Fall Planting
Aaaah yes, these are the days I love. We’ve had a couple of days recently when the temperatures have dipped into the 70s. Yesterday was a perfect day for leisurely enjoying the garden. Since I’m pregnant and very easily succumb to exhaustion, most of my time in the garden the last couple of months have consisted of quick daily checks and hand watering the planters and hugelkulture bed that we don’t have on drip yet. About every other day harvesting little buckets full of tomatoes and random things like cucumbers, peppers, and beans with my helpful 20 month old assistant. I don’t know what I’d do without this kid. He seriously is an amazing garden helper.
Yesterday was the perfect temperature in the low 70s for a day of doing things in the garden. Rowan brought me dried radish seed pods that he picked, which was the impetus for a wonderful and memorable time. I opened the pods and after he sampled them a couple of times, I showed him how we could plant them in the soil. He caught on so quickly (be still my heart). Before I knew it, we were breaking open pod after pod (including a few beans, because why not) and planting them (saved some as well). During his nap I picked out some more seeds we could plant with enough time left in the growing season (or at least close), and after clearing out some garden debris of things that passed their prime, we were doing an impromptu fall planting. I am so grateful to this little boy, bringing me back into the present, when it’s so easy for life to get away from you. Could I have planted some of these things two weeks ago? Probably. But I am a believer in experimenting, not overthinking things with gardening, and know that whatever happens I will have learned something from. Things don’t have to be planned perfectly for them to work out well. Even if I don’t get a good harvest, it’s all good! We planted french breakfast, daikon, white hailstone, and watermelon radishes, turnips, bok choi, and kohlrabi. Tomorrow I think we’ll plant some peas. Why not?
So, what kinds of things can we plant here on the Front Range of Northern Colorado in August and into the beginning of September? These are all things that can be direct sown.
Greens like swiss chard, mustards, kale, lettuce, spinach
Root crops like beets, carrots, turnips, radishes
Bok choi
Kohlrabi and cabbage
Peas
Parsley, cilantro, green onions
Anything else that is less than ~60 days to maturity, and bonus if they are frost tolerant. Often we’ll get a little freeze, and then mild temperatures for a while longer.
Tip: You should do your best not to let seeds dry out while they are germinating, or chances are they’re goners. If there’s a week of really dry, warm temps coming, one way to help is by basically sheet mulching. Make sure the ground is nice and moist, and lay cardboard or something similar on top of the area you have seeded. This will cut down on evaporation. Check underneath every day to see if the seeds have germinated, and whether it needs to be watered more. Remove when they begin sprouting.
What about garlic?
Garlic is a crop you plant in the fall, and harvest midseason the following year. Hardneck varieties are an especially good choice in Colorado, though softneck are fine too. Check out the awesome varieties they carry at the local garden centers. Don't wait until the last minute to buy them though since they do sell out. A good time to plant is 4-6 weeks before the first hard freeze (below 28 degrees). This can happen near the end of October or early November in this part of Colorado. It’s fine if you miss this window, and if you are an early planner, you can even do it in September. Often there can be a warm up after a freeze that makes a good planting opportunity. You want to get them in when the ground can still be worked, but it’s better if they have a bit of time to establish their roots. Add some nice compost/amendments to the soil when you plant.
Hope this has inspired some of you to experiment with some fall planting this year. It’s a great way to get more production out of your garden. Just remember to keep adding compost or your choice of organic matter and nutrients so you’re not completely deleting your soil. Happy planting, friends!