Fall Planting

Planting for fall and winter vegetables is a game of Heat vs. Frost. Because of this, plantings are split into 3 categories: August 1st--those which can stand some heat and need to be done before first frost, August 15th--like less heat or can tolerate some cold, and September 1st--which don't like heat at all. Because of our elevation (approximately 370 feet) we should move up the first two plantings by a week, which in the future would make them July 24th and August 8th.

Before planting, we prepared the beds by adding a mixture of bonemeal, bloodmeal, and kelpmeal and turning it in to the soil. After the summer crops the soil is really lacking in nitrogen, so in the future we will need to at least at bloodmeal every fall.

After digging up the potatoes on August 22nd I got to work planting. I put in the celery, cabbage, chard, collards, kale, and cauliflower. Rich put stakes around the beds and draped bird netting over the top so that our free range chickens would not come by and eat the little transplants or peck all of the seeds out of the soil that I just planted.

I did the second plantings on August 26th, putting in leeks, chives, onions, peas, carrots, turnips, parsnips and beets. It was a warm and sunny day, and very nice for working in the garden.

I planted the rest on September 5th: cilantro, bok choy, mustard greens, spinach, and radishes.

September 15th I planted the peas, after stalling because I couldn't make a decision about where they should go. I'm not sure if they are going to show up at all...they are yet to be seen popping out of the ground.

We moved the chicken tractor to a fresh spot