Sara Novak
DCL
I recently wrote about prepping your garden for fall. Summer always gets the credit as the most lucrative gardening season of the year. But that doesn't have to be the case. Fall can also produce some fabulous fare. In most areas of the U.S, August is a great time to get going with pumpkins so that they'll be ready for harvest by Halloween. You can plant your winter greens, collards, kale, broccoli, cabbage, and mustard greens.
But how do you get the most bang for your buck when it comes to gardening for fall?
According to Mother Nature News, a few tips can truly improve this harvest season:
High-Density Planting
High density planting can increase your crop return with broccoli by 40 percent and cabbage by 70 percent. Do this by using a zigzag planting pattern to fit more plants and only allow 18 inches between plants. Don't plant closer than this however because crowding can lead to late maturation if you're not careful.
Cut-And-Come-Again-Harvesting
With heading crops like Chinese cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower, cut-and-come-again harvesting can lengthen the productive period of the crop. Do this by harvesting the crop high on the stalk, leaving the stout stub behind. Take only about three inches off of the stem and the crop will produce numerous side stems. This way you can continue the harvest until the weather gets impossibly cold (in the teens).
Keep on Transplanting
Plants like beets, carrots, and rutabagas are supposed to be sown directly into the ground. But actually 75 percent of fall plants can survive transplanted if kept moist and shaded for a few days after transplanting. Seeds planted indoors or purchased at a greenhouse should be at least two inches tall. Usually, even at this early stage, the soil they've been living in is leached of nutrition. The sooner the plants get into the ground, the better. If weather delays planting time, keep them nourished with a good compost.
Consider Interplanting According to the Daily Green, Interplanting means planting various garden edibles with different growth and spacing attributes together in the same soil beds or rows. One example involves combining fast-maturing vegetables, such as lettuce, field greens or beets, with slower-maturing ones like winter squash or pole beans. Mixing tall plants, like sweet corn, peas or staked tomatoes, with low-growing crops such as melons or radishes, is another way to maximize diversity and yield. More: Organic Gardening
