Just because the summer is coming to an end it does not mean your growing season is over. Fall vegetable gardens are a great way to extend the season, and they will guarantee that you have more produce than you thought you would. They are also a great way to keep your garden nutrient rich and active. I love fall gardening because it allows me to continue playing in the dirt for a couple extra months, and it makes the winter seem shorter. Even if you live in a colder zone such as zone six I am here to tell you that you can keep your garden growing for at least two more months.
There are many plants that can be grown late in the summer to produce a fall harvest, and these plants should be taken advantage of. In order to get your garden ready for a fall harvest it is important to clean up old plants that have stopped bearing fruit. Another pertinent thing to do before you start a fall garden is to find out your last frost date. Once you know how many days you have left to plant it will be easier to decide what to plant.
When there is 10 or more weeks left of planting it is important to get certain things in the ground fast. Green beans usually take about 60 days to harvest so they are a good thing to get in the ground early. At 10 weeks you have 77 days left until the first frost, and this helps determine what to plant a lot. Look at the back of your seed packets, and you will be able to determine if you have enough time to plant. At 10 weeks I recommend planting green beans, cucumber, squash, cabbage, beets, collards, carrots, lettuce, peas, turnips, and potatoes. Most of these vegetables tae about 6o days to harvest, and 10 weeks will give you an excellent amount of time.
Eight weeks is only 56 days, but there is still plenty of planting to do. Lettuce, turnips, radishes, arugula, and spinach are good plants to add to your garden at this point, and they enjoy the colder weather that will come at these times. Some plants that you planted at 10 weeks can be planted again at 8 weeks in order to get a second crop; peas and lettuces are good to replant at this time. Garlic can also be planted at this time for a spring harvest, and carrots can be planted as well because they can be left in the ground year round. Carrots are amazing because you can dig them up in the middle of a snow storm and they will still be good!
When the end of the summer starts to near you no longer need to be saddened by the end of the growing season. Now you have the basic information you need to start your fall garden so go get dirty.
