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| My local extension agency suggests starting garlic transplants in the fall rather than spring. They say you can start them in the spring, but they'll be much smaller. And, I've heard others suggest carrots taste better if grown in the fall as opposed to the spring. I think I understand, at least somewhat, that some veggies are better suited for warmer summer days than cooler spring/fall. But, what I'm wondering about for a garden in zone 5b are there other crops better suited, considering taste or simply ability to grow at all, for the fall rather than spring garden? If I want to plant a fall garden are there veggies I especially don't want to miss out on that taste especially fine with a little frost? (My family has pretty eclectic tastes with veggies.) What have you had success with? Thanks in advance for any thoughts or suggestions. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by theforgottenone1013 5b/6a MI (My Page) on Sat, Jun 28, 14 at 10:08
| Root crops, brassicas, and leafy greens sweeten up more in the cooler weather of fall. And fall crops are planted in summer for a fall harvest. If you wait 'til fall to plant them it would be too late. Garlic cloves, not transplants, are best planted in the fall (I plant mine in mid-October) but the bulbs are not harvested until the following summer (usually in July for me). Rodney |
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- Posted by Slimy_Okra (My Page) on Sat, Jun 28, 14 at 11:44
| Radishes, kale, spinach, bok choy, carrots and cilantro exhibit very marked taste differences between spring and fall. They are all better in fall. You should be able to find a calendar of planting dates for your zone. Most would be in August or the first half of September. Beets can also be grown as a fall crop if sown in late July. All of these crops can take frost, and spinach and kale are particularly frost-hardy. You should be able to harvest those until the first permanent snowfall. You might also want to try Hakurei turnips. They take about 6 weeks in the fall. |
This post was edited by Slimy_Okra on Sat, Jun 28, 14 at 11:47
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| In addition to all mentioned above - brussel sprouts are a definite fall, not spring, crop. Down here even green beans are better for Fall planting then in spring but that may not hold true in your zone. Google 'cole crops' for a list of the ideal fall garden crops - Brussels sprout, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, broccoli, turnips, watercress, etc. They will all have a higher brix and higher level of proteins and amino acids when grown in the cooler weather of the fall. Dave. |
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| I concur with nearly all of the above. Most root vegetables and greens will be sweeter & better flavored if planted for Fall harvest. Brussels sprouts should definitely be harvested after several frosts, they can be down right unpleasant if picked in warm weather. The problem is that most planting charts give only Spring planting dates, except those intended for 4-season climates. Some personal experimentation is necessary to get the best results. Getting advice on the forums from others with similar climate really helps shorten the learning curve... one of the great things I like about garden forums (this one in particular, since experts from so many areas are represented). Personally, I plant chard, carrots, and snap peas for Fall harvest (and beets some years). I plant them July-August; the snap peas even have better germination than when Spring planted. I freeze a lot of chard, and the difference in flavor between warm weather & cool weather harvest is very pronounced... I always plant it late (right about now). A second planting of cucumbers, about 30 days after the first, will give you some really sweet cucumbers late in the season. The same can be said of a late planting of a short-DTM bush bean. In my experience, peppers harvested in the cool days before frost become much sweeter than those harvested during warm weather... this probably accounts for the fact that a pepper which is "mild" for me (such as "Beaver Dam") can be "hot" for those in warmer climates. "Pizza Pepper" (my favorite gourmet-quality green pepper) is actually a "hot" pepper that I harvest in its immature stage just before frost. Under those conditions, it becomes almost completely sweet, and develops a very crisp texture. It would stand to reason that if you prefer heat in your peppers, you want to get them in early, so they can ripen during hot weather. |
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| Not sure if this was asked & answered: speaking of "planting" - is it planting a seed (which I would think would be mentioned as "seeding"?) or planting a transplant started few weeks ahead of time? TIA. Rina |
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- Posted by nancyjane_gardener USDA 8ish No CA (My Page) on Sat, Jun 28, 14 at 20:35
| zeedman, how do you freeze your chard? I get tons of it and feel bad pulling it up to make room for other things. Also, do you freeze kale? Nancy |
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| As a newer "intensive" gardener, I've used Tim Beckman's information ... planting guide, varieties, etc. His website gives a planting calendar including succession planting, and other great info. I encourage you to look at it and see if any fits your needs! Happy Gardening! Tom PS, fall/early winter harvested carrots are wonderful! |
Here is a link that might be useful: tim's planting calendar
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| Nancy - you can freeze chard and kale just like freezing spinach or collards. See NCHFP: Freezing leafy Greens Rina - it depends on the vegetable of course but most Fall crops are direct seeded. Brussel Sprouts and broccoli, maybe cabbage, are the only exceptions I can think of off hand and even they can be direct seeded rather than using transplants. Dave |
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| Tim's planting calendar looks pretty good note that he uses row covers. I'm in the colder part of zone 5 and at a low elevation so my garden gets a first frost in mid-September. If my beans are protected by a low tunnel, they'll survive that early frost. We won't get a hard frost for several more weeks. I can't keep lettuce going until December but I've also seen some great photos of vegetables in local market farmers' high tunnels that are ahead of mine. Agree with October planting of garlic cloves. I just harvested garlic scapes and will harvest the mature bulbs in a few weeks. This is hard neck garlic. Might be different for soft neck. Also agree with the list of veggies that sweeten in cool weather. I loved the chard I could but at the winter market. Again, I haven't figured out how to give my high tunnel plants enough protection. Also keep in mind the schedule may shift in different years. My sugar snaps started producing last week and I have another row planted a few weeks later. Hot weather is coming so I have my fingers crossed. It was too cold and wet this spring. I heard local farmers were a month late getting into their fields. |
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| It would be much better to make a list of which crops are better in spring. There is chard and lettuce, and maybe radishes. That's it, AFAIK. |
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- Posted by Slimy_Okra 2b (My Page) on Sun, Jun 29, 14 at 12:35
| defrost49, A layer of standard row cover (Ag-19) and a layer of 4-mil poly on a low tunnel inside a standard high tunnel works very well for me in October. It still lets in enough light for growth. Once November rolls around, double the row cover since the goal shifts to preservation of whatever is there as opposed to further growth. Do you have any links to those farmers' pages? I'd love to see pictures of other people's setup. |
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| Dave, thank you for the answer. Rina |
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- Posted by sweetwilliam89 5b (My Page) on Mon, Jun 30, 14 at 22:57
| Thanks a lot everyone for all of the advice. After reading the posts I was kind of thinking the same thing that spring has few things that can beat out fall Glib. But I guess one thing spring does have over fall it comes right after winter and a lot of folk are bursting to get something planted. It seems sad that summer comes just before fall as a lot of people are getting tired and are busy getting another school year started and miss out on the fall treats. |
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