Need some help preparing a fall garden

All my spring and summer veggies are all gone and plowed under. I know how to prep a spring garden but how do I prep a fall garden? I want to start planting about the middle/end of August, that will still give me plenty of growing and harvesting time here. I want to grow more tomatoes and haven't decided what else yet. What do I need to do now that the garden has been turned and tilled. I of course would like to keep the weeds down prior to planting, but do I need to spread anything for non beneficial bugs? I did not use any insecticide on my spring garden and was really torn up by stink bugs on my tomatoes and cucumbers. How can I prevent this from happening again? I did harvest beautiful potatoes and bush beans with no problem. Can anyone offer suggestions?
Thanks.....................Susie

If you want to grow tomatoes this fall, you are already pushing the limit of the last possible days to start seeds. I would start seeds in then ext day or two. If you send me a D-Mail with your address, I can drop you some seeds in the mail for some good vars for the fall. Mostly cherries and a few others.

Check out Bob Randall's gardening calendar for Houston and surrounding area for good dates to plant stuff (notice the T for transplant, everything else is direct seed in the garden):
http://www.settfest.com/files/DrBobRandallCalendar.png

Stink bugs are less of a problem in the fall. Stink bugs are tough to deal with in the spring/summer. Sucking up every one you can with a hand-held vacuum cleaner helps. Also, making sure your plants aren't too close together which forms a dense jungle for the bugs to hide and reproduce in. And picking tomatoes as soon as they start to ripen to reduce the temptation of stink bugs to show up and set up residence.

This message was edited Jun 27, 2008 12:31 PM

I appreciate the info. I have already started my tomatoes and planned to go with early girl. Last year I had no problem with bugs but this year they tore me up. I did purchase a hand held vaccuum but it was late in the season. I am prepared for them now. We call it a bug sucker. Do those bugs reproduce in the soil or the plants? I will remember not to plant too close together. I read Bob Randalls calender and found it to be very helpful.
Thanks so much..................
Susie

Man, I got major zone envy here, you guys. LOL

If you want to keep the weeds down, you can use a cover crop for that tilled area until you get ready to sew need seed and put in new plants. I'm not sure what's best for your area, but your local extension office should be able to make a recommendation. Certain cover crops should also help pull in beneficial insects to help with your stink bug problems.

Since I'm in a different zone we use a combination of white clover or hairy vetch and annual rye grass. It helps keep down weeds and gives an extra boost of nitrogen when tilled under. Annual rye works especially well here, because it germinates so fast, easy to maintain and dies off in the fall. Hairy vetch can be a booger to till in so I only use it in areas where I still haven't gotten this VA red clay broken down to suit me. Not much left on the property, we've been doing this off and on for over 20 years. LOL

Right now we have the potatoes growing on the ground and are holding down the leaves and straw with bright orange hurricane fencing. Have had numerous new neighbors stop to find out what that's all about. LOL The old one's long ago decided we were a pair of nuts!

You prepare the autumn beds the same way as for the spring growing season really, but to help keep the weeds at bay I smother my veg beds with a thick mulch of organic or well rotter animal composted matter, this helps suppress the weeds and the few who do think they are smart enough to try get there roots down are easy to hoe or rake off, you will never have bare soil weed free for any length of time so mulching only helps but as you dig it in then you are adding nutrients and moisure retention at the same time.
You will find different bugs and insects have different seasons for breading, eating your crops and over wintering, so you could try growing things around the edge of your veg beds/plots that distract insects or hide the smell of tomatoes by growing Garlic, or french Marigolds to camoflage the crops you are growing, or cover the area with fine garden protection fleece you buy very cheep from the garden store, it keeps insects, seeds from weeds blowing in the breeze and allows you to water through it. there are books in the book stores and library that will tell you some ideas on organic or pesticide free gardening that will give you other ideas for the type of gardening you prefere, good luck. WeeNel.

Susie,

Stink bugs and leaf-footed bugs are a major problem here. They look a bit different but cause the same damage to fruit and sometimes plants. They lay strips of rectangular eggs. Sometimes you'll catch two of them making babies. Every one you can suck them up with a vacuum is potentially dozens less you will have to deal with later. If you don't mind chemicals, then Ortho Bug-B-Gon Max will deal with them. There are no organic and very few chemical pesticides that work on adult stink bugs/leaf-footed bugs. The babies are orangish-yellow. Google "stink bug nymph".

I like Bob Randall's calendar, but flipping between 6 pages was driving me crazy. I simply distilled it into a poster size color calendar. I don't think I made any mistakes. :)



This message was edited Jun 30, 2008 10:17 AM

Off to get me some bug-b-gon. I haven't seen any the past 2 days on my tomatoes in my other raised bed, but I will be ready. We got 1.5 inches of rain today. It's the first measurable rain since March. Shouting hallileuia..........
thanks a bunch..................Susie