Does summer's heat and humidity have you and your garden
drooping? Don't despair, fall is just around the corner. Along
with the cooler temperatures comes a chance to renovate your
garden, or even to start a garden if you didn't have one during
spring or summer.
Many organic gardeners have found that they are able to grow
certain crops much more successfully in the fall than in the
spring! This is most likely due to decreased insect and disease
problems as well as the fact that weather tends to be more
consistent in the fall than in the spring.
5 Fall crops for your organic vegetable garden
Broccoli- "Packman" is a good, early maturing, broccoli variety.
If you want to get multiple harvests off of the same plant, try
a variety such as "De Cicco" which produces an abundance of side
shoots after the main broccoli head is harvested.
Garlic- Fall is the time to plant garlic for harvest next
spring! In colder areas of the country, try stiffneck garlics
such as "Russian Red". For warmer areas, the spicier softneck
garlics such as "Inchelium Red" are well worth a try.
Cabbage- Try "single serving" sized varieties such as "Gonzales"
or beautiful, anti-oxidant rich, red cabbages such as "Super Red
80"
Lettuce- Plant "Rouge D'Hiver", "Val D'Orge", "Four Seasons", "Reine
Des Glaces" and other cold tolerant lettuces for fresh salads
all season long.
Kale- kale will often keep you supplied with fresh greens well
into winter, especially if you plant winter hardy varieties such
as "Winterbor" or "True Siberian"
Once you have decided what you will grow this fall, you will
have to get your garden ready for action!
Before you plant your fall crop, make sure that you have
adequately tilled and amended your soil (with lime, compost,
etc.) as needed. You can find out what nutrients you need to add
to your garden by getting your soil tested (ask your county's
cooperative extension office for details). You will also have to
remove any old plant debris from the garden area in order to get
rid of any insect pests or plant diseases it may harbor. Any
rotting tomatoes, giant zucchinis or withering zinnias will do
you more good in your compost pile than in your garden at this
point!
Some supplies that will come in handy for your fall garden are
mulch (hay and fallen leaves are two good organic mulches) and
floating row cover which are both useful for protecting your
plants from cold. If you are growing a lot of broccoli, cabbage,
kale or other members of the brassica family, you may want to
keep some Bt (bacillus thuringiensis) on hand in order to
control cabbage worms.
While planning your fall garden, don't be afraid to
experiment: many organic gardeners grow flowers, peas, potatoes,
spinach and other traditional spring crops very successfully in
the fall.
So, don't put your garden favorites on the back burner
just because the days are getting shorter. Put them in the front
flower bed instead!
Recommended Reading:
There's a
Goosefoot in my Garden
It's Easy to Grow
Great Garlic
How Does Your Garden Grow
Part One: Getting to Know Your Soil
Bountiful Basil
digg it