It’s hard to believe it is almost time to start planting the fall garden here. Our season is long enough we can double crop many of the garden veggies, and there are some things like turnips that I normally only plant in fall. I’m a bit behind in starting seeds for fall, but I now have brassicas up and going. I’m starting them indoors in 72 cell plug flats, and I’ll move them out to the greenhouse once the true leaves start coming on. I will likely pot them up into 3.5 inch pots before transplanting them out to the garden.
fall brassicas in plug flat
I like to keep the garden producing as much as possible, and over the years I’ve worked out a plan for succession planting. For instance, the garlic is out of the ground by mid July, which leaves that spot open for fall planting of brassicas like broccoli, cabbage and kohlrabi. And by August the spring planting of kohlrabi and cabbage has been harvested and the broccoli is done producing, so I prepare that area to make room for kale. I’ve already planted about a dozen kale plants where the spring kohlrabi was growing. A few (if not all) of the summer squash plants are usually done for by August, and that leaves room for turnips to be sown. Later in fall, after the sweet potatoes are dug, I can replant that bed with next year’s garlic crop.
2016 fall planting
I’ve got a spot in the kitchen garden area where onions and shallots were growing earlier, and I’m prepping that bed for radishes and multiplier onions. I can only grow things the deer won’t eat in that area, and so far they have left the alliums and radishes alone. I don’t like growing the same thing in the same spot over and over, so next year I will grow the onions and shallots in the main garden. I also have a spot in one of the cold frame beds for more kohlrabi. That way I can close the cold frame cover at night to keep the deer from eating up those plants. I’ll also start some lettuce seeds soon to go in another one of the cold frame beds. For more information on timing on when to plant things in our area, check out my Seed Starting and Planting Schedule. I’ll be back soon with more happenings from Happy Acres!
As gardeners we need to keep things moving along don’t we?
I have a few things “figured out” when it comes to companion planting but I still have a long way to go. Each year my list and timing is improved, at least in terms of one or two veg – it really is a lot of trial and error. This year, I’m doing the bare minimum as I just don’t have the time – lettuce and kohlrabi are the only two crops on the fall list.
Obviously I’m not really thinking – it’s been a long day! I meant to say “succession” planting 🙂