I'm a little NE of Atlanta and it's been hotter than all get out! I'm afraid to plant anything yet, at least direct planting. I thought of starting some seeds in the jiffy pots and just keep them on the deck where I can move them into and out of sun as needed.

We have had an interlude with rain, at last, and temps in the mid-80s to low 90s. I made the most of it to plant a bed of beets and one of peas, and they both have germinated. In a few more days I'll be putting in carrots and more peas.
-O

I started broccoli seeds a couple weeks ago, hoping to have them ready for transplanting in September. They germinated in a couple days, but because of the heat are just sitting there doing nothing so far. They are alive and green, just not growing. If we see some rain in the next two/three weeks, I will plant greens and lettuces and hopefully broccoli in September. Also was planning to try Bak Choi and Chinese cabbage (first time) this fall. September is a little behind recommended fall planting schedule in 7B, but with the heat and no rain in sight, I think it would be useless to try and plant now. Don't know about others, but spring and fall have produced the best gardens for me. So I hope we get some rain.

Why not start your seedlings in cell packs, say every week or so? You will have lost nothing if they fail, but sooner or later they will click. As long as the temps are high you can keep them in filtered sun.

I started brocolli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, kale and lettuce on July 12. I germinated the seeds indoors in air conditioning. Everything germinated fine but the lettuce. Then the brussel sprouts got too dry and died:-(
Everything else looks great and doesn't seem to mind our very hot weather.

I was at a local feed and seed store the other day and they had just gotten in some healthy looking cole crops. I bought lettuce, collards and brussel sprouts:o) I asked where the plants were grown...thinking they must have come from Maine or Vermont....someplace with cool summers. I was told they were grown in Alabama............!!!

I'm about to plant a fall crop of green beans and some cukes.
I plan to direct seed them and, hopefully, with a drip system, those little seeds will be fine. I hope I'm not to LATE with this planting??

I set out broccoli and cauliflower last month. The first broccoli will soon head up. I have sown lettuce, spinach, and pac choy.

Welcome all to Fresno CA typical weather! BTW whilst ya'all been baking to death we have had the coolest summer ever (last year about 112 deg or more day after seemingly endless day) great tomato crop this year. Last year too dang hot. I took advantage last week of the low 90deg weather & sowed a block of beets, the last of my sweet corn some salad, broccoli etc. All germ. no problem. I hand water it. I planted some squash & cukes a few weeks ago & should get a crop in week or so. We could have mild weather here into Dec. or not, just in case, began early & will keep planting at weekly intervals until gets too cold. Have the garlic ready to plant also. You never know what the weather will bring nowadays. Good Luck

Like Organica above I'm near Richmond where it's expected to hit 100F again tomorrow. Just before the downpour on Tuesday I planted all my carrots, beets, & kohlrabi seeds and it's been cloudy ever since so hoping they germinate ok. I bought a flat of brocs, cabbages, and cauliflowers but will hold them in the semi-shade until Monday's planting. Long range looks 70ish later in the week and next week, hope that's right on. Collards & turnips seed to plant Monday also and that should cap it off for the fall garden.

well I'm planting...I have a sprinkler set up so that I can wet the seed beds easy enough ...I run out three or four times a day and turn it on. I haven't planted lettuce yet but I am planting things that I want to get a second crop on and things like turnips...we'll see how it goes but the way I feel about it is if it don't work...I've lost the cost of the seeds and if it does...I'm way ahead of the game... Lots of the seeds were from a sale for 10 cents a pack...

"I'm a little NE of Atlanta and it's been hotter than all get out!"

I also live in the same area (Marietta) and I haven't even attempted to plant anything for Fall. If nothing else, it is just too darned hot to spend much time outside. My tomatoes, peppers, okra and watermelon area still flourishing so I don't have a lot of space right now anyway.

But I would like some collards this Fall.....

Well I got some lettuce, mustard and kale planted yesterday. We're suppose to start seeing cooler days/nights. So wish me luck on it coming up.

We actually got a little rain early Sunday. :)

So far, my fall plantings have been pretty much a complete failure. The turnips I put in a planter are coming up fine, but nothing planted directly in the garden germinated and the seeds I sprouted in the house and then planted the sprouts of have also not come up.

Next year I'm definately starting things in cell-packs in the house - only problem being I have NO light in the house as the windows either face north or have trees in front of them.

Alys,

Just keep them in the house until they begin to germinate and then move them to a shady spot outdoors for a few days before moving them into full sun. That's what I did and everything did fine. No lights needed.

Good luck!

If I kept waiting, I would run out of time. I live in Tucson, AZ and I planted my whole fall garden. Everything is doing great. Cabbage, Broccoli, beets, cukes, spinach, chard, leaf lettuce, carrots, etc. I put my fall garden into a 4'x4' square foot raised bed. My only problems have been pests, so I had to sprinkle pesticide dust over everything. Hopefully, this will keep the gnats from eating my broccoli and cabbage.

I planted mustard, kale, curly leaf lettuce this past Sunday. Plan to plant some broccoli if I can find some plants. Still really hot, but, the weather is predicting a slight cool down with some rain in the next few days :)

Yup--peas, spinach. kale, raab, radishes,beets and lettuce so far.

I didn't start any cole plants in time, but we are having a real problem with the darn harlequin bugs this year on the brocc/caul/brussels from the earlier planting. I do wish that some local feed store/garden center would offer cole seedlings for fall planting. I've asked, but they all tell me their growers don't bother.

Part of my fall planting involves putting in cover crops too.

red robbin tomatoes, swiss chard, siberian tomatoes, tumbling tom tomatoes, all in containers to be put as frost approaches, in a grow frame.
~Tom

I set out some cabbage, brocolli, and brussels sprouts about three weeks ago, as soon as the temperature dropped below 100 degrees. They are doing well, so far. But we will probably have a hard freeze in a week or so.

Tom

Various chicories, escarole, radicchio (including my favorite, treviso), cold-tolerant lettuce, radishes, mustard greens.

Lou

There were stray garlic cloves sprouting in one of my beds so I took that as a sign and did my fall garlic planting today. It took serious dedication because I was nearly eaten alive by mosquitoes as well as ants - must have been standing over a nest because they climbed up inside my pant legs, motivating me to run in the house and tear them off. Also I got stuck by numerous blackberry thorns. Meanwhile the dog is laying there giving me guilt-trip looks because he wants to play... but the garlic is IN! I'm frustrated because I want to plant onion sets and nobody has them in yet.
-O

The weather's been getting a little cooler here lately. Our highs have only been in the low 90s, upper 80s. Today I set out a Brussels sprout and a broccoli seedling for my fall crop. And I suppose in a week or two I'll get buried in seed garlic to plant.

I also have a couple peonies and a lilac to plant. I find I have much better luck if I plant in the fall. It seems my spring-planted lilacs and peonies just die.

I wanted to start some beets and radishes today. Do you think I'm to late for them?

I am going to try and get my cole crops started and hope that by the time the cold weather comes along I will have finish "THE GREENHOUSE FROM HELL".
1EYEDjACK AND THE dAWG

Of all my plantings, carrots, turnips, Buttercrunch and Romaine lettuce and spinach, a single turnip has come up that didn't die in the heat in the garden. I even tried sprouting them in the house and planting the sprouts. I watered daily. I'm SO dissapointed!

All the turnips came up in my front planter. But this weekend I started watering them and my initial thought was, "Where did all those blades of grass come from?" Then I realized they WEREN'T grass - they were the stems left after some critter ATE EVERY SINGLE TURNIP LEAF! Nothing has eaten anything else in that planter. I had swiss chard I couldn't GIVE away all summer. Apparently, I have finicky critters that only like turnips.

I officially give up. I won't have a fall garden.

Alys

Oh, Alys! You might want to try again in a week or so, after you've recovered from the shock - sometimes a planting just coincides with a certain pest population at an inopportune time. Getting a fall garden started can be very challenging with that and with the heat coming and going.

Something you might do - worked for me - look at a 10-day weather forecast and aim to plant when you can more or less count on a stretch of 4-7 days where the temps don't go too much over 86 degrees. That's a good germination time. And, put a layer of row cover over the bed, and keep it there to mitigate the sun until the seedlings are looking vigorous.

Hoping you won't give up,
-Organica

Alys, I can sympathize. Many of the seedlings I started in July were devoured overnight by cabbage loopers. I hadn't even planted them out yet, they were on my deck. I went back to the seed and feed store and bought cabbage, brocolli and collards. They look very healthy but I have to keep them under floating row covers.

Then a rabbit got into the garden and munched on a couple of lettuce plants. (My garden is fenced, I just have to remember to CLOSE the gate. Duh!)

No sign of the carrots I planted 2 weeks ago. I've never had good luck with carrots.

I'm outside of Memphis and I planted my mustard, turnips and beets Monday and the mustard and turnips are up. I also started two types of cabbage and collards in some flats and they are up. I had started them earlier but the heat was too much for them. My tomatoes are putting on new growth and the limbs I broke off and stuck in the ground a couple of weeks ago are showing signs of rooting and growth. Now if I could just get some rain!

I planted carrots, basil, and peas, all of which are up. The basil has reached the size for a first harvest. The first few pea pods have matured and the vines are starting to grow up the trellises, filling in space among the cukes and melons. Carrots are about 4" tall.

I think I'll put in some arugula and spinach once the weather starts to cool; it was about 90° and humid this weekend. Maybe another batch of cilantro, miners lettuce, and that will be about it.

I lost some of my season-long fall crops, like parsnips, to a vole attack in early summer. I'm hoping to pull some celeriac that seem to have survived, and am waiting for the Brussels sprouts to mature. The winter-squash vines that sprang up from the compost heap are still producing but starting to decline; I've been harvesting a few every week. Cukes and melons are doing well in the heat. The kale plants have been growing well since April and are now a couple of feet tall and producing heavily; they'll probably go until Thanksgiving or so. Starting to think about preparing the beds for fall and ordering cover crops. Setting aside some garlic for planting in October. Shallots and bunching onions that I started from seed indoors in March are mature now and supplying greens while I wait to harvest them. Parsley from last fall's seeds has filled a small bed. Basil's providing pesto and salad fixings. Tomatoes sprawled while I was fighting the voles and so aren't as productive as they might be, but are still filling the salad bowl. Blackberries have become a favorite for birds (who peck them) and yellow jackets (who like the juice), making it tricky to pick them after the yellow jackets are awake. Picked my first Charentais melon last weekend and hope for a few more. Still haven't seen a single moonflower.

When my gardening experiences result in the type of "luck" that Alys had it makes me thankful that it's not my livelihood. i.e. I'm not a farmer. Its only one more learning in my gardening hobby experience.

Anyway, I'm finding that due to the abnormally hot weather we've had the last few fall growing seasions, I've had better success moving back the broccoli & cauliflower plantings by a week or so. I now plant seeds around Aug 10 to Sept 7 and set plants about 4 -5 weeks after seeding.

I just direct sowed greens on September 01....germination on all within 5-8 days of the following: Romaine and Butterhead Lettuce, Collards, Red Russian Kale and Giant Red Indian Mustard. I expect the spring sown Swiss Chard to continue at least until X-Mas.

Vera

Well all my fall seeds I sowed, mustard, kale, turnips, lettuce spinach, radishes,are coming along beautifully! We have gotten much needed rain today and the day before. It's cooled off to. I planted all of these are labor day and before the week was over everything was up....My broccoli and brussel sprouts are doing great also, and no worms, yet.

If only the mosquitoes weren't so thick. I go out there and plant anyway... (slap) (slap) (sting) (slap).
-O

Will be planting various lettuces, radishes, carrots this weekend. Started new pole beans a few weeks ago. Too late for new cukes I think. Ready to plant garlic cloves in 3 weeks. I missed the window for Brussells Sprouts and Brocolli (wasn't paying attention to my calendar - GRR). Thinking of trying spinach.

My spinich and greens are all doing well but we're still having 90+ weather! The broc. and bruss.sprouts are growing like crazy. I'm afraid all of it will start to bolt. I've got to plant my garlic in Oct. haven't grown it before. Would like to plant a second crop of greens for late winter eatting. If we get much winter this year :)

I started the fall planting on Aug. 31 with some Cornfield beans. With any luck, they'll start flowering in a couple weeks.

I just planted some cucumbers (the kind that don't need pollination) and I'm getting the beds ready for kale, scallions, and leeks. I also planted some potatoes a couple of weeks ago, but it got so hot that the tater pieces rotted.

On August 24, 2007 I planted kale, cabbage, cauliflour, mystery lettuce from plants. Seeds sown were boston lettuce and mache.

So far the cauliflour is growing nicely along with the cabbages. This is my first time to plant kale and so far it looks scrawny but some leaves have formed.

My boston lettuce has sprouted but there are only small patches of leaves here and there. They are not growing big yet and it's been over a month that I sowed them. No sign of the mache sproutings at all and I also sowed them over a month ago.