Is your summer gardening languishing? Don’t blame yourself. Start fresh. Plant a fall garden!
First, we had a cold wet May, and then in June and July we had six weeks of bone dry/no rain. Next, we ended July with two weeks of rain every day. It has been a tough weather year!
If your tomatoes are covered with tomato blight or blossom-end rot don’t take it personally. No guilt. Just chalk it up to the weather and move on.
Fall is nipping at the air. Think lovely salads, collards and kale (did you know that greens get sweeter when kissed by a light frost?), broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts (so delicious roasted), peas, tatsoi and more. Our delicious mix of veggie transplants are grown in super-nice organic soil from Dirtcraft Living Soils locally produced in Marshall, NC.
Get Ready for Fall – Stuff to Do:
Clean up the summer garden
- Remove crops that are lanquishing, diseased, or finished producing so you can use the space more productively.
- Don’t add diseased residue to your compost.
- Don’t compost weeds unless your compost pile is well managed, and you are able to maintain a temperature of 140 degrees in the pile for a number of days.
Then add nutrients:
- Incorporate more compost into your garden prior to planting.
- Add a handful of compost to the hole when you plant each veggie start.
- Add a line of compost to the rows you are direct-seeding.
- Add lime in the fall if needed. Check your soil pH.
- Water fresh transplants with a liquid solution of Neptune’s Harvest Fish & Seaweed (in our Garden Shop). Drench the soil and the leaves of the baby plant.
- In a few weeks scratch in a side-dressing of fertilizer like Garden-Tone or Plant-tone.
Think winter protection:
Many fall vegetables will last well into frosty weather if protected by floating row cover. Some may overwinter. When laying out your fall garden, lay out your fiberglass rods (available in our garden shop) in anticipation of frost. Beds should be no wider than 4’. It’s quick and easy to construct a simple low tunnel.
Water:
Just like your summer garden, your veggies will need 1” of water per week. Seedlings and new transplants will need to be watered more often – possibly daily in the case of seedlings.
Pests and diseases:
- Bt is an organic solution that targets soft-bodied caterpillars (like the little green worms that eat your kale, broccoli, and cabbage). Available in our Garden Shop.
- Sluggo is an organic solution for slugs and snails that works great! Available in our Garden Shop.
- Hand-pick insects from your plants and squash them or drop them into a jar of soapy water.
- To protect pollinators, avoid pesticides if possible.
Enjoy Your Bounty!
You will be handsomely rewarded for your efforts with ultra-fresh produce that is bursting with vitality!