I may not be entirely ready for the Winnie-the-Pooh days of fall, but I am ready to start planting my fall gardens. As I have probably mentioned several (hundred) times before, the fall garden is in some ways a well-kept secret as far as easy and rewarding gardening is concerned.
While many people are “putting their gardens to bed” in September, some of us are starting all over again with those crops that love a little cold bite to the air. The fall (and winter) garden may just be my favorite garden of all. And for good reason — there are some definite perks such as less pests hanging about the place, less watering going on, and it turns out that there are very few weeds that dig the lower temperatures — surprise!
You may be thinking that there aren’t very many fabulous, cool-weather veggies to grow anyway, so why put out the effort at all? All I can say is “are you sure you saw the list?” Carrots, endive, cauliflower, kohlrabi, leeks, cabbage, spinach, lettuce, chard, peas, beets, radicchio, endive, radish, turnips, cilantro, kale, Brussels sprouts, rhubarb, and asparagus are all on there, plus this is the time to get your garlic and onions in, too!
Cool-season crops can be grown both in the fall or the early spring. They like temperatures that are around 40 to 60 degrees. You can experiment to see which season works best for the vegetables in your area. For instance, when I was living in the San Francisco Bay Area, I found that many times our spring warmed up too fast for plants like lettuce, cilantro, and broccoli.
It was frustrating to get the plants almost to maturity only to have them bolt (flower and go to seed) overnight. Once I changed my strategy and planted the cool-weather vegetables in the fall, I had an incredible harvest.
Once you’ve discovered the fall garden — with the help of hoop houses, cold frames, and mulch — there’s nothing to stop you from winter gardening. And if you’re looking for an excuse not to start a winter garden, may I introduce you to Niki Jabbour, author of Year-Round Vegetable Gardening (Storey, 2011) — she’ll set you straight.
Want a little more on Cool-Season Vegetables? Check out Cool-Weather Lettuce for Fall and Winter Gardens, A Second Round of Broccoli for Fall, Peas:The Cool-Weather Legume, Growing Spinach in the Home Garden, and Kale: The Aristocrat of Vegetables.
Fine Gardening Recommended Products
Plant Covers Freeze Protection 10 ft x 30 ft Floating Row Cover 0.9oz/yd²
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Lightweight and Breathable MATERIAL Good for protecting Plant: the plant frost cover material is 0.74 oz/sq non-woven polypropylene fabric, which is lightweight, breathable, and durable. The plant blanket frost protection allows sunlight reach the plants, perfect for protecting plants from the damage of freeze or frost. Wide Application In your Garden Work. The plant row cover not only can work as a barrier against frost, but also can be a great tool for germination and good for rapid seedling growth. By using the fabric plant covers over your plant, you can start the plant earlier in the spring and extending the growing season of your plants. How to Use the Plant Covers: you can cover the plant covers for freeze over your the plants loosely directly and then secure the plant frost blanket with soil, stones or staples. You can also support the floating row covers with a hoop, make enough room for plants to breath and grow. You could also cut the plant covers into different sizes for different purposes.
Corona® Multi-Purpose Metal Mini Garden Shovel
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Longer Service Life: The blade of this round small shovel is made of carbon steel, which can effectively improve the hardness by high temperature quenching, and the surface has anti-rust coating to avoid rusting. In the process of use when encountering hard objects will not bend and deformation.
Sturdy Structure: The small garden shovel with D-handle, ergonomically designed grip can increase the grip of the hand when using, the handle is made of strong fiberglass, will not bend and break under heavy pressure. Quick Digging: Well-made digging shovel has a sharp blade, and the round shovel head is designed to easily penetrate the soil and cut quickly while digging to enhance your work efficiency.
Gardzen 3-Pack 72 Gallons Garden Bag
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High Quality Fabric - Gardzen Garden Waste Bags are made from 4.4oz/yd2 (150g/㎡) durable polypropylene fabric that can withstand heavy loads and rough handling. Please note that they should not be left out in the sun for long periods. Environmentally Friendly - These reusable yard waste bags are an environmentally friendly choice as they can be used over and over again, unlike disposable bags. The strong handles make it easy to carry the bags, even when they are full. These garden bags for debris allow you to complete your gardening tasks efficiently and effectively, while minimising waste and promoting sustainability. Large Capacity - With a height of 30 inches and a diameter of 26 inches, there is plenty of room for a large amount of garden waste. Whether it's leaves, branches or grass clippings, these yard waste containers can handle it all. A Must-Have For Gardeners - these leaf bags are an essential tool for managing garden waste and can make your gardening tasks much more efficient. The large capacity and durable construction make them ideal for storing and transporting various items. The yard bags can also be folded and stored compactly when not needed, saving valuable space.
Package Included - A great value set of 3pcs heavy duty lawn and leaf bags. 3pcs white plastic hoops. There are 2pcs double stitched webbing handles in the top and 1pc strong webbing corner handles in the bottom.
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