Have you started fall garden 2012?

shelleybean · August 5, 2012

As my summer garden winds down thanks to disease, it leaves me a lot of space to start some cool weather stuff, though it's almost 100 degrees here today. Indoors I've started:

Perfection Savoy cabbage
Southern Giant Curled mustard
Green Glaze collards
Black Tuscan kale
Seven Top turnips
Fordhook Giant chard

Those will go out into the garden in the next couple of weeks and I'll just keep on going with lettuce, spinach, beets, carrots, etc. all the way into November with shallots. Anybody else starting their fall/winter seeds now? Or planning it anyway?

habitat_gardener · August 5, 2012

It was overcast most of the day yesterday, in the 60s and 70s. The blessing of a cooler summer is that my summer garden is just starting to produce a lot of tomatoes and beans, and the corn is young. Usually everything peaks in early Sept. I've yet to pick the first eggplant.

This is the first year I've bought or made enough seed-starting mix and set up my seed-starting area so that I can start seeds all season. It seems as soon as I've planted something, I get ideas on what to start next. I got a late start (May), but I've had lots of seedlings growing ever since. I've already started some brussels sprouts. These will be the first ones I've grown from seed, and they're just about ready to plant. The only dilemma is where to plant them. I rent garden space, and I'm not sure which garden to plant them in, so that complicates my planning.

I planted my Red Ruby and Golden Beet seedlings yesterday, tucked into odd corners. I grew up eating borscht (which my mother called watermelon soup) but have only started really enjoying beets on their own in the past year, I think because I grew some. I've always eaten some beets -- grated raw in salads, or roasted, or boiled -- but since I've started growing my own I find I'm looking forward to them. I don't like chard or spinach so much, but I'll see if that changes when I harvest the chard plant that volunteered in my garden this year.

I grow perennial kale year-round, so I'm all set for brassicas and leafy greens (hmm, so I better start some in my other gardens, just in case...). It's still my favorite kale, and I've grown red russian, lacinato (black/tuscan/dino), rainbow lacinato, white russian, and probably a few others. I eat kale every day!

I'm thinking about starting some onions from seed. In the past I've bought 6-packs of seedlings -- and divided them into 30-80 plants. I usually don't plant garlic until I've cleared out the summer crops, which usually ends up being after the first frost at the end of November.

halleone · August 5, 2012

About the last week in July, I put out snap peas that I had started inside around 2 weeks prior; I used shade cloth for a full week, as we are in the 105 + range. Then I started (inside) arugula, broccoli raab, and 2 different lettuce varieties. Once they were up, they went outside into filtered shade, and the bok choy got a start, and is now waiting with the others for a bit of a cool(er) spell before I put them out.

I decided to try zuchhini (did I spell that right?) direct seeded and all of the seeds came up quickly; I can't grow them in the spring, they get attacked by squash vine borer and squash bugs both. So far not a squash varmint in sight, I guess they went to enjoy the neighbors' garden for a change. I won't miss them one bit.

And I am already dreaming up what I want to try in next years garden - is this an obsession or what. Too bad the garden catalogs don't start coming in until January/February!

beatpoet · August 5, 2012

I started some spinach recently, bloomsdale long standing spinach to be exact. Thinking about starting some broccoli or carrots too now that I've got some more space. Lost a couple tomato plants due to disease so that has freed up some space on the balcony. This will be my first year starting a fall crop.

RebelRidin · August 5, 2012

I spent the day cleaning out spent cukes, beans, corn and beets. I have brussels sprouts ready to transplant and am starting broccolli. I will sow more beets, and some late beans.

Father'sDaughter · August 5, 2012

After my garlic was harvested in early July, I direct seeded chard, turnips, spinach, carrots, beats, peas, fennel, brussels sprouts, and a second crop of zucchini. My spring zucchini hasn't done much if anything, and I've only gotten one so far. The second sowing is looking much happier than the first plant, so I think I'm going to yank the spring plants and figure out what I can put in their place this late in the game.

plainolebill · August 6, 2012

We've put in carrots, beets, Red Russian kale, parsnips, Kweik lettuce and upland cress. Will put in another crop of Kweik for overwintering and some radishes in September. Plant garlic in October.

b54red · August 7, 2012

It is still way too hot for fall crops down here but not too early to start seeds for many of them. My problem has been keeping the seedlings alive since damping off has been a real problem lately with the near daily rain and cloudy weather creating impossibly high humidity in my greenhouse.

rockhound · August 8, 2012

I started some cuttings from my tomatoes about a month ago for a late crop. Noticed yesterday as I watered, I have flower buds forming on them. So I may get ripe fruit before frost but at least I'll have a flush of green ones.

kath · August 8, 2012

I've got the last succession of corn, zucchini, cucumber, cilantro and bean plants growing as well as some new cilantro, lettuce, beets and carrots but haven't planted spinach or garlic yet. Still have to transplant the broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower starts.

shelleybean · August 9, 2012

It's been raining here all week. I have compost I need to add to my beds but won't get to it today. I need to pull out my field peas. They're done. Then I can start planting some of the seedlings that can take some heat.

shelleybean · August 17, 2012

My garden has gone from almost empty to almost full again! Sowed another round of green beans, carrots, beets, and set out the cabbage, mustard, chard, collards, kale and turnips. Second round of parsley is about to go out, I sacrificed my other plants to the caterpillars but have two cans of Dipel ready now. I have started lettuce inside. Glad to have something going on in the garden, even if it's not tomatoes. Sweet potatoes look good. Okra, eggplant and peppers are still doing well.

shelleybean · September 6, 2012

Wow! Just came in from the garden. Considering I'm in transition here, I am really pleased. I picked several White Beauty eggplant, lots of okra and Romano beans. More of all that one the way, with French filet beans, Ashe County pimento, Anaheims, Melrose peppers. All my fall stuff is doing really well. A little bit of cabbage worm damage but not too bad. I dusted with Dipel again. I see significant growth in collards, cabbage, mustard, kale and turnips. They must like the hot days and cooler nights. We are in the 70's at night now. Beets and carrots growing slowly. Lettuces and chard are still small but just went out. Spinach will be next.

How is your garden doing?

kath · September 6, 2012

Glad to hear your stuff is doing really well, shellybean. My late zukes and cukes were pretty much a bust this year only giving a few fruits before the bugs and disease took them down. The last corn patch is looking good with pollination over and ears forming. Beets are about ready to pick/thin and the carrots and cilantro are finally taking off and looking happy. We're harvesting the late bush beans now that I planted in case the pole beans gave out- but they didn't so we're giving huge amounts away daily- DH can't bear to pull some plants and since he does the picking... The lettuce and spinach are getting munched down as fast as they grow by something that's wreaking havoc when I'm not around- just planted more yesterday in hopes of success. The brassica plants also have taken off despite heavy insect attack- have to spray more Bt if we're not getting hit with any more showers today. We're still getting lots of tomatoes and peppers and the butternuts are starting to look ready to harvest so I'm happy about that, too. We're getting a bigger apple harvest this year than ever before and they're really starting to drop- been making apple crisp and canning applesauce so far. Sweet potato vines are sprawling all over but I haven't peeked yet to see how they're coming along.

Jeannine Anne · September 10, 2012

I have several diffeernt sprouting broccolis growing with maturity dates from November to May, 2 varieties of Brussel Sprouts, leeks etc , parsnips which O prefer overwinted and some salsify and Scorzonera which hopefull will be OK. I have some cold weather carrots in too . Salad Greens I grow in tubs through the winter. Jerusalam Artichokes are huge so am confident about them. Spinch I will be doing shortly agin and also will be starting my broad beans to overwinter.

August 5, 2012	#1
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	Have you started fall garden 2012? As my summer garden winds down thanks to disease, it leaves me a lot of space to start some cool weather stuff, though it's almost 100 degrees here today. Indoors I've started: Perfection Savoy cabbage Southern Giant Curled mustard Green Glaze collards Black Tuscan kale Seven Top turnips Fordhook Giant chard Those will go out into the garden in the next couple of weeks and I'll just keep on going with lettuce, spinach, beets, carrots, etc. all the way into November with shallots. Anybody else starting their fall/winter seeds now? Or planning it anyway? __________________ Michele

August 5, 2012	#2
habitat_gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Central Valley Posts: 2,543	It was overcast most of the day yesterday, in the 60s and 70s. The blessing of a cooler summer is that my summer garden is just starting to produce a lot of tomatoes and beans, and the corn is young. Usually everything peaks in early Sept. I've yet to pick the first eggplant. This is the first year I've bought or made enough seed-starting mix and set up my seed-starting area so that I can start seeds all season. It seems as soon as I've planted something, I get ideas on what to start next. I got a late start (May), but I've had lots of seedlings growing ever since. I've already started some brussels sprouts. These will be the first ones I've grown from seed, and they're just about ready to plant. The only dilemma is where to plant them. I rent garden space, and I'm not sure which garden to plant them in, so that complicates my planning. I planted my Red Ruby and Golden Beet seedlings yesterday, tucked into odd corners. I grew up eating borscht (which my mother called watermelon soup) but have only started really enjoying beets on their own in the past year, I think because I grew some. I've always eaten some beets -- grated raw in salads, or roasted, or boiled -- but since I've started growing my own I find I'm looking forward to them. I don't like chard or spinach so much, but I'll see if that changes when I harvest the chard plant that volunteered in my garden this year. I grow perennial kale year-round, so I'm all set for brassicas and leafy greens (hmm, so I better start some in my other gardens, just in case...). It's still my favorite kale, and I've grown red russian, lacinato (black/tuscan/dino), rainbow lacinato, white russian, and probably a few others. I eat kale every day! I'm thinking about starting some onions from seed. In the past I've bought 6-packs of seedlings -- and divided them into 30-80 plants. I usually don't plant garlic until I've cleared out the summer crops, which usually ends up being after the first frost at the end of November. Last edited by habitat_gardener; August 5, 2012 at 08:02 PM.

August 5, 2012	#4
beatpoet Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Posts: 214	I started some spinach recently, bloomsdale long standing spinach to be exact. Thinking about starting some broccoli or carrots too now that I've got some more space. Lost a couple tomato plants due to disease so that has freed up some space on the balcony. This will be my first year starting a fall crop. __________________ "After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." - Aldous Huxley Last edited by beatpoet; August 5, 2012 at 09:49 PM.

August 5, 2012	#5
RebelRidin Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Maryland's Eastern Shore Posts: 993	I spent the day cleaning out spent cukes, beans, corn and beets. I have brussels sprouts ready to transplant and am starting broccolli. I will sow more beets, and some late beans. __________________ George _____________________________ "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it’s natural manure." Thomas Jefferson, 1787

August 9, 2012	#11
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	It's been raining here all week. I have compost I need to add to my beds but won't get to it today. I need to pull out my field peas. They're done. Then I can start planting some of the seedlings that can take some heat. __________________ Michele

August 5, 2012	#3
halleone Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Walla Walla, Washington Posts: 360	About the last week in July, I put out snap peas that I had started inside around 2 weeks prior; I used shade cloth for a full week, as we are in the 105 + range. Then I started (inside) arugula, broccoli raab, and 2 different lettuce varieties. Once they were up, they went outside into filtered shade, and the bok choy got a start, and is now waiting with the others for a bit of a cool(er) spell before I put them out. I decided to try zuchhini (did I spell that right?) direct seeded and all of the seeds came up quickly; I can't grow them in the spring, they get attacked by squash vine borer and squash bugs both. So far not a squash varmint in sight, I guess they went to enjoy the neighbors' garden for a change. I won't miss them one bit. And I am already dreaming up what I want to try in next years garden - is this an obsession or what. Too bad the garden catalogs don't start coming in until January/February!

August 5, 2012	#6
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	After my garlic was harvested in early July, I direct seeded chard, turnips, spinach, carrots, beats, peas, fennel, brussels sprouts, and a second crop of zucchini. My spring zucchini hasn't done much if anything, and I've only gotten one so far. The second sowing is looking much happier than the first plant, so I think I'm going to yank the spring plants and figure out what I can put in their place this late in the game.

August 6, 2012	#7
plainolebill Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Williamette Valley, Oregon Posts: 33	We've put in carrots, beets, Red Russian kale, parsnips, Kweik lettuce and upland cress. Will put in another crop of Kweik for overwintering and some radishes in September. Plant garlic in October.

August 7, 2012	#8
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	It is still way too hot for fall crops down here but not too early to start seeds for many of them. My problem has been keeping the seedlings alive since damping off has been a real problem lately with the near daily rain and cloudy weather creating impossibly high humidity in my greenhouse.

August 8, 2012	#9
rockhound Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Tennessee Posts: 285	I started some cuttings from my tomatoes about a month ago for a late crop. Noticed yesterday as I watered, I have flower buds forming on them. So I may get ripe fruit before frost but at least I'll have a flush of green ones.

August 8, 2012	#10
kath Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: zone 6b, PA Posts: 5,664	I've got the last succession of corn, zucchini, cucumber, cilantro and bean plants growing as well as some new cilantro, lettuce, beets and carrots but haven't planted spinach or garlic yet. Still have to transplant the broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower starts.

August 17, 2012	#12
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	My garden has gone from almost empty to almost full again! Sowed another round of green beans, carrots, beets, and set out the cabbage, mustard, chard, collards, kale and turnips. Second round of parsley is about to go out, I sacrificed my other plants to the caterpillars but have two cans of Dipel ready now. I have started lettuce inside. Glad to have something going on in the garden, even if it's not tomatoes. Sweet potatoes look good. Okra, eggplant and peppers are still doing well. __________________ Michele

September 6, 2012	#13
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	Wow! Just came in from the garden. Considering I'm in transition here, I am really pleased. I picked several White Beauty eggplant, lots of okra and Romano beans. More of all that one the way, with French filet beans, Ashe County pimento, Anaheims, Melrose peppers. All my fall stuff is doing really well. A little bit of cabbage worm damage but not too bad. I dusted with Dipel again. I see significant growth in collards, cabbage, mustard, kale and turnips. They must like the hot days and cooler nights. We are in the 70's at night now. Beets and carrots growing slowly. Lettuces and chard are still small but just went out. Spinach will be next. How is your garden doing? __________________ Michele

September 10, 2012	#15
Jeannine Anne Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 1,553	I have several diffeernt sprouting broccolis growing with maturity dates from November to May, 2 varieties of Brussel Sprouts, leeks etc , parsnips which O prefer overwinted and some salsify and Scorzonera which hopefull will be OK. I have some cold weather carrots in too . Salad Greens I grow in tubs through the winter. Jerusalam Artichokes are huge so am confident about them. Spinch I will be doing shortly agin and also will be starting my broad beans to overwinter.