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July’s a good time to start a late summer or fall garden
For a late summer or fall garden, gardeners can plant lettuce and other greens.
By Bobbie Whitehead
Posted July 15, 2012
Gardeners may await the harvest of their first ripe tomatoes in July, all the while picking other crops like cucumbers and squash. But as the middle of the summer approaches, planning for a late summer or fall garden can begin.
During July, gardeners can plant another batch of snap beans, cucumbers, radishes and even summer squash. A short time later, typical fall crops like cabbage, arugula, spinach, lettuce, broccoli, collards, carrots, beets, rutabagas and turnips can be planted.
Just like preparing for the spring garden, gardeners will clean their patch of already harvested plants, weeds and other debris. Doing this summer cleaning helps offset the over wintering of pests and readies the garden for another crop.
Posted July 15, 2012
Gardeners may await the harvest of their first ripe tomatoes in July, all the while picking other crops like cucumbers and squash. But as the middle of the summer approaches, planning for a late summer or fall garden can begin.
During July, gardeners can plant another batch of snap beans, cucumbers, radishes and even summer squash. A short time later, typical fall crops like cabbage, arugula, spinach, lettuce, broccoli, collards, carrots, beets, rutabagas and turnips can be planted.
Just like preparing for the spring garden, gardeners will clean their patch of already harvested plants, weeds and other debris. Doing this summer cleaning helps offset the over wintering of pests and readies the garden for another crop.
Some garden experts suggest adding organic matter since the previous crops may have used nutrients in the soil, though adding fertilizer might not be necessary.
“If the spring crops were heavily fertilized, you may not need to make an initial pre-plant fertilization,” writes Erv Evans, North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension Horticultural Specialist. “Otherwise, 1 to 2 lb. of a complete fertilizer such as 10-10-10 may be applied per 100 ft2 of bed space. Thoroughly incorporate the fertilizer.”
Once the veggie line up has been decided, gardeners will want to decide when to plant the seeds. For fast-growing veggies like squash, radishes and lettuce, gardeners can plant now, knowing that the harvest dates range from 25 to 55 days – plenty of time before a frost.
For traditional cooler season crops, having the “anticipated” first frost date will help determine the appropriate planting time. Counting back from the first frost date to the current date provides an estimate of the remaining growing days available.
A couple of other factors necessary to assure vegetables have plenty of growing and harvesting time include checking the seed packet for the number of days from planting to harvest, adding two weeks for the “frost tender factor,” and adding two weeks for the fall factor, writes Diane Relf, Virginia Tech extension specialist, in the article “Fall Vegetable Gardening.”
Relf explains that frost sensitive crops like corn, beans, cucumbers, tomatoes and squash need to mature and be harvested two weeks before the first frost. Because plants grow more slowly in cooler temperatures, gardeners also need to add an additional two weeks to the schedule to assure plenty of growing time.
Since mid-July remains hot with frequent heat waves, the soil will have less moisture closer to the surface, so gardeners will want to plant seeds an inch or two deeper than usual, Evans suggests, noting that even shading the row until the seeds sprout will help since some veggies like lettuce and spinach won’t germinate at 85 degrees. And gardeners can try an old-fashioned method Relf suggests – planting the seeds, watering them well and placing a board on top of the row until the seedlings emerge. The board acts as a barrier, keeping moisture in.
For crops requiring a longer time to grow, gardeners can extend their season and protect plants with row covers should cooler temperatures arrive early, but some veggies like lettuce, cabbage and kale can handle a light frost.
Though the current temperatures may continue to creep upwards, making outdoor activities uncomfortable or dangerous, gardeners will find doing the necessary preparation and planting in the morning or evening hours will aid in completing the late summer and fall garden.
“If the spring crops were heavily fertilized, you may not need to make an initial pre-plant fertilization,” writes Erv Evans, North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension Horticultural Specialist. “Otherwise, 1 to 2 lb. of a complete fertilizer such as 10-10-10 may be applied per 100 ft2 of bed space. Thoroughly incorporate the fertilizer.”
Once the veggie line up has been decided, gardeners will want to decide when to plant the seeds. For fast-growing veggies like squash, radishes and lettuce, gardeners can plant now, knowing that the harvest dates range from 25 to 55 days – plenty of time before a frost.
For traditional cooler season crops, having the “anticipated” first frost date will help determine the appropriate planting time. Counting back from the first frost date to the current date provides an estimate of the remaining growing days available.
A couple of other factors necessary to assure vegetables have plenty of growing and harvesting time include checking the seed packet for the number of days from planting to harvest, adding two weeks for the “frost tender factor,” and adding two weeks for the fall factor, writes Diane Relf, Virginia Tech extension specialist, in the article “Fall Vegetable Gardening.”
Relf explains that frost sensitive crops like corn, beans, cucumbers, tomatoes and squash need to mature and be harvested two weeks before the first frost. Because plants grow more slowly in cooler temperatures, gardeners also need to add an additional two weeks to the schedule to assure plenty of growing time.
Since mid-July remains hot with frequent heat waves, the soil will have less moisture closer to the surface, so gardeners will want to plant seeds an inch or two deeper than usual, Evans suggests, noting that even shading the row until the seeds sprout will help since some veggies like lettuce and spinach won’t germinate at 85 degrees. And gardeners can try an old-fashioned method Relf suggests – planting the seeds, watering them well and placing a board on top of the row until the seedlings emerge. The board acts as a barrier, keeping moisture in.
For crops requiring a longer time to grow, gardeners can extend their season and protect plants with row covers should cooler temperatures arrive early, but some veggies like lettuce, cabbage and kale can handle a light frost.
Though the current temperatures may continue to creep upwards, making outdoor activities uncomfortable or dangerous, gardeners will find doing the necessary preparation and planting in the morning or evening hours will aid in completing the late summer and fall garden.
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