Time to Start Planning Your Fall Garden

The How Do Gardener ^ | July 10, 2012 | Rick Bickling

[orsonwb]

Even as the temperatures soar, the excitement of fireworks are still fresh in your mind, and the garden is producing at its peak, it’s time to grab a cold drink, find some shade, and start making plans for your fall garden. Thoughts of fall are probably the last thing on your mind right now. But by planning, and where appropriate planting now, your landscape and garden will be ready to flourish this fall...

[Ladysforest]

My husband “planted” a bunch of garlic a few years ago. Nothing much at all after the first season. Then it came back and I told him to leave it in to see if it does anything. I’m thinking of pulling some this weekend to see what it looks like. This area is big for garlic, but we don’t have luck with leeks, onions...and the jury is still out on garlic.

BUT! We let the leeks come back every year and bolt - the blooms attract many different types of bees and wasps, and those keep the Japanese Beetles away. Never been bothered by the bees - they are totally in love with those blooms.

[tdscpa]

Back when I grew potatoes, I just waited until the plants turned brown, waited a couple of weeks, then forked them up. That let them grow to maximum possible size, and the skins were as tough as they needed to be.

I quit growing them because I decided it was too much work, the product did not store well, and did not taste better than store-bought. Also, they always matured when I was busy eating tomatoes, peppers, and melons, which I preferred. Most of my potato consumption occurs in the winter.

[tillacum]

Something took all the flowers off of my potaoto plants, I harvested 4 potatoes. In fact some of the potato plants were “bitten” off.

[WorkingClassFilth]

‘Growing Great Garlic’ by Ron Engeland is a great book. Step by step through the season. BTW, you must plant garlic the preceding fall and it must winter to bulb properly. Some varieties need cold and more varieities are coming in from the former Soviet Union all the time.

I’ll plant out my largest bulbs this fall, probably in late September, and give them a little growth before freeze up. The most important thing, though, is that the soil is in prime condition. They . Well, you can read about it from Ron’s book and he did a right fine job - even if he is probably a barking moonbat hippie.

Still working on my leaks - need deeper soils. Gotta love the aliums - a fine, fine family. In honor of them, I give you this limerick:

‘The Old Man of Kilkenny’ by Edward Lear

There was an Old Man of Kilkenny,
Who never had more than a penny;
He spent all that money,
In onions and honey,
That wayward Old Man of Kilkenny.

[WorkingClassFilth]

Hope you don’t grow anything from that planting...

[SunkenCiv]

Brussels sprouts (if one cares for those, I don’t), radishes, lettuce, spinach, and of course saffron crocus and garlic, and for those with mild enough winters, granex onions (that’s the variety marketed under that famous trademarked name).

[Ladysforest]

Thanks, that gives me hope for this batch of garlic. As to the leeks - they have never fattened up, and we’ve had them in for maybe five years now. Hubby pulled a few two years ago and did a creamed leek soup ......... oh man! I didn’t know a creamed soup could be so delicate. I think he just got lucky...I bet he couldn’t do it again. Maybe I will dare him to try though. It really was an incredible soup, and it was his first try.

[WorkingClassFilth]

Your experience sounds like ours - and delicate is the right word. Frankly, I lick the bowl when the Mrs. serves it; of course, that’s only done behind her back.

Do try the garlic, but do get the book. That long-haired, leaping gnome has a lot to say about garlic and most of it is right on the money. That said, he lives in Washington and I live in Minnesota. Still, the basic info applies.

Good luck to you and you’ll find it exciting when you harvest your first 25 pounds or so like we have this year.