Monday, September 7, 2015

What Vegetables To Plant In The Fall

What vegetables can you plant in the fall garden? If you have mild winters like Southern California or a cold frame to grow winter vegetables, now is the time to start planning and in many places you should already be planting your fall vegetable garden.

I am slowly clearing out sections of old plants from the summer and prepping the garden for fall planting. Our daytime temperatures are still very high which makes seed germination difficult but having the soil ready for a week when temperatures are cooler is my goal. 

urban garden, pumpkin patch

For those chicken owners, don't forget to save your edible garden plants for chickens. They will enjoy munching on them and then you can toss them into the compost. I do not however give them my tomato plants, potato vines or any diseased plants I do not want to end up in my compost bin. Better yet, if you can safely let your chickens clean out your garden for you, let them. I cannot do this in my front yard garden but I do let them do it in my backyard vegetable garden.

 I have a complete list of what I plant in my urban garden listing vegetables to plant in fall for Southern California.

What vegetables to to plant in the fall

 I have a complete list of what I plant in my urban garden listing vegetables to plant in fall for Southern California. Think of greens and root vegetables. Many types of kale are frost hardy and can survive pretty low night time temperatures.

Of course for my area, we have a 12 month growing season. We really have two summer planting times, spring and early fall and then we can grow cool season crops from late fall to spring.

Burpee has a great tool. You put in your zip code and then click on your growing calendar and it lists exactly what you can plant and when for your growing zone including vegetables to plant in fall and winter.

Vegetables to plant in fall for spring harvest include your cool season root vegetables. I put loads of beets in every year and do several successive plantings so I always have them. This year I would like to try planting some parsnips. We love roasted root vegetables and parsnips would be a great addition.

Growing your own root vegetables in good organic soil, provides you with nutrients that we are lacking nowadays from crops grown in over worked, chemically laden soil.

I cannot stress enough, how satisfying it is, to head to your kitchen garden and harvest fresh vegetables that you serve within hours of picking. Maximum vitamins and nutrients, organic and money saving right there in your garden. Plus the exercise you get working that garden only adds to the benefits.

6 comments:

  1. I have meant to ask you how your tomatoes turned out this year. We had "talked" about it this Spring when you were planting. You said you were doing the method where you lie the plant down and I said we have done that for about 25+ years and always have an amazing crop. We had SO MANY tomatoes this year and I was wondering how yours turned out?? Hope they were good. I'm sure with the water restrictions it has been a long season for you.

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    1. Hi Chris. Yes in the spring they did wonderful but I think the drought conditions made for a challenging growing year. Between the critters eating them, spider mites and the worst case of tomato hornworm , I hardly have any left. I have planted a few for fall picking. Glad to hear you had a bumper crop. What did you do with them all?

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  2. Made a LOT of chunky tomato sauce for the freezer. We froze it in 3 cup bags and sealed them. They are all stacked in the freezer. I do make a lot of soup, spaghetti and chili in the fall and winter, so I know we will use it. I have 24 of the 3 cup bags put up!! We have given a lot of 'maters away, and they are still coming on the plants. It was a great season. I also had more peppers than I have ever had. Those are also still setting and growing. The cukes and zukes did not do much. Every year is so different.

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  3. yummy beets.... I haven't had any since last winter! Are y'all still having a drought? We've had too much rain this summer....I have black spots all over my hydrangeas. *Sadface*

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  4. Bonjour,

    J'aime la manière que vous écrivez vos billets... Cette semaine, je vais m'occuper de ma verveine et faire ma liqueur...
    Je concocte aussi mes confitures de figues et prunes du jardin.

    Gros bisous ♡

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  5. I can't wait for beets to be ready! It's been a long time...

    I have started putting in our fall crops as well. So many things to look forward to. Beans, snap peas, lettuce, broccoli. It's gonna be good.
    Enjoy your fall garden!

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