The days are still warm and sunny, the nights are cooler, but the ground is still warm from the hot summer, and this makes it a great time to get a crop of fall vegetables in the ground.
If you’ve never tried fall vegetable gardening, you are in for a treat. Fall can boost the flavor of some vegetables, such as lettuce. Flavor and nutrients are retained in their leaves during the fall season because they aren’t growing as rapidly as they do during the summer and since the temperatures are so much cooler, they aren’t using the large amounts of water.
Fall vegetable gardening is easy. Start by preparing your beds just as you do in the spring by tilling the area in order to loosen up the soil. That is especially important in our area, where some of the soil turns to packed clay over the summer. You can also add fresh compost to aid in this process and add nutrients, if you wish. Be sure to remove weeds so that they are not spread out over your garden during this process. A few years ago, I had some helpers that neglected the weed-removal part of this process, and I’m still fighting with weeds that remain in the tilled part of the garden!
What you can successfully plant largely depends on where you live. The most important thing to know will be your first frost date – or the average time when it begins to freeze in your area. You can find that information at http://www.weather.gov/gjt/avgfrostandfreezedatesFall.
Timing for your plants will be critical. For example, if you are planting Cherry Belle Radishes, this plant takes 24 days to mature and harvest from planting. So if you live in Cortez and your first frost date is Oct. 15, you can plant through most of September and still harvest a good crop. Since the radishes are a root crop, they will also withstand a little frost without any major damage when other plants may not.
If you live in an area that has an early first frost, consider a fall crop planted in containers. Fortunately, most of these fall veggies don’t take the kind of space that summer vegetables like squash, melons, corn and cucumbers take, so they are easily planted and managed in containers. We’ve even planted radishes in containers with good success! The advantage is that they can be moved into a sheltered spot or even indoors if need be, should we have a very early freeze.
When you can plant will also depend on what you’re planting and if you are willing to cover your crops should an early frost occur. Lettuce will take a little longer to mature, but because it is above ground, it may take some TLC on cold nights.
Begin by thinking about the kind of vegetables you would like to try, determine their days to maturity, then count backward from that first frost date for your area, adding in seven days or so for a cushion. That will give you a pretty good idea if you can successfully plant that variety. Some plants, like broccoli, may do best if you begin by using starts from your local nursery. That way you will have a jump on the season, and also have a plant that is established, strong and healthy to start.
It’s possible to have a fairly diverse mix in your fall garden. Greens work especially well as they thrive in the cooler temperatures. Try arugula, collards, endive, kale, lettuces of all kinds, mustard greens, spinach and Swiss chard. Root crops do especially well because they are insulated against early frosts. Try beets, radishes, and carrots. Avalanche white beets have become a favorite at our house. Sweet and tender, they taste just like the red beets without the mess.
Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage and bok choy can also be grown as they love the cooler temperatures too, but be advised that the yield may be less than the spring crops. Heads of broccoli or cabbage will be smaller, for instance, but usually are very sweet and well worth your efforts.
Some vegetables such as kale, spinach and collards will thrive and tolerate even hard freezes down to 25-28 degrees. Many people that grow them in this area will pick off of these plants well into the fall months, and can go longer if they are given a little protection. If you are a kale fan because of it’s nutritional benefits, I’d encourage you to try planting some of your own. This is an easy plant to grow and can even be done in containers that are portable if we do have bad weather.
The kids are back in school, there was snow in the La Platas this week, and fall and winter are just around the corner, but if you love vegetables as we do, there’s still time to garden!
Gail Vanik can be reached at 970-565-8274 or by email at fourseasons@animas.net.
