Getting my list together for fall crops I’d like to have.
I made some nice (surprise) ponytail radish kimchi last year, but my nappa didn’t work out.
Really want that nappa. We eat a lot of kimchi.
What I’ve got on the list so far:
Bok choy
Nappa
Fava
Cover crop mix
Peas- soup peas, rejavac? ones
Lettuce
Kholrabi
Cauliflower
Radish
Turnip
Mustard
Collards
Kale
I’m doing more lettuce, carrots, radish and a cover crop mix that’s supposed to die off when it freezes. the front area needs more so I’m planting it all out there and seeing if it takes. green compost
i don’t have high hopes for the carrots. i might put bok choi out nearer to the end of the month too.
do fava germinate in the heat? it’s still getting into the 90s here so I’m not sure when to plant those out.
I want to do some purposeful chop and drop crops. I have been working on that green mulch a lot this year.
I would love some carrots. I had a handfull last year that made it past a couple inches. I did spring sow some this year but I think the flowers they are planted with have competed too much. I will make a special pot just for carrots I think.
As for the fava, I am unsure. No harm in trying but everything says they like it cooler! Maybe put some in the dort and they come up when ready?
could do! i might put them in the deep shade to start. then as it cools off i can plant them out (i don’t know if they’ll be happy going from a soil block in a tray out to the garden but if any make it, it’s a success)
it’s the second time I’ve cover cropped - i did chop and drop before with clover and millet. i get millet coming up still and clover to this day in that spot, which is ok those make me happy as “weeds”. i plant out purslane on purpose as a cover weed for living mulch, i eat a lot of it so it’s one i like to have.
these cover mixes always have daikon, which stay runted and stunted for me. little hairy roots. but as a chop and drop that’s ok i think.
I have been using purslane the same!
I always hope to fall plant but get burnt out. Last year I replanted potatoes. I did just seed carrots, beets some more kales where I pulled things. I aspire to reseed radish 9/1. Oh, and I’ll plant garlic in October. This was the first year we actually had great carrots- I only used Nantes this year since previous varieties have been so lame, but I had a little success with that last year. Each one was beautiful, and they’re light and sweet. I might never try another. Strongly recommend. Here’s what a few of them looked like:
Edited to add:
I love the concept of cover cropping and have bought seeds and inoculant. The problem is that most of my beds have stuff in them until frost - and the kales and some herbs overwinter. So, I always miss the window to fall sow cover crop. Then, I hope to do it in spring, but end up again with mixed bag of things going out very early. I did densely seed my pumpkin/large melon row with crimson clover and peas, but, crimping failed to abort it and I didn’t have time for more than that, so it bloomed and seeded and now is there dead under it all. Not sure that it added any nitrogen to the soil given it likely used what it made to make all the seeds. But, it was pretty and I saved seeds to do it again because, why not.
Since I work away from home from June to about the 3rd week of August, I always feel like my growing season starts in Fall/late Summer. So I will being starting alot in Aug/Sept and into fall (barring any hurricanes). I have already started some Tomatoes (42 Day, Everglades, Box Car Willie and Banana Cream), some squash (White Scalloped), and cantalupe (Hale’s Best). Around the 20th I’ll plan out the rest of my fall plants, but I know it will be quite a few beans, swiss chard, turnips and radishes and later in fall/winter it will be my brassicas, carrots and lettuce. Will definitely be starting Giant Radish again this year. I am also thinking about ordering a big round of seed potatoes if they are still for sale (its still pretty hot till at least November).
Thats all I have planned right now, I will probably order a round of seed in late August once I take stock of what I have and what I want. Not sure where from or what I am ordering. Let me know if you have any good ideas that I missed.
I have giant radish seeds that I have never grown to more than cherry radish size!
Someday… I’d like a 5 pounder!
Edit to say: I said radish, but I meant turnip! … but radish too!!
I have never had a turnip get much larger than a large radish. But my Sakurajima radishes got to about triple size of my largest turnip, and I had them growing too close together. So with proper spacing I should be able to get some pretty big radishes, they just take a lot more tine than normal radishes and turnips.
Virtually all of my self seeded and intentionally seeded fall plants were demolished by squirrel who has relentlessly been tiling my raised beds since end of August. Squirrel has always driven me crazy but this is insane. I’ve never had beds of arugula destroyed like this. I always have fall greens. ANGRY. I am putting down cover crop soon-ish and concerned that too will be a total waste of time and money. I might put burlap over the beds. Anyone have any tricks that work?!
Sorry squirrels are the worst even though they’re kind of cute and smart.
You can try covering the raised beds with cheap nylon bird netting. And tucking it around the outside fluffed up. The squirrels really don’t like the cheap bird netting.
They enjoy luxuriating in the nice fine nylon mesh netting like it’s a swimming pool they can chew on, so not that.
Or enclose the raised beds with wire fence.
Or decide you’re vegetarian except for squirrel stew.
Report back if you find a way to keep them out!
I will start my bed of all winter and spring mixed leaf lettuces late November or early December.
I wait until we have a frost or two then plant that.. and have no pest all winter and spring.
TNHunter
I made a little foot-high fence with this and fluffed it out at the bottom and I think it really helped against the ground squirrels in my community garden. I kept saying “I don’t know what everyone’s talking about, I’m not having any issues” I didn’t see it up on my new bed there and all of my lettuce getting chewed to nubs. The only ones that are surviving are under the wire drawers, so you can also do that
Maybe I will try this if bursa doesn’t work. I’m scared of that sticky cheap stuff. We killed two native songbirds a few years ago when it was bunched at the bottom of a bed. Wouldn’t care if they were invasive house sparrows…
