The kind folks at Organic Gardening had me write a story on late season planting last year to illustrate when, what and how gardeners take advantage of this often neglected time in the garden. It was a treat to interview growers from Minnesota to southern California for tips and sound advice that is applicable no matter where you plant. The article, Second Acts, is in the current (August to October 2009) issue, and I'm delighted to see it pulled together.
I've been pushing the harvest later into the season for years, but I must admit, I haven't done as much as I could, even in our cold climate. The key is to plant earlier than when fall feels around the corner, which is tough to do when you're busy taking care of the never ending harvest or keeping up with the general gardening chores.
Since I'm enjoying my cabbage and broccoli this year, I want to see how long I could harvest a second crop into the season. I planted seeds in a potting mix at the beginning of July. The hardest part, as is usual this time of year, was keeping it well watered. Things dry out a blink of an eye around here in July and August. I just planted some of the seedlings in the cold frame this week, so we'll see how they do into the fall.
At the end of July, I seeded carrots, beans, beets, radishes (my early ones never matured properly) and mache. Once again, watering is tough. Some of the lettuce is up, as well as the beans and radishes, but the root vegetables are concerning me. I also seeded lettuce in the greenhouse, and plantd a few of the cabbage seedlings. I'm hoping to harvest both of them well past snowfall.
Planting later in the season has many advantages. Instead of praying for the weather to warm up and moderate in the spring, it's already decent. Plus, the soil is warm, which should improve germination (as long as you provide plenty of moisture). There are also less pests since the plants are maturing out of sync with of the insects' life cycles. This is a huge benefit for some of my favorites, such as the cabbage and broccoli, that are often riddled with holes from cabbage loopers in the spring. The earwig numbers should be decreasing, too.
I will keep you posted on how well this late season effort pays off. Hopefully, I'll be harvesting greens for Thanksgiving and picking cabbage well beyond!
