Growing in the Fall

There’s no time like now to get your autumn garden growing! The days are still warm enough to inspire grown, and the nights aren’t cold enough to threaten your crops. If you haven’t gotten a start on it already, you might need a bit of guidance for choosing your plantings and prepping your rows. We’ve put together a simple guide below to get you started off on the right foot. 

Condition Your Soil—You’ll be turning over your summer garden soon if you haven’t already. If you’re using the same beds for your autumn garden, be sure to add nutrients to keep the soil rich and fertile for the new plantings. This may require adding nitrogen, carbon or both. Adding homemade or organic bagged compost is a great way to make sure your soil will be ready for seeds and bedding plants.

Choose Your Veggies—An autumn salad offers such delicious cool-weather possibilities as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, cucumber and Brussels sprouts. Whichever veggies you plan to include, make sure you follow instructions for pre-seeding to give your new plants the best chance to flourish.  

Plant Your Seeds—Once your soil is primed and your plants are prepped and ready, calculate the proper time to plant them. Each type will have its own considerations, based on a distinct number of days between planting and first frost to give your harvest its greatest advantage. This is a great time to get the family involved in the garden, too! 

Adjust Your Watering—If you’ve been watering your summer garden with an automatic drip or sprinkler system, make sure to adjust the duration and start times to accommodate for a cooler climate. If you’ve been watering by hand and expect to continue doing so, then bundle up – it could be chilly on those garden mornings.

Prepare For Covering—In the event of an early frost, you’ll need to make sure you have material such as greenhouse tarps or bedsheets handy to cover tender plants immediately. This may become necessary later in the season, so now is a great time to stock up and protect them from damaging temperatures.

The best part about planting an autumn garden is knowing that you’ll have another season of fresh homegrown produce to enjoy. Take advantage of the flavors and textures that grow easily in autumn, and you’ll have beds filled with bounty and the sweet smell of success all autumn long!