Thursday, July 14, 2011

Despite the insane heat and drought here in East Texas, its time to think about Fall Gardening

The following are optimal "windows of time" for planting fall vegetables:
Beans - 8/1 - 9/1 (lima beans 7/15 - 8/15)Muskmelon (Cantaloupe) - 7/15 - 8/1
Beets - 9/1 - 10/15Mustard - 9/15 - 10/15
Broccoli plants - 8/1 - 9/15Parsley - 8/15 - 10/1
Brussels sprouts - 8/1 - 10/1Peas, English - 8/15 - 9/15
Cabbage plants - 8/15 - 9/15Peas, Southern - 7/1 - 8/1
Carrots - 8/15 - 10/15Pepper plants - 7/1 - 8/1
Cauliflower plants - 8/15 - 9/15Potatoes, Irish - 8/15 - 9/15
Chard, Swiss - 8/1 - 10/15Pumpkin - 7/1 - 8/1
Collard/Kale - 8/15 - 10/1Radish - 9/15 - 10/15
Corn, Sweet - 8/1 - 8/15Spinach - 9/1 - 10/15
Cucumber - 8/1 - 9/1Squash, Summer - 7/15 - 8/15
Eggplant plants - 7/15 - 8/1Squash, Winter - 7/1 - 7/15
Garlic - 9/1 - 10/15Tomato plants - 7/15 - 8/1
Kohlrabi - 8/15 - 9/15Turnips - 10/1 - 11/1
Lettuce (leaf) - 9/15 - 10/15Watermelon - 7/1 - 8/1


The above Table is a good  guide as to when to plant seeds. Because of the high heat and dryness, I have had better luck in years past starting the seeds in small containers indoors or atleast in the shade and then transplanting them a  bit later in the season. Planting into containers as opposed to in the ground is also an option to condsider too. When  the frosts  fianllly get here, you can move them indoor or under cover and then put them  back aout after the cold snap. Using this method you can extend your growing season well into the cooler months. A couple of other added perks to container  gardening is that you can move  your plants to where they get the most Winter sun and you dont have spend time bent over  weeding . I actually enjoy Fall gardening a more than Spring / Summer mainly because it's just too hot.. for me and the plants. I will try to add some photos along the way. Have fun.

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