Ah! The planting is done and now I have only to reap my bounteous harvest! Is this you? Not so fast ! Did you know that you can make your garden last longer - even into the winter months? Many vegetable varieties have been developed specifically for late summer and fall planting in July, August, and September for harvesting in the fall and winter months. But make sure you check the seed variety to see if it is suitable for fall harvest. Your young seedlings will survive the last few hot days of summer if you plant in a shady location or greenhouse and, after they have developed several leaves, transfer them to an outside garden. JULY July is a good month to plant potatoes, broccoli, beets, fall and winter cabbage, kale, carrots, parsnips, and Swiss chard. In late July you can plant kohlrabi, mustard greens, spinach and turnips. Plant seeds for onions and shallots after mid-July, and you will still have time for fresh scallions and bunching onions by fall. Many of these plants prefer to mature in cooler weather, so planting now will give you a good autumn harvest. AUGUST You can continue to plant mustard greens, spinach and turnips in August. Lettuce and arugula will also do well if you plant the seeds now, because these salad greens do well in cool weather. August is also the month to plant cabbage, and also seeds for onion varieties that will overwinter for harvest next spring and summer. Start your sweet Walla Walla onions now and you won’t need to buy starts next spring. SEPTEMBER In September, you can plant some more arugula and lettuce. September is also a good time to plant peas for fresh eating this fall. If you love radishes, you can plant seed in mid-to-late September and harvest them all winter. Carrots can also be planted for harvest through the winter and into next spring. Late in September, plant your garlic and shallot bulbs. If they are planted now, they will have time to grow strong roots before the first frosts, and will come up strong next spring for mid to late-summer harvest. GOOD EATING ! |