Garden Thyme: Prepping for Fall Gardens
We are fortunate to live in an area where we have the opportunity to have two equally productive growing seasons – Spring and Fall. August is the time to begin thinking about and preparing for Fall Gardens. To be successful do the following:
- Research the types of vegetables/herbs you want to grow.
- Make a garden plan.
- Clean the garden plot of old vegetable plant matter and weeds.
- Loosen the soil and work in more compost, fertilizer and other amendments as needed.
- Begin purchasing seeds for the vegetables or herbs you want to plant.
Planting Fall Gardens can be a little tricky because it is important that plants be planted at the right time. Two very important factors to consider are:
Soil Temperature – For Fall Gardens, the soil must not be too hot; if it is too hot, seeds must be started indoors. Soil temperature is probably the most important factor affecting seed germination and plant growth but gardeners seldom check it. Each plant has a “realistic” soil temperature which is between the “minimum” and “optimum” (maximum) soil temperature needed. Information for each vegetable you grow can usually be found on the back of the seed packet or by doing a simple search on the internet.
Days to Harvest – Most Fall Garden plants must be able to grow and be harvested before the first frost date (historically about November 24). The number of days from planting to harvest is usually on the back of seed packets but can also be found online.
Additional Information on Fall Gardening
Easy gardening series: Texas A&M Horticulture:
https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/vegetable/easy-gardening-series/
Classes organized by Montgomery County Master Gardeners:
https://montgomery.agrilife.org/horticulture-gardening/
August 12th and 17th – Fall/Winter Lawn Prep ($5)
September 7th and 16th – Bullet Proof Plants ($5)
Plants That Can Be Started in August Include:
Vegetables
Bok Choy seeds – indoor or outdoor
Broccoli seeds – indoor (August 16 – 31)
Brussels sprouts seeds – indoor (August 1 – 15)
Brussels sprouts transplants – outdoor (August 16 – 31)
Cabbage seeds – indoor
Corn (sweet) seeds – outdoor
Cucumber – early August
Peas (Southern) seeds – outdoor (August 1 – 15)
Peppers transplants – outdoor (August 1 – 15)
Potato (Irish-red) sets – outdoor
Pumpkin – outdoor
Tomato transplants – outdoor (August 1 – 15)
Herbs
Arugula seeds – indoor or outdoor
Dill seeds – outdoor (August 16 – 31)
Endive seeds – outdoor
Peas (Southern) seeds – outdoor (August 1 – 15)