Posted on June 27, 2008 in latest news
Generally it is observed that spring season is considered to be the best season for planting and fall for harvesting. This concept holds true for most of the plants but there are various plant species where you need to keep in mind climatic variation. Before planting any vegetable you need to consider your climatic zone and the vegetable species.
In case of some crop plants fall is the perfect planting season as it is helpful in enriching the soil for the next spring. But in case of certain varieties of lettuce, they could be planted in late summer and can be harvested before 1st frost.
Here are few essential preliminary planning tips for winter and fall vegetable garden:
- Before planting any plant it is better to get the best possible estimate of expected first frost. You can get information on the possible frost from Farmer’s Almanac and 30-day weather forecast.
- Before planting any new plant make sure that you clear the area of summer and spring crops planted before.
- Make sure that you remove all the leftover as it may decay hence encouraging bacterial infection.
- It is advisable to spread few inches of mulch or compost over the area. Make sure that you turn up soil’s top layer and water well. Allow the soil to rest for a day before planting new plants.
- During fall season it is observed that most of areas experiences rain and even frost hence make sure that you include well draining soil.
Best Suited Vegetables for Winter and Fall Vegetable Garden:
After following essential preliminary steps for winter and fall vegetable garden, it’s time to select vegetables for planting. Listed below few best suited vegetables for winter and fall vegetable garden:
- Beets: Beets do well in case they are planted before the start of August. In case you plan to harvest its tops then the planting date could extended till the beginning of September.
- Broccoli: Mid-August is the best period for transplanting broccoli. It could easily thrive in conditions till Thanksgiving. During the Thanksgiving vacation you can harvest your broccoli. In case your area comes under warmer zone then it could last till Christmas.
- Cabbage: It is observed that cabbage is often planted in the fall season. The best period to plant fall cabbage is initial weeks of September. It could be harvested in late spring.
- Carrots: Since it is a root vegetable it can thrive in any climate. If you want to harvest your garden fresh carrots in winter then you can plant them in mid-July or even in fall. Make sure that you harvest them before heavy snowfall as very cold temperatures makes digging almost impossible.
- Endive: Best period to plant endives is mid-July. To protect them from frost make sure that you spread some mulch. You can harvest your endive in winter in case to light snowfall. Make sure that soil drainage is well maintained as drainage in winter and fall season is slower as compared to summer season.
- Romaine: This can be planted in the month of July and can be harvested in fall season. As this plant is low to ground hence make sure that you protect it from being extremely wet. Remember that besides being cooler during nights there chances of fungal growth.
- Peas: You can plant some peas in initial weeks of November. This crop could be harvested in the following month of June.
These were some steps and vegetables which could lead to a great winter and fall vegetable garden. Happy winter and fall gardening.
» Filed Under latest news
Related Posts
Comments
Leave a Reply