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Thursday, August 23, 2012

Plant a Fall Crop

Sowing and planting in summer is a great way to get the most out of your garden space. I just sowed beets and broccoli in early August and will be able to squeeze in another crop of vegetables before winter snow and hard freezes put an end to my growing season. The plants mature in fall and provide a nice second harvest. This fall crop allows a garden to produce a full second season.

Beets are a nice fall crop

My lettuce and spinach beds were pretty well spent after the plants bolted and went to seed. Many gardeners would clean up those beds and let them lie fallow until spring, but I used that space to plant another crop. That essentially doubles my garden output without increasing its overall size.

The key is understanding the difference between cool season and warm season garden plants. Cool season plants are the ones we usually plant in spring. They include cabbage, lettuce, spinach, kale, peas, radish, beets, and chard. These plants can handle an occasional bout with cold temperatures. Warm season plants are the ones we plant after the last frost date. They include tomatoes, peppers, vine squash, and melons. When those plants experience frost they shrivel and die.

We can sow cool season plant seeds in early spring because the young plants aren't killed by late frost. Many gardeners know that it takes awhile for many of those seeds to germinate because of cold soil temperatures. When they do begin to grow, their productive season can be short because the heat of summer tends to affect them adversely and they flower, go to seed, and fade quickly.

Sowing these same seeds in late summer results in quick germination in the warm soil. There is no cold threat to the young plants and they grow quickly. As they mature and begin to fruit an occasional early frost may threaten, but the larger plants can shrug it off easily. There is absolutely no threat of high temperatures causing the plant to bolt so they produce fruit until they die.

That's one of the greatest advantages to planting a fall crop:  the production of fruit is often longer and greater than spring crops. These plants often relish the cool temperatures and rather than respond poorly to hot days they respond richly to cold days. Many people think these plants produce tastier produce after they've been exposed to cold.

Treat your second season garden just as you would a spring one. Before planting, amend the soil and prepare the bed. A good dose of compost or aged manure is a nice boost to soil that has already been used for a recent crop. You usually have plenty of time to do this from when the plants fade in mid summer to when you plant in late summer.

I amended one bed with biochar

Mulch becomes an important factor in the success of a fall crop. Mulch moderates soil temperature. In a spring planting for summer harvest, the mulch helps keep the soil from getting too warm. In a summer planting for fall harvest, the mulch helps keep the soil from getting too cool.

Be aware of different irrigation needs than you may be used to. The seedlings and young plants are beginning to grow when it's still hot out. A new spring bed may need watering twice a day to keep the soil moist. A new summer bed may need watering four or five times a day to stay moist. To help keep the soil from drying out quickly, I drape fabric over the bed to shade the soil until the plants establish themselves and the days begin to cool. Row covers and shade cloth are ideal.

Recycled patio umbrella for shade

Once the plants mature, their water needs will be less than the same plants in early summer. In the cooler days of fall, there is less evaporation and water loss due to transpiration. Mulch can mask the true level of soil moisture so be sure to physically check the soil before you water. Over watering and drowning roots is common in second season gardens.

Be ready for different growing characteristics. When I sowed beet seeds in spring it took almost two weeks for the first sprouts to appear; even cool season plants need the soil temperature to be warm enough to effectively germinate. The beet seeds I sowed in summer germinated after four days.

Many root crops are well suited as second season crops. Carrots, turnips, parsnips, beets, and radishes do well when planted up to two months before the first frost. For me that's early August, but for many gardeners that time extends into September or October. A thick mulch helps keep the ground from freezing early and affecting the growth and harvest of the roots.

Cabbage, green onions, spinach, cauliflower, snap and snow peas, should be planted a little earlier to ensure they complete their growth before cold sets in. For me that was mid July, but for many gardeners that time is now.

Tough greens like endive, mustard, chard, spinach can handle cold well. Chard, in particular, grows in snow and has a nice sweet flavor as a result.

Second season gardens offer advantages that are easy to overlook. The cooler temperatures affect weeds and garden pests too. Less weeding and pest management chores are definitely welcomed by most gardeners. Often, it isn't until you're reviewing the success of your growing season with the snows falling that you realize how easy the fall crop was to maintain.

When you use a method for extending your growing season you may be able to harvest vegetables well into December and winter. (Check out my March 2, 2011, article "Extending Your Growing Season With Mini Greenhouses").

Some of these cool season plants will continue to survive even in the harshest winters. I left my leeks, onions, shallots, beets, and parsnips in the ground through the winter. They all came back and began greening again when the spring warmth returned. The leeks and parsnips that had a winter to rest were twice the size of ones harvested before the ground froze hard.

Thick mulch helped these leeks and shallots overwinter

If you're interested in a second fall crop but don't want extra effort, just let your spring crops go to seed. My spinach, arugala, radish, and lettuce plants flowered, went to seed, browned, and faded. I collected some of the seeds and pulled the plants. Many of the seeds that scattered on the ground have sprouted and are ready to give me a second harvest. It helped that I amended and turned over the soil in those spots for the beets and broccoli, and I'm willing to let the volunteers share the same bed.

Not all seeds germinate in the beds

Whether planned or by accident, take advantage of the growth characteristics of cool season plants and enjoy a second season. Grow a fall crop.


Link to "Extending Your Growing Season With Mini Greenhouses"
Sowing and planting in summer is a great way to get the most out of your garden space. I just sowed beets and broccoli in early August and will be able to squeeze in another crop of vegetables before winter snow and hard freezes put an end to my growing season. The plants mature in fall and provide a nice second harvest. This fall crop allows a garden to produce a full second season.

Beets are a nice fall crop

My lettuce and spinach beds were pretty well spent after the plants bolted and went to seed. Many gardeners would clean up those beds and let them lie fallow until spring, but I used that space to plant another crop. That essentially doubles my garden output without increasing its overall size.

The key is understanding the difference between cool season and warm season garden plants. Cool season plants are the ones we usually plant in spring. They include cabbage, lettuce, spinach, kale, peas, radish, beets, and chard. These plants can handle an occasional bout with cold temperatures. Warm season plants are the ones we plant after the last frost date. They include tomatoes, peppers, vine squash, and melons. When those plants experience frost they shrivel and die.

We can sow cool season plant seeds in early spring because the young plants aren't killed by late frost. Many gardeners know that it takes awhile for many of those seeds to germinate because of cold soil temperatures. When they do begin to grow, their productive season can be short because the heat of summer tends to affect them adversely and they flower, go to seed, and fade quickly.

Sowing these same seeds in late summer results in quick germination in the warm soil. There is no cold threat to the young plants and they grow quickly. As they mature and begin to fruit an occasional early frost may threaten, but the larger plants can shrug it off easily. There is absolutely no threat of high temperatures causing the plant to bolt so they produce fruit until they die.

That's one of the greatest advantages to planting a fall crop:  the production of fruit is often longer and greater than spring crops. These plants often relish the cool temperatures and rather than respond poorly to hot days they respond richly to cold days. Many people think these plants produce tastier produce after they've been exposed to cold.

Treat your second season garden just as you would a spring one. Before planting, amend the soil and prepare the bed. A good dose of compost or aged manure is a nice boost to soil that has already been used for a recent crop. You usually have plenty of time to do this from when the plants fade in mid summer to when you plant in late summer.

I amended one bed with biochar

Mulch becomes an important factor in the success of a fall crop. Mulch moderates soil temperature. In a spring planting for summer harvest, the mulch helps keep the soil from getting too warm. In a summer planting for fall harvest, the mulch helps keep the soil from getting too cool.

Be aware of different irrigation needs than you may be used to. The seedlings and young plants are beginning to grow when it's still hot out. A new spring bed may need watering twice a day to keep the soil moist. A new summer bed may need watering four or five times a day to stay moist. To help keep the soil from drying out quickly, I drape fabric over the bed to shade the soil until the plants establish themselves and the days begin to cool. Row covers and shade cloth are ideal.

Recycled patio umbrella for shade

Once the plants mature, their water needs will be less than the same plants in early summer. In the cooler days of fall, there is less evaporation and water loss due to transpiration. Mulch can mask the true level of soil moisture so be sure to physically check the soil before you water. Over watering and drowning roots is common in second season gardens.

Be ready for different growing characteristics. When I sowed beet seeds in spring it took almost two weeks for the first sprouts to appear; even cool season plants need the soil temperature to be warm enough to effectively germinate. The beet seeds I sowed in summer germinated after four days.

Many root crops are well suited as second season crops. Carrots, turnips, parsnips, beets, and radishes do well when planted up to two months before the first frost. For me that's early August, but for many gardeners that time extends into September or October. A thick mulch helps keep the ground from freezing early and affecting the growth and harvest of the roots.

Cabbage, green onions, spinach, cauliflower, snap and snow peas, should be planted a little earlier to ensure they complete their growth before cold sets in. For me that was mid July, but for many gardeners that time is now.

Tough greens like endive, mustard, chard, spinach can handle cold well. Chard, in particular, grows in snow and has a nice sweet flavor as a result.

Second season gardens offer advantages that are easy to overlook. The cooler temperatures affect weeds and garden pests too. Less weeding and pest management chores are definitely welcomed by most gardeners. Often, it isn't until you're reviewing the success of your growing season with the snows falling that you realize how easy the fall crop was to maintain.

When you use a method for extending your growing season you may be able to harvest vegetables well into December and winter. (Check out my March 2, 2011, article "Extending Your Growing Season With Mini Greenhouses").

Some of these cool season plants will continue to survive even in the harshest winters. I left my leeks, onions, shallots, beets, and parsnips in the ground through the winter. They all came back and began greening again when the spring warmth returned. The leeks and parsnips that had a winter to rest were twice the size of ones harvested before the ground froze hard.

Thick mulch helped these leeks and shallots overwinter

If you're interested in a second fall crop but don't want extra effort, just let your spring crops go to seed. My spinach, arugala, radish, and lettuce plants flowered, went to seed, browned, and faded. I collected some of the seeds and pulled the plants. Many of the seeds that scattered on the ground have sprouted and are ready to give me a second harvest. It helped that I amended and turned over the soil in those spots for the beets and broccoli, and I'm willing to let the volunteers share the same bed.

Not all seeds germinate in the beds

Whether planned or by accident, take advantage of the growth characteristics of cool season plants and enjoy a second season. Grow a fall crop.


Link to "
Extending Your Growing Season With Mini Greenhouses"

Friday, August 10, 2012

Return of the Weed -- Purslane

The purslane is back. As I've mentioned before ("Weeding Your Garden", July 27, 2011), I consider this particular weed a garden scourge. I worked hard to eradicate it from my garden and thought I was successful, but it has returned with a vengeance.

A new purslane plant

Purslane has a long taproot and tolerates poor soil and drought conditions. It's ideally suited for my landscape. A succulent, purslane is resistant to most herbicides used in home gardens. It can propagate from little stem and leaf pieces left behind after pulling it. Its small yellow flowers can bloom throughout the year, any time after a rain or good watering, and quickly release dozens of seeds and they can remain viable for 40 years.

Purslane is not native to my neighborhood. My previous garden was inundated with it and I spent many hours pulling the prostrate plants because no other method of weed control is as effective. When I brought some transplants from that garden to the one I have now, purslane seeds tagged along.

Trying to gain a foothold

Soon after putting those transplants in my new garden, purslane would occasionally pop up nearby and I was quick to eliminate it. I thought it was effectively eradicated because it's been more than a year since I pulled the last plant. Then I literally stumbled into a seldom-traveled section of my garden and discovered it covering the ground. With its detested image burned in my mind I searched to determine its range and soon found it in the prairie grass outside of my garden borders too.

Without my immediate effort to take control, I could imagine it taking over and running rampant through the landscape. I pulled every plant I found and scoured the yard for every possible foothold. Most importantly, I've repeated this effort every day since the first discovery.

Purslane is not a good candidate for the compost pile. The possibility of plant pieces or seeds finding their way into other garden areas through the compost is too great. Discarding it is the only option. Rather than throw it in the trash, I decided to let the chickens take care of the problem. Purslane is eaten in many areas of the world as a nutritious salad vegetable and my chickens loved it.

There are many weeds that can quickly take over a garden. We've all seen fields covered by dandelions and know they can be difficult to eliminate from a lawn or flower bed. It takes dedication, work, and often years to remove their presence. And even when it appears a weed is gone, it can return without constant dedication and vigilance.

I'd grown a bit complacent when it comes to purslane in my garden. My vegetable and flower beds are as weed-free as they can be because I pull little weeds when they first sprout in the mulch. The paths between my raised beds and the areas surrounding them aren't so clean. Weeds grow with more freedom in those spots and I deal with them all at once every month or two in the summer. That's how purslane crept in so quickly.

Now I have to be more proactive if I want to stay ahead of this invasion. The best way to eradicate a weed is to keep it from flowering and going to seed. When all of the weed seeds that are already in the soil sprout and begin to grow, kill or remove them before they can reproduce. There may be thousands of seeds that make the effort, but when the last one is gone the entire species is gone. If a single weed is allowed to set seed, the whole weed control process has to begin again.

I have no idea how many seeds are out there. Purslane seeds don't germinate when they're buried deep in the ground. Tilling and turning over the soil brings dormant seeds to the surface to sprout and that normal gardening activity is bound to introduce more weeds into my garden.There are many days of pulling ahead.

Walking through my garden is a daily activity. I check for new growth, flowers, vegetables, and fruit every day. Now those normal tasks join with purslane detection. I've resolved to eliminate it. It won't be easy, but it is necessary.


Link to "Weeding Your Garden."

The purslane is back. As I've mentioned before ("Weeding Your Garden", July 27, 2011), I consider this particular weed a garden scourge. I worked hard to eradicate it from my garden and thought I was successful, but it has returned with a vengeance.

A new purslane plant

Purslane has a long taproot and tolerates poor soil and drought conditions. It's ideally suited for my landscape. A succulent, purslane is resistant to most herbicides used in home gardens. It can propagate from little stem and leaf pieces left behind after pulling it. Its small yellow flowers can bloom throughout the year, any time after a rain or good watering, and quickly release dozens of seeds and they can remain viable for 40 years.

Purslane is not native to my neighborhood. My previous garden was inundated with it and I spent many hours pulling the prostrate plants because no other method of weed control is as effective. When I brought some transplants from that garden to the one I have now, purslane seeds tagged along.

Trying to gain a foothold

Soon after putting those transplants in my new garden, purslane would occasionally pop up nearby and I was quick to eliminate it. I thought it was effectively eradicated because it's been more than a year since I pulled the last plant. Then I literally stumbled into a seldom-traveled section of my garden and discovered it covering the ground. With its detested image burned in my mind I searched to determine its range and soon found it in the prairie grass outside of my garden borders too.

Without my immediate effort to take control, I could imagine it taking over and running rampant through the landscape. I pulled every plant I found and scoured the yard for every possible foothold. Most importantly, I've repeated this effort every day since the first discovery.

Purslane is not a good candidate for the compost pile. The possibility of plant pieces or seeds finding their way into other garden areas through the compost is too great. Discarding it is the only option. Rather than throw it in the trash, I decided to let the chickens take care of the problem. Purslane is eaten in many areas of the world as a nutritious salad vegetable and my chickens loved it.

There are many weeds that can quickly take over a garden. We've all seen fields covered by dandelions and know they can be difficult to eliminate from a lawn or flower bed. It takes dedication, work, and often years to remove their presence. And even when it appears a weed is gone, it can return without constant dedication and vigilance.

I'd grown a bit complacent when it comes to purslane in my garden. My vegetable and flower beds are as weed-free as they can be because I pull little weeds when they first sprout in the mulch. The paths between my raised beds and the areas surrounding them aren't so clean. Weeds grow with more freedom in those spots and I deal with them all at once every month or two in the summer. That's how purslane crept in so quickly.

Now I have to be more proactive if I want to stay ahead of this invasion. The best way to eradicate a weed is to keep it from flowering and going to seed. When all of the weed seeds that are already in the soil sprout and begin to grow, kill or remove them before they can reproduce. There may be thousands of seeds that make the effort, but when the last one is gone the entire species is gone. If a single weed is allowed to set seed, the whole weed control process has to begin again.

I have no idea how many seeds are out there. Purslane seeds don't germinate when they're buried deep in the ground. Tilling and turning over the soil brings dormant seeds to the surface to sprout and that normal gardening activity is bound to introduce more weeds into my garden.There are many days of pulling ahead.

Walking through my garden is a daily activity. I check for new growth, flowers, vegetables, and fruit every day. Now those normal tasks join with purslane detection. I've resolved to eliminate it. It won't be easy, but it is necessary.


Link to "
Weeding Your Garden."