Fall Garden Update

I’ve been keeping busy here the last few weeks planting veggies for fall and winter harvest. This year I’m continuing to experiment with woven weed barrier fabric as a mulch in the vegetable garden. The material I’m using is four feet wide, and listed as “professional grade 3.2 oz” material. Last fall I planted some of the fall greens the ‘old’ way, mulched with paper and straw, and a few plants set out in holes I cut in the fabric. The ones in the weed barrier fabric did quite well, so this year I set out all the kale and collards in fabric.

collard plant

I started those seeds back in mid June, then set out the plants on July 31st. This year I planted 32 collards, 8 kale and 2 cabbages. Thanks to ample rain, the plants are all growing nicely. I will have more kale planted in the winter greenhouse, and I plan to start those seeds indoors soon. I didn’t set out any broccoli this fall, since I grow  sprouting types in the winter greenhouse and those usually keep us well supplied.

White Russian kale plant

This week I sowed seeds for turnips, turnip greens and a few daikon radishes. Those seeds went in where a row of spring planted bush beans had been growing. I pulled those plants, which were done producing, and began prepping the bed for sowing seeds.

getting the area ready

I use a culinary torch to cut narrow slits in the weed barrier fabric. The heat keeps the edges from fraying, and I find it actually easier than using scissors for the task.

using torch to cut fabric

I recently got a new trenching hoe from Lee Valley Tools that has a narrow blade made for breaking up soil and making furrows. I used it to carefully make a shallow furrow in the soil under the slit I had cut with the torch.

trenching hoe

making furrow for seeds

With that done, it was an easy task to sow the seeds and cover lightly with soil. I gave all the seeds a good watering, and they should be up in a few days time. I will come back and thin them in a couple of weeks time. I grew turnips and turnip greens this way last fall, and they did quite well.

sowing radish seeds

I hope you have enjoyed this tour of the garden here in August, and I’ll be back soon with more happenings from Happy Acres.