fall and winter garden planning

I've finished planting most of my fall vagarables now. This week I'll plant a couple more. Fall vegetables are ones I harvest before they are killed by cold weather and don't use any cold protection.

I'm beginning to plan my winter bed now. I'll use the same double layered tunnel that's worked well for me the past couple years. I'll fill this bed with crops that are full grown by early November so I'll be able to harvest them all winter.

My fall vegetables: beets, carrots, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, lettuce, arugula, spinach, escarole, and broccoli.

My winter vegetables: spinach, escarole, lettuce, and arugula.

I'm keeping record of my planting on my 2017 planning list.

buying fall seeds

I'd like to plant some carrot seeds soon for late fall harvest. I'm out, so I checked a couple local nurseries. One is sold out of all carrot seed, the other has sold out of all of their seed for the season. Few gardeners plant crops for fall. So I placed a nice big order from Johnny's Seeds. Five varieties of orange carrots and a purple carrot, a black radish, a small Chinese cabbage, purple stock flowers, red salanova lettuce, pickling cukes and teddy bear sunflower seed for next year, and dubuisson endive.

Fall crops I've already planted are Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and of course lettuce that I am planting about every 3 weeks. I've also planted Belgian endive (wiltloof) that I am looking forward to trying for the first time this year.

Please go to Apple Store for the current update on Skippy's Calendar app. It corrects the bug on the fall date changer. Yes, it's time to start thinking about fall planting. I planted my Brussels sprouts a couple days ago. I'm hoping to have some for Thanksgiving this year. It seems pretty far ahead to plan for that!

fall vegetable varieties

These are the varieties I planted for our fall seedling sale:

Broccoli, Bay Meadows and Arcadia
Kale, Nash's Green and Vates
Beets, Touchstone Gold and Red Ace
Cilantro, Calypso
Swiss Chard, Bright Lights and Peppermint
Calendula, Flashback
Escarole, Natacha
Lettuce, Cherokee, Monte Carlo, and Allstar Mix
Bok Choi, Black Summer and Win Win
Mustard, Scarlet Frills
Spinach, Emperor

I'll let you know what grows well. This year, it seems very dependent on the weather. Who knows what fall will bring here in the NE!!

fall seedlings on a hot September day

I brought my fall seedlings inside to stay cool today. They're covering most of my dining room floor. It's mid-September and it's going up in the 90's!! Hard to believe.

I'm growing the seedlings for our community garden, but it's been a struggle to keep them happy this year. They'd like cool weather. They were outside the last 2 weeks, but now they're inside. Tomorrow we'll sell them and gardeners will plant them out. Fortunately the forecast is cloudy and cool (low 80's) with scattered showers.

I'm growing the seedlings since it's hard to find a good selection of fall seedlings in stores and fall is (usually) a great time to grow vegetables. The cooler (usually), fewer bugs and diseases, and gardens usually have extra space with summer crops gone. But it's just been so hot this year! I tried growing them outside when they were tiny, but I lost several pots in the hot sun, so they all came inside. I handled most on my plant shelves under lights in the cool garage. A few others stayed on a window sill.

I have 10 trays of plants, 11 types of plants, some with two or three varieties. About 166 4-packs in all. Gardeners have pre-ordered most of these, but we'll have a few extras for other people. They're $1 each, proceeds will support our garden (especially the huge water bill we have this year!).

planting fall seedlings!

I'm planting fall seedlings now for me, my mom, and my community garden.

Our community garden is big: 137 plots on 2 acres. We're selling seedlings $1 a pot to benefit the gardens. We've gotten orders for about 125 pots of seedlings so far. Plus, we want to have extra plants available for those who didn't order and will want to buy some on our distribution day. We're offering most as 4-seedlings per pot. Larger plants (like broccoli) will be 4-packs with 1 plant per cell. It's a big job to grow all of these and I'm really excited to start on it!

My husband helped me set up a big outdoor plant table in my home garden and I plan to add another table soon. Im covering all the trays with row fabric to protect against chipmunks and cabbage beetles. Here's what I've planted so far. I'll update here as I plant more.

July 28 (54 days to frost)
Lettuce, Ridgeline (3 small packs), 56 days to harvest
Cilantro, Calypso (3 small packs), 55 days to harvest
Beets, Touchstone Gold (3 small packs), 55 days to harvest
Bok Choi, Win-Win (3 small packs) 52 days to harvest
Lettuce, Edox (3 small packs), 50 days to harvest
Beets, Red Ace (3 small packs), 50 days to harvest
Escarole, Natacha (3 small packs), 50 days to harvest
Lettuce, Cherokee (3 small packs), 48 days to harvest
Lettuce, Rhazes (3 small packs), 42 days to harvest
Mustard, Ruby Streaks (3 small packs), 40 days to harvest
Spinach, Kookaburra (3 small packs), 37 days to harvest
Lettuce, Red Sails (3 small packs), 27 days to harvest

August 2 (59 days to frost)
Red cabbage, Super Red 80 (3 small packs), 85 days to harvest
Broccoli, Arcadia (3 small packs), 63 days to harvest
Swiss chard, Peppermint (3 small packs), 60 days to harvest
Lettuce, Cherokee (3 small packs), 48 days to harvest

August 6 (63 days to frost)
Broccoli, Bay Meadows (12 four-packs), 60 days to harvest
Kale, Nash's Green (4 four-packs, 3 small packs), 60 days to harvest
Cilantro, Calypso (14 small packs), 55 days to harvest
Calendula, Mix (12 small packs), 55 days to flower
Escarole, Natacha (14 small packs), 50 days to harvest

August 13 (57 days frost)

August 20 (50 days frost)

Our plan is to deliver seedlings to gardeners for transplanting to their plots the week of September 4. That's 36 weeks to our first fall frost, which is usually on October 10.

my cucumber experiment - cucumbers are not a fall crop

On August 7 (65 days before my average first frost), I planted several varieties of pickling cukes: Cucumber, Salt and Pepper (49 days), Cucumber, Miniature White (50 days), Cucumber, North Carolina Pickling (60-65 days). This experiment was a last ditch effort since wilt (carried by beetles) killed my summer cucumbers.

It seemed this experiment would work, going by the days. The rule of thumb for fall planting is to count back from the average first frost date by the days to harvest, and then add 2 weeks for the "fall factor": with less light plants grow slower. So those 49 and 50 day cukes had enough time. But it did not work.

August and September weather was great. Record heat - our first heat wave in September in 35 years. I kept the plants covered to keep beetles off, then removed covers when they bloomed. They bloomed well (bees loved them), but the plants never produced cucumbers.

My lesson: Cucumbers need mid summer light - they are not a fall crop.

fall seedlings

I've been starting up a bunch of fall seedlings this past week. I used tape for tags instead of pretty wood labels.

Looks like I'll be eating a lot of Bok Choi! The BoPak is a new experimental variety that I'm trialling, Mei Qing and Win Win are my old favorites. And then I found a package of Pechag that I couldn't resist buying. I love stir fried bok choi.

I'm hoping I can get a big crop of fall cucumbers for pickling. All my summer vines have died from wilt. I'm hoping that the beetles that carry the wilt (a bacterial disease) will have moved on by September. (I didn't want to use a beetle spray like spinosad because of my bees.)

I don't want gardeners to look at my list and think - "Oh this is safe to plant now." Some of these will likely not produce a harvest before frost. I am planning a winter tunnel, and will move slower plants into that.

I've added the time to harvest by each variety. It's about 65 days to frost here now. You should generally add two weeks when calculating fall planting times since, plant growth slows as light decreases. Also, some plants here are frost hardy (like escarole and broccoli) and some not  (cucumbers). Greens, like lettuce or bok choi, can easily be harvested early.

Variety list:

August 1
Happy Rich (55 days)
Bok Choi, BoPak, 2015 AAS winner (60 days)
Bok Choi, Mei Qing (45 days)
Bok Choi, Win Win (52 days)
Bok Choi, Pechay (60 days)
Escarole, Natacha (50 days)
Lettuce, Skyphos (47 days)
Lettuce, Oakleaf (47 days)
Lettuce, Sylvestra (52 days)

August 5
Broccoli, Bay Meadows (60 days)
Broccoli, Artwork, 2015 AAS winner (85 days)
Broccoli, Arcadia (63 days)
Cucumber, Miniature White (50 days)
Cucumber, North Carolina Pickling (60-65 days)
Cucumber, Salt and Pepper (49 days)
Endive, Tres Fine (45-70 days)
Endive, Dubuisson (50 days)
Radicchio, Indigo (65 days)
Napa Cabbage, Mini Kisaku (50-55 days)

fall planting

I'm about a month late, but I wanted to see if I can get some fall crops. I have lots of space where my peas, garlic and onions were. And my potatoes will be coming out soon. I planted:
Lettuce, Skyphos
Lettuce, Prizehead
Lettuce, Oakleaf
Lettuce, Valentine Red Mix (Botanical Interests)
Lettuce, Italienisher
Lettuce, Victoria Butterhead
Lettuce, Green Romaine
Lettuce, Red Romaine
Brussels's Sprouts
Win-Win Choi
Beets, Merlin
Beets, Blankoma
Spinach, Bloomsdale Long Standing
Escarole, Tres Fine
Escarole, Batavian
Arugula
Fall Greens Mix (Sand Hill Preservation)

With a harvest time of 105 days, its pretty late to try planting Brussels's Sprouts. I've done this before it seems and end up with little sprouts that are almost ready by Thanksgiving, but ... not. Everything else has a shorter time to harvest:
bok choi: 52 days
beets: 48-55 days
spinach: 48 days
escarole, 42-90 days
lettuce: 42-48 days
mixed greens: 21 days

fall seedlings

Over the weekend, I found some fall seedlings at a local nursery (Mahoney's in Winchester MA) and bought a bunch for me and my parents. Six-packs of spinach, escarole frisee, and red leaf lettuce. Also a couple plants each of Brussel's sprouts and parsley. And one pretty sage plant with big round leaves for my mom. They are all happily in the ground now.

what to plant now

Its time for fall planting. I have a tray of seedings ready to transplant to my garden this week. They will go in the rows left open by fading summer squashes, finished broccoli and cauliflower, spring beets, cabbage and carrots, and potatoes that are already dug.

My fall seedlings were planted about 3 weeks ago. They are red and savoy cabbage, bok choy, escarole, endive frisee, 4 or 5 types of lettuce, a few varieties of beets. This week I will also try sowing some fall peas. They never work, because our New England weather always goes too fast from hot to cold in the fall, but I like to try anyway.

I wish I had sowed fall broccoli earlier, but I didn't. It's hard to find fall seedlings commercially. These should be good sized seedlings by now and transplanted out to the garden soon for fall heads. I have previously sowed broccoli in August and it grows to a nice seedling by November and then holds til spring in my cold frame and makes early heads in the spring.

I planted my last green beans two weeks ago. They sprouted fast in this hot weather. They will give us Sept and Oct green bean harvests.

I will sow some winter crops inside this week. These will include spinach, beets, lettuce, escarole, and bok choy. Maybe some collards or chard too. These will go into the cold frame once the summer plants are done. I will also direct sow some carrots in the frame. My frame stays above freezing all winter, but since the sun is too low for plants to grow after Nov 10, I like to have it full of fully grown crops by nov. I harvest these all winter.

My winter kale stays out in the garden. I have lots of kale this year as I sowed twice, early spring and again early July.

Please let me know your plans for fall and winter plantings.

fading summer plants

A number of my summer plants are fading now.

The potato plants have all turned brown and I have cut off most. It will take me several weeks to dig them all, but once the bed is harvested, I will add compost and then plant garlic here in early October.

All of my summer squashes are at different stages of succumbing to fungi and root borers. I remove leaves when they yellow or turn white with mildew. The Zephyr squash in the photo has been wilted for a week and squashes are not setting. I'll remove this plant soon and use its spot for fall root or greens seedlings. I have a young zucchini seedling that I will plant soon, but in a different spot. Somehow this one got left behind and still looks nice. Maybe I can have fall zucchini?

Other places now free for fall seedlings are the onion and scallion beds, the spring beet and carrot bed, and cabbage and radicchio beds.

I am hoping the tomato bed is not up for grabs soon, but if so, plenty of fall seedlings to plant there.

fall and winter seedlings

I planted a tray of fall seedlings a couple weeks ago (July 7). I have kept them indoors under lights. Today I brought them outside to start getting used to full sunlight.

Beets, Chiogga Guardsmark
Beets, Round Red Merlin
Beets, White Detroit
Cabbage, Pac Choi, Mei Qing Choi
Cabbage, Pac Choi, Win-Win Choi
Cabbage, Red, Super Red 80
Cilantro, Calypso
Endive, Dubuisson
Escarole, Natacha
Lettuce, Butterhead Green, Ermosa
Lettuce, Butterhead Red, Skyphos
Lettuce, Looseleaf Green, Black Seeded Simpson
Lettuce, Summer Crisp Green, Nevada
Lettuce, Summer Crisp Red, Teide

The beets and cabbages are right on time for a last planting of the season. I don't know how the lettuce will do with the hot weather. I am trying some Summer Crisp types, which are supposed to be more heat tolerant.

I will sow another tray the first week of August (in a week and a half) with my winter crops that will go in the coldframe: spinach, more lettuce and other greens.

This week, I want to remember to sow some carrots and fall peas in the garden. Not sure where these will go yet.

I am using my Fall Planting Calendar to figure out when to plant. Here's a link to it. I am using Nov 1 as my average first fall frost date.

fall seedlings

As the summer crops fade, I am increasing the numbers of seedling I'm planting. Mostly greens: lettuce of all types, arugula, spinach, endive and escarole and beets. They'll go into my community plot after the squashes and corn are pulled (only 26 days until frost!! OMG). And then, they'll go into my cold frame when the cucumbers finish. I had such a nice early spring cold frame full of greens that I'm looking forward to fall. I think they will grow well past the first frost.

I've resorted to starting all my seeds inside under lights. The sun and rain are too unpredictable for small seedlings outside in the big world, especially when my schedule is all mixed up.

fall seedlings

These are my little plants growing inside under the lights. With the hot dry summer weather and then pelting rain, its nice to baby them. I have several types of lettuce here, and some spinach. They're ready to go outside soon.

I checked my community plot today. I've been sowing seeds there regularly. Not much sprouted during hot dry weather in July and early August. Today I see several patches coming up. Nice pea sprouts, and a little bed of tiny lettuces. Also a row that looks like broccoli, but I can't remember what I planted there (oops!). Carrots and radicchio have not done well.

Today I planted cilantro and dill in the garden and last night I planted about 5 types of butterhead lettuces in flats under lights.

fall planting

I have so many empty spaces in my community garden plot that I would love to fill with greens. I have seeds ready for about 10 of my favorite lettuce varieties, as well as arugula, spinach, frisee endive, cilantro, and radicchio.

I'd love to have a garden full of these like I did this spring. But with such hot dry weather, its hard to get them going. I've been planting weekly for 3-4 weeks and not much is coming up. Its hard for me to get to my plot to water daily. One stretch of 3 days without water kills all the seedlings :(

Last week I covered all my newly seeded areas with some old white row cover. Talking with other gardeners, they have the same problem and are covering with cardboard and any materials on hand to protect from drying out. I noticed nice little sprouts today. Hope I can keep these going.

I also seeded some indoor trays at home a couple days ago. Just in case the ones at my plot don't make it. I noticed this morning they have come up. I will turn on the indoor lights tomorrow. Seems funny to do this in summer, but I think it may be the only for me to properly tend them.

Its remarkable how different this summer is from last summer. A real New England summer! Hot, humid and dry. I'm hoping for a long fall for a good season of greens.

fall planting

Its mid summer and I'm well into the fall planting.

I had a email today from Lesley who just moved from Arizona to MA and is wondering what she can plant in her new zone and new vegetable garden. Here in Belmont, my first fall frost is usually early October (maybe Oct 10), so we have about 60 days of growing left.

Today I planted seeds for:

Carrots (St Valery)
Lettuce (Oak Leaf Mix and Prizehead)

I'm also watering every day to try to encourage seeds I planted last week (beets, lettuce and carrots) to grow. (Its SOOO dry!) I find I can never have too many carrots, as long as they are nice big long ones, so I'm trying for a good fall carrot crop.

What else can be planted now?

I looked up on the Johnny's Selected Seeds website for vegetables with time to harvest less than 60 days. Bush green beans, radish, all types of lettuce, spinach, arugula, broccoli, beets, collards, baby leeks. Winter hardy vegetables like kale are perfect to plant now. You can even offer cold protection by putting in a cold frame now and get several months (into December) of most of these vegetables here.

It’s a perfect time to start peas if you want to try for a fall crop. Its hit-or-miss and depends on how fast the weather goes from hot to cold this year. It usually goes too fast. I often try, but have never gotten a good fall crop of peas. But I like to try. I will plant some soon. I think tall and short shell peas (xx and Cascadia).

And garlic needs to be planted in the fall - I like to plant garlic in October. A bit of time yet for that. I will likely put this crop in my squash/pumpkin bed after its done for the year.

Some time back, I wrote an on-line calendar to use to calculate fall planting dates. Here's the link: http://bioarray.us/Skippy%27s%20fall%20planting%20calendar.html You can also get there from my side bar - near the top.

I think fall is also a very good time for planting perennial flowers from seed. If you can get a bit of growth in the cool fall weather, they will come up next year with a head start and do well. I have some poppy and delphinium seeds I'd like to experiment with.

Please leave me a comment and let me know if you're doing fall planting, where you're located, and what you're growing. I'd love to get new ideas. Thanks!

fall planting

Here's what I planted yesterday. My garden has little patches of free soil here and there. A spot where fava beans were. One where blighted tomatoes were. The empty garlic patch.

I got rained on while planting, so the packs look ragged.

Its late for fall planting. My calendar says I should have planted a few weeks ago. Last year I did my last planting on August 27 and only some of the greens matured by the first frost. The peas and spinach didn't. (I've never gotten fall peas to produce.)

It so hot now to think fall is coming. My count down calendar says 52 days to first frost (around Oct 15). We'll see how these seeds do.

fall planting calendar

I put in a date I think is about right for my first fall frost and generated a fall planting calendar for myself. (Here's the calendar link.)

I'm wondering if everything seems right here. I'm surprised to see its already late to plant beans. And I hope my broccoli will be big enough to transplant in a couple weeks. I should put in a sowing date for broccoli, collards, etc.

I'm not very good with fall timing. If anyone has time to leave comments on how to update this tool, I'd appreciate it.

I suppose fall planting is harder than spring, because that first frost is so final.

fall planting calendar

I've started an on-line calculator for a fall planting calendar based on your first frost date. The dates are based on my experience and the calendar at Heirloom Seeds. Still a few months before I'll need to use this. Let me know if any of the dates seem off or if I should add other vegetables.

I get such a kick out of putting in dates and pushing the button! You'd think I was a kid with a new video game (or my mother in law with a slot machine...) This is the longest code I've "written" and it is such fun that it actually works.


On-line calculator for spring planting calendar