and keep them moist throughout, and after they start to sprout.

I also enjoy trying some late tomatoes in the same way. It could be an ideal idea to plant the tomato seeds about a couple of weeks before the above mentioned vegetables. While most will mature at in the same period as most vegetables, tomato seeds are unable to take frost very well and simply cannot withstand freezing. However many cole crops thrive in cool climates.

These seed beds should be prepared by adding large quantities of soil builders such as manure, compost or even peat moss that help the soil hold in moisture even during the heat of August. Once the plants have grown enough to allow them to be transplanted into their permanent homes I prefer to select areas that have good drainage and get adequate sunlight. While cole crops can tolerate certain shade conditions, tomatoes perform better under full sunlight. There are people who do not have a choice and are forced to settle for an area that is shaded which is fine when that’s all you’ve got. Tomatoes can grow in shade, but they’re not as prolific.

All vegetables benefit from plenty of moisture and nutrients therefore, fall planted tomatoes and cole crops are not an exception. Additionally, care must be taken when selecting varieties that are resistant to the diseases common in your region. In my region it’s recommended to select yellow resistant varieties of cabbage or VFN resistance tomatoes. However, non-resistant stand-ups like Early Jersey Wakefield cabbage and Marglobe tomato will not give you the yield you want. They may be, but why should you just settle with “might.”