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Step 1
Choose vegetables that can tolerate cooler weather. In general leafy greens, root vegetables and those in the cabbage family grow well in the fall. These types of vegetables thrive without the heat of the summer sun. Good vegetable plants for fall include carrots, peas, kale, lettuce, broccoli, turnips and chard. When you buy the seeds, choose varieties that are cold-hardy and mature quickly.
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Step 2
Plant your seeds in early august as your summer crops begin to fail. Cool-season crops prefer cool soil, so water the garden bed and cover the soil with straw a few days before you plant. When you are ready to plant, remove the straw, mist the ground with water and plant your seeds. In the fall, plant the seeds deeper than you would in the spring so that they stay cooler and moister.
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Step 3
When you initially plant your fall vegetable garden, the weather will probably still be hot. Make sure you keep the ground shaded and moist so that the seeds stay cool until they germinate. You can cover the garden bed with a piece of trellis propped up on bricks to provide shade. Remove the trellis once the plants are established and the weather is cooler.
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Step 4
Watch the weather forecasts each night for early frost warnings. If your area is expecting frost, you need to protect your plants. Cover your vegetable garden with row covers, cloches or polyethylene blankets. You can make your own frost protective covering by cutting the bottoms out of milk jugs and placing them over the plants. You can also cover the plants with old towels or sheets. Remove the covering once the temperature has warmed back up. The weather is usually warm for several weeks after the first frost so you should have plenty of growing time left.
Comments
sonni57 said
on 10/27/2009 A fall vegetable garden sounds like a great idea.