I recently received a comment from One Hundred Dollar a Month reader, Rebekah, asking about fall gardening.
She wrote:
I love your blog! I am writing because this year I am going to try a fall garden for the first time. Do I start my seeds outdoors? Should I start them inside with lights like I do in spring? Any advice would be awesome!
Rebekah
Because I am a sucker for anyone trying to extend their growing season, I decided not to just answer her directly, but in a post–you know, in case any of you peeps want to join in on the fun.
First, off: Starting seeds. It really depends on what you are growing as to whether you will start them indoors or out. Some cooler weather crops, like lettuce germinates best if the soil is between 50 to 75 degrees {though, it will germinate at lower temperatures}. Any hotter, and the lettuce just won’t germinate. So, I always start that indoors. Starting them indoors this time of year is pretty easy, I have done a full post on it HERE.
Personally, I like to plant carrots, beets, turnips, lettuce, bok choy, cabbage and broccoli right about now. Root crops for Thanksgiving is always my goal, and most years, the weather is mild enough and everything works out as planned.
For shorter weather crops {just look on your seed packets to see how long they take to produce}, then go back at least that far from your predicted average first frost date. That’s when you know to plant them outdoors. Because I typically use succession planting, I will plant carrots and beans directly outdoors this way. Carrots, spinach, and a couple of others actually taste better after a light freeze, so don’t give up on them if you don’t harvest in time. Parsnips and beets can actually be left in the ground and used as you need them pretty much all the way up to the holidays {in these parts at least}.
If you really want to get the more out of the growing season, you can try a basic hoop house. I know people who are able to grow spinach, kale, lettuce, etc. pretty much all year round that way. The growth slows down significantly, though, so don’t expect crazy bountiful harvests.
The only other bit of advice I would give is to water early in the day. That way, any fall daytime heat will help so that your plants roots aren’t sitting in completely soggy and potentially cold dirt all night.
Feel free to add any other bits of advice YOU might have in the comments below…
~Mavis
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