Buy Your Fall Garden Seeds in the Spring

This month, in many areas of the country, signs of spring are in the air and with that comes the first symptoms of spring fever where gardeners start dusting off their garden tools and get to work. In honor of gardeners everywhere, I have dedicated this month’s blog posts to helping gardeners get started.

Not too Early to Think about Fall Garden

This week I am sharing my experience concerning fall gardening. I know that it is not yet fall, but my personal experience has shown that it is difficult to buy quality seeds in the autumn months, so I buy all my seeds, including late summer and autumn planted seeds in the spring along with the rest of the year’s seed purchases.
July and August are the usual time to plant a fall garden. These vegetables should usually mature 60-80 days. Leafy greens and root crops are good choices for extending your annual home vegetable harvest.

When Should You Plant Your Fall Vegetables?

The secret to having great fall garden vegetables is timing. That means thinking a little differently because you must plan backward.
Start with your area’s average first fall frost date. Then look at the number of days to harvest for planting fall vegetables. You should be able to find that number on the seed packet or in the catalog description. Use that number to count back from the first frost date. Then add two weeks, because many fall vegetables grow more slowly as days shorten in fall.

How to Plant Fall Garden

Remove debris from your garden any varieties from your garden that are not performing or that have been harvested well to make room for your fresh fall crop. Pull all weeds so they don’t steal moisture and nutrients from your new young plants. Add any composted material that has matured since spring to get your new fall garden off to a good start.
Because it is hotter than in the spring, plant your crops twice as deep as you did in the spring. Keep your plants well-watered and provide shade when necessary.

Some vegetables that I recommend for the Fall Garden

Kale Hailed the Queen of Greens

https://hubpages.com/living/Kale-Hailed-the-Queen-of-Greens
Raise Healthy Collard Greens in Your Own Back Yard

https://hubpages.com/living/Raising-Collards-in-Raised-Beds
Plant Spinach All Year Round

https://hubpages.com/living/Sustaining-a-Spinach-Harvest
Plant Radishes Now to Add Color to Your Green Salad Year Round

https://hubpages.com/living/A-Continuous-supply-of-Radishes
Turnips, Parsnips and Rutabagas in the Garden

https://hubpages.com/living/Turnips-Parsnips-and-Rutabagas-in-the-Garden
Harvest Garlic from Your Own Home Garden

https://hubpages.com/living/Growing-Garlic-in-the-Home-Garden

Simply Vegetable Gardening

These and many more tips can be seen in my book Simply Vegetable Gardening. Simply Vegetable gardening is available on Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JHV15G6

and in Print: http://www.lulu.com/shop/donna-brown/simply-vegetable-gardening-simple-organic-gardening-tips-for-the-beginning-gardener/paperback/product-21579298.html