?... are you planning a fall garden ?

Just wondering what folks are planning for a fall garden.....

I know I'd like to try some beets....some butternut squash...and I'd also like to add more 'rainbow chard'. I'm also going to start some seeds that 'gymgirl' passed on -- looking forward to seeing how they turn out. Just not sure what else to try.

Anybody else planting this fall ?

Thanks...
Jann

Yup! We've planted some small pumpkins and we still have our bell peppers and jalapenos going strong. I have some tomatoes we've babied through the summer and also some of the tops of the ones we grew this spring to transplant. We'll be planting bush beans again, then carrots, lettuces, cabbage, and more cucumbers. We're not big fans of squash, chard, beets, greens or other "common" fall crops so I don't plant those.

Hadn't thought about the 'bush beans' being a fall crop -- so that's sounds good. Starting a pumpkin patch is a good idea. What variety did you use ? And I also just let my tomatoes 'go' instead of pulling them up after their summer crop. Last summer I did this and my fall tomato crop was better than my summer.

RE: Tomatoes -- Not sure what you mean about.... 'the tops of the ones we grew this spring to transplant' --- ???

We're growing "Sugar Sweet" pumpkins. I planted them 7/15 and every single seed germinated! LOL I'll plant Blue Lake bush beans as we've got lots of seeds from the spring leftover and they taste great, too!

For my tomatoes, when they quit producing and looked like death warmed over, I cut off the tops, which were looking great, and am in the process of rooting them to transplant out in the garden.

I transplanted broccoli this weekend. The weather was perfect - on Saturday it was cloudy all day. On Sunday there was a light rain - not enough to drive me indoors. There were well over 50 transplants, plus some other seedlings which I assume were kolrabi. I won't know what they are until they get larger. These were all from "old seed" - I don't think the collard seeds sprouted.

Next weeked, I'll have to do something about all the beets seedlings!

Honeybee~do you start your seeds indoors?

I've got two yellow crookneck squash in pots right now (they sprouted maybe a week ago), 3 buttercup squash (not butternut), 4 acorn bush table king plants, 2 pumpkins and 1 mystery squash plant. I planted one jalapeno pepper plant as well but it has yet to sprout.

I also have three pepper plants from the spring that are hanging in there, but may need to be pulled.

I also plan to grow swiss chard and pole beans in the fall. Tomatoes were a bust for me this spring but I will probably try again for a fall crop.

stephanietx - in some years I do, but this year I did not. Wish I had, 'cause the slugs were out in abundance this spring.

The fall seeds I sowed in drills (shallow rows) and I'm transplanting the larger seedlings once they get four "true" leaves.

This is my first year setting a Fall garden - when I lived in South Florida, everything had to be grown during the fall/winter months, 'cause it was way to hot to grow much in the summer months.

When I lived in Tennessee, I sowed seeds indoors, but I had a huge picture window in that house which had just the right amount of sun/shade for raising transplants.

I am growing corn, bunching onions, carrots, turnips, icicle radishes, zucchini, pickeling cucumbers, pole beans, acorn squash, a few sugar baby pumpkins, tomatoes, and watermelons (although they dont seem to be growing so well right now).

I came home late yesterday to find my hubby had forgotten to water the transplants I had set over the weekend. I went out to check on them and felt like crying :( Most of them were lying flat and looked really dried-out. Hubby got the hose and immediately gave them all a good drink.

This morning, I checked on them, expecting the worse, and to my surprise, they were all standing up and looking great!

Hopefully, hubby will remember to water them today 'cause it's supposed to be in the mid-90's this afternoon.

I'm glad to see I'm right on schedule with Honeybee. It still seems so early for fall crops its so warm out there, but my seedlings are up. I'm another week or so before transplanting.

OK -- for those in Texas planting this fall. It's still HOT HOT HOT.

Do we start the seeds inside or plant directly in garden ?

It depends on the type of plant. For some starting inside is better, but carrots, beans, and some others are planted in-ground.

Thanks Stephanie....

So even though it's still HOT here we should plant say 'bush beans' in the ground -- in August ??

Yes, you can plant them anytime this month. What would even be better is to plant them about 2 weeks apart, some now some in 2 weeks. That way, your beans will seem to produce longer.

Makes sense to plant a couple weeks apart. Thanks Stephanie

I'm farther north than many of you, although far enough south to be able to put in a fall garden. I am putting in beans now, but thought I'd wait a bit for greens (lettuce spinach etc.) as we're awfully hot just now. My broccoli made it through the summer, so I think if I just cut back the side-shoots I will get good new growth. I'm not sure what else I can put in and not get it frozen by late October. Any suggestions would be appreciated. My summer garden was awful due to unexpected illness, so I'm tring to make up for it now. Also, I have chive and bunching onion seed that I didn't get in this spring beford I got sick. Could I plant those this fall and have any luck? Could I make a second planting of beets? My husband really likes them pickled. Thanks for any ideas.
Kathy

I'm also planting my first fall garden. I have lettuce, carrots, and radishs up to a stand. Planted dry beans off my last picking of butterbeans and they are about a foot high and getting ready to boom. My green beans got the benifit of my watering the squash and put on new follage, rebloomed and are bearing again. Will plant broccoli, cabbage, mustard, turnips and maybe rape, onion sets. My cucumbers continue to bloom and bear. Oh and I have out a cherry tomatoe and a 640. I will also plant 8 tomatoes in hay bales in the green house.

willowwind - how about peas? I'm going to put mine in this weekend (Zone 7b). If you like Brussels sprouts - they always taste better after being kissed by frost. Carrots/parsnips might do well, too

That's a good idea honeybee, and we do love them (peas). I have a shadier area I might put them in and as it becomes cooler and the leaves go they'll get more sun. Carrots would also be good. We're not so good on brussels sprouts or parsnips here, but I might try some cabbage, even if the heads weren't full size by frost. Thanks for the ideas.

willow

I'm planning broccoli, brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, cabbage, butternut squash, kale, lettuces, radishes and carrots. In a normal summer, I would wait until early September, but it has been the coolest summer on record around here, so I may get started this weekend.

I just pulled out my pole beans. They behaved very strangely -- paltry plants, beautiful beans... lots of ants. I found the aphid farms, got rid of them... and suddenly the plants EXPLODED! Maybe the roots hit a pocket of nitrogen or something... anyway, I started to get rust (I think), but then it started to look more like mosaic... and the beans just quit growing (could be the cool weather). So - out they came and into the trash. Sad to see 'em go, but they haven't fed me for a couple of weeks now. What good are food crops that don't feed me?!?

So, do I need to wash my tools, gloves, etc. in bleach since the plants seemed to be infected?

Looking forward to starting over with new crops. And I'll start them all from seed (except the broccoli?) - and hopefully won't have infected plants...

-Patty

Patty~That sounds like what happened to my pole beans this spring. We just pulled ours out last week.

Goodness, I was feeling frustrated because I never got any beans in. Maybe it was just as well. We've also had an amazingly cool, wet summer. Tomatoes are still kind of looking at me asking "where's July?", and not being enthusiastic producers like usual. I'm trying some bush beans now...see if we get enough warm weather to encourage them. I forgot about kohlrabi happygirl, thanks for mentioning it.

willow

I have put in mixed lettuce, brocolli raab, snow peas, beets, baby carrots, spinach, and I have plugs of arugula to add next. I will also plant some cabbage. We have had almost no rain all summer and I am not encouraged to plant since I have to water everything to get it up.

Steph,
Have you sow seeds yet? If not, when will you sow them?

Some stuff now and then some stuff will be direct sown when time to plant.

I checked out Living Earth in person yesterday, and will order 1-2 yds. of their Rose mix for my two raised beds. Can't do a thing now except work like crazy to get everything I can in place before I leave for vacation next Saturday (a week in Cancun, laying either in or very, very near the water).

So, when I come home Labor Day weekend, I'll sow seeds like a crazy woman! Wish I could trust the DH to water seeds I could sow this weekend, but that ain't gonna happen. So, I have to wait til I get home to sow everything.

Why is it no one is sowing Brussels Sprouts seeds? I bought some fresh and was looking for some direction.

Linda

We don't like brussel sprouts here, so we're not growing them, but I think they'd be fun to grow. I've always though brussel sprouts were cute!

Steph, YOU'RE cute -- and a total hoot! ^_^