As I mentioned earlier this week, I do believe that our summer will quickly transition into fall this year. With cooler weather at our doorstep (or, at least, on its way), I’ve been thinking a lot about our fall and winter garden.
Last year’s winter garden failed miserably. We literally harvested nothing. We attempted to overwinter our veggies in a new bed in the backyard and we have learned from that experience that we simply do not get enough sun in the backyard during the winter to overwinter successfully. So, back into the front yard we’ll go!
 |
| Red Russian & Dwarf Blue Curled Scotch Kale, Bloomsdale Spinach and Five Color Chard |
I haven’t yet decided if we’ll use both raised beds or just one, but I finally started a few greens inside under our grow lights a few days ago to give them a head start on the fall. I know I really should get some roots (carrots and beets) in the ground, but both beds are currently completely overtaken by summer veggies.
I know that roots don’t generally do well when transplanted, but I’m tempted to start some seeds in my toilet paper pods (one seed per roll) and then plopping the whole thing in the bed when space allows. Thoughts???
xoxo,
M
Enjoy this space? Please vote for me daily by simply clicking here. Thank you!
Linking up to the Harvest Monday, Homemade Mondays,
Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways #86,
the HomeAcre Hop #33, From the Farm
Gardening is a new experience every year at my house, and we all learn something new every year. Thank you for sharing at the HomeAcre Hop; I hope you’ll join us again this Thursday.
~Kathi @ oakhillhomestead
I can only speak for where I live, the Pacific Northwest, where the zone is around 8 but with occasional cold snaps that can take it down to zone 6. Vegetables that can overwinter here must be planted by around July 15 in order to get large enough by cold weather to make it through the cold temperatures. Veggies that have done the best for me in overwintering are Kale, overwintering Broccoli, Collards, Mustard, some kinds of large radishes like Round Black Spanish in particular, and turnips. For fall production, my best turnip has been Italian purple-topped oval turnips that can get up to 3 lbs. but freezing can harm the turnip, here’s my blog post on them- http://weedingonthewildside.blogspot.com/2011/11/low-carbohydrate-prolific-turnips.html
Turnips along with the rest make excellent early spring greens and then the flower buds can be eaten like broccoli. I’ve had some cool season crops do well, like Bok Choy or peas, that freeze out when the frosts start.
See, you have it all down! I need to figure out how to plan out my sowings and stick to that plan! I’m still learning what works and what doesn’t, but our winters have been so different from each other the past few years, it’s been hard to track what works and what really doesn’t. It’s a work in progress 🙂
I think you’re right about cooling off early this year, we have more rainy days that I can remember.
I always transplant my root crops (have not tried carrots yet), I’m growing some carrots in containers using seed mat, this method works well for me.
I am very hopeful it will work well! If it does, I’ll probably try to play with beets next!
Start them in the TP rolls and then transplant them. You should be fine.
Thanks, Ben! That seems to be the way to go 🙂 Fingers crossed it works!
Yup. If your toilet paper rolls don’t have bottoms there is no reason you can’t start them there. Otherwise try soil blocking. That might work as long as you plant them out before the root turns. The idea is not to allow the root to get to the bootom of the soil before you plant it out, otherwise you will end up with deformed carrots.
Thanks, Barbie! I’m hopeful they’ll work! I’ll be sure to post about next…spring 😉
The trouble with trying to grow late crops around here is the need to plant/start seeds during blazing hot August, after which the sun is low in the sky, days are shorter, nights are cold and the plants just sit there. I think the key is to get plants well established before short days and cooler weather because they are not going to grow a lot after that. I have heard of people starting seeds in a medium like fine vermiculite or calcined diatomaceous earth, then transplanting them when they have one or two true leaves.
Thanks for the tips! It always amazes me when it’s time to plant the fall crops because, just as you said, it seems just too hot to even think about fall!
I successfully moved carrots last year and got a nice bed of transplanted thinnings. Didn’t have as much luck with it this year though, but it certainly can be done! I try a fall garden every year with variable success. It never is as good as I feel it should be, but for me it is the limited sunshine and the fact that in late summer my garden is so disease-prone. Good luck with yours!
My fall garden is never as good as it could be either, and yet I keep trying! Good luck with it this fall! I’m sure it will do exactly what it’s meant to 😉
Hello from another garden! We here are also planning our Fall garden. We planted some seeds inside in late June and it will continue throughout this month. I always get a happy feeling when the summer harvest moves out and I see the bushy greens of the Fall plants slowly start to move in.
Green can be a beautiful color in fall, can’t they? Especially after all the hard work summer can bring in the garden 😉
Carrots usually take quite a bit time to gernminate so why not make seedmats and plant them under your squash where you can chop leafs – that way they’ll start slowly come up just in time when you’re ready to remove squash.
I love the idea of throwing them under our squash! I’ll go investigate what’s going on out there…we had some borers and it was pretty nasty for a while…but another bed could be perfect!
Yes, this has been on my mind a lot lately. I am also planning a winter garden, and I’m trying to push the limits a bit to see what can really be grown.
I have to tell you that for years I have moved carrots (when they are teeny little carrotlings) from one place to another when they are in overcrowded rows. Pull so, so gently, and then make a hole with your finger where the little carrot is going to go. Put it in the hole, and pack it in a little. I do it all the time, because I hate wasting food, esp. carrots, which are a one-off (one hole, one carrot). It has always worked for me.
As a suggestion, what about soil blocks? If you put them in soil blocks to begin with, and then plant the blocks, technically the roots never move. Might that work?
So good to know that carrots *can* be moved! I just haven’t tried it and was going by what I’ve read! Thank you for sharing your process with me! I have been thinking I would start them in the toilet paper rolls and that it might not only help with the transplanting but it may even help to insulate them a bit more from our cold winters…it’s definitely worth experimenting 🙂