I live in southern RI and want a fall harvest of beets, turnips, peas and broccoli. When should I start planting them?
Thanks for any advice! :-)
Sue
When to Start Fall garden in zone 6
HI I'm in zone 6b and there was a mention in Southern Living magazine that the upper south could start their fall gardens in August. Some people I know does fall gardens sow their seeds and set out their plants towards the end of the month. Hope that helps
Thanks Mindy! I've been thinking about at least starting the broccoli in starter pots.
I'm not sure if you will get peas unless you are on the shoreline with the later deep freezes. I am nearby on the shoreline in ct. and harvest up through beginning of February and winter sow for may. friends in central ct 35 miles inland are done in dec. . that being said, plant enough to harvest for soups, stews and stir friy through February. But get them in soon! Broccoli is getting late - start them indoors tonight. carrots, leeks, Avon spinach and parsnips are the longest growth time i've found - so get the seeds in as you pull your corn out- and turnips, swede, and garlic for the spring by the end of the month - usually when the eggplant pops and the onions are done..( when tomatoes are finishing)... I don't really use a schedule - I rotate and that dictates my timing..
Either way, most winter crops (if you want to harvest for thanksgiving) should be sprouting by the end of the month to take advantage of the last heat of summer.
-joe-
I have a great chart I can send you if you want to d-mail me.. don't remember where I found it.
actually, let me explain.. anything in the ground that is root or cole will be exceptional after the october frost - at which time growth slows to an absolute crawl. you will lose above ground items if it warms too much ( the heads will form and stall as soon as it is frosting) - do not harvest them untill you need them.. they will be exceptional after the first frost.
everything that says harvest in october can stay until thanksgiving .. the root crops until spring thaw.. they will not grow any more or go bad.
the root crops - carrots, parsnips, swede, turnips, will stay in the ground untill you need them or you just can't dig anymore .. try it. if you have any left in the ground at spring thaw, you have to pull them or they will rot.
I don't have the pics of pulling turnips, carrots, parsnips, and swede out of the snowy garden injan. but It is the best soup ever.. the august planting should be big enough to last 4-5 months of cold weather veggie and broth soup.
good luck, and hopefully you can join the 4 season harvest up here in zone 6.
If you are adventurous, this is swede, arugula, spinach, radish, turnips, green ice and romaine lettuce in mid march (carrots have not come up yet - I harvested from april till the may planting of summer stuff - fresh salads through memorial day..
35$ worth of pvc, plastic, and rebar to slide the pvc over. ( it extends the season to months on the early and late end.)
Wow joe! Thanks so much on all the great info!
hay "saanansandy" if you go to this site and type in your zip it will tell you early and late planting dates and when to plant by the moon.
http://www.almanac.com/garden/plantingtable/index.php.
"whitebear"
Cool! Thanks. :-)
you might have to click on gardening and planting dates "whitebear"
Great site, whitebear. I've bookmarked it for next year's use as well. :-)
Will beets and peas germinate in the kind of hot weather we've been having lately? I've never tried a fall crop before, but I have some garden areas that didn't get planting this spring because stuff got in the way.
Thanks!