Carla,

Do you mean a fall vegetable garden?

Sometimes the fall garden is better than the spring garden. It just depends on a multitude of factors including:

--Getting the plants into the ground, which means planting seeds or transplants into the hot dry ground during late June to August. If you are going to use transplants you will generally have to grow your own, although some stores carry a few for fall plantings.

--Keeping the plants alive and growing until cooler weather comes. It is harder to get a fall garden going because the moisture needs are something you have to watch every day. But, in some cases, it is easier, because some things like carrots germinate very, very fast in the summertime. Most plants planted in the summer grow at a faster rate, I find, than the same plants planted in the cooler ground in early spring.

--Sometimes you have to provide shade to get tiny seedlings through a brutal August heat wave. I cover them with shade cloth, sheets, etc. if the temps keep spiking up over 100.

--Having the space available. Some years I can't (OK,, won't) pull out the stuff from the spring garden because it is doing so well. In those years, my fall garden is small to non-existent due to a lack of space. Other years, when the weather, bugs, etc. have been hard on the spring garden, I can't wait to pull out the old stuff and put in something else.

--Some plants grow better in the fall. Brussel sprouts are one that comes to mind. I think I get better yields from all the cole crops as the cabbage loopers don't seem to be around, and the deer aren't as hungry in the fall as they are in the winter. ("My" deer love cabbage. They really love it. They eat it all and I get none. lol)

--Tomatoes, peppers and many other warm-season crops produce very well in the fall, and sometimes better than they do in the spring, depending on what the weather does. As a bonus, if a hard freeze is unavoidable, you can pull up your tomato and pepper plants by the roots and hang them upside down in a garage or shed or basement where they are out of the weather. The tomatoes and peppers will often continue to ripen for weeks.

--Surviving the first freeze. Often we get an early hard freeze near the end of September or early in October. If you can cover up your garden and protect your plants and get them through that first hard freeze, you will often have 6 to 8 weeks of Indian Summer type weather before the next hard freeze.

--You have to watch Days To Maturity carefully on some crops. You have to be sure to plant long-season plants like pumpkins, winter squash and sweet corn early enough that they have plenty of time to mature. And sweet corn is iffy in the fall garden. If you plant it too early, it will pollinate during weather that is too hot for it and you will not get good tip fill on the ears.

I think fall gardens are wonderful and a lot of people don't do them because they are exhausted from the spring/summer garden and the heat in general.

What are you thinking of planting in a fall garden?

Dawn

I would love to try a fall garden, but have never done much so I am unsure of the timing of when and what to put out. I came from a zone 4/5 where fall gardening was not done. So you all that do, keep us posted of when and what you are doing for a fall garden, that way we can follow along and learn.

OK, Mark, I'll let you know when I start raising seedlings and planting seeds for the fall garden.

If you have never had the opportunity to garden in our fall weather, you will be delighted by the results. Lots less pests and lots less foliar and soil diseases. And it is great fun to have tons of food on the kitchen table for Thanksgiving that came straight from your garden.

Yes I was thinking of a fall veggie garden sorry for not replying sooner the lightning caused a power surge and fried my power supply to my computer. LOL I should have been more prepared.

I am definantly going for tomatoes. Hopefully cabbage beets, and carrots will be in the works too!

Carla

I know I should get off the computer right now before something happens as there is lots of lightning right now.

At the rate the spring weather is delaying the spring planting, we may be planting our spring gardens in the fall. Just being silly..... :)