Fall Vegetable
Gardening
Tom Ingram: Ask A Master Gardener
Sunday, July 21, 2019
Q: Our weather was so wet this spring, my
vegetable garden never really took off. I was thinking of starting a fall
garden. What vegetables can I grow in the fall? BD
A: We feel your pain. Due to our wet spring, just about the
time tomatoes started doing well, many gardeners started getting blossom drop.
Blossom drop occurs when the nighttime temperatures are above 70 degrees and
the daytime temperatures are consistently above 92 degrees. When this happens,
the best plan is to help your tomato plants survive the summer so that they can
begin to fruit again when the weather cools down. There is no need to pull them
out and start with new plants, unless you have some disease issues going on and
want a fresh start or to try a different variety.
What many people do not realize is that
some of the best and tastiest vegetables are grown in the fall when warm, sunny
days and cool, humid nights create wonderful growing conditions.
Fall crops can be divided into two
groups: tender and semi-hardy. Tender means these vegetables will need to reach
full maturity and production before the first frost bring their season to an
end. Semi-hardy means these plants will continue to grow and have harvestable
fruits until after several frosts.
In northeast Oklahoma, Nov. 15 is our
average first freeze date. So, unless something unusual happens (in Oklahoma?),
you can have fresh vegetables straight from the vine until November and then
refrigerate the rest for continued enjoyment.
Good tender varieties you could plant
now include bush beans, lima beans, cucumber and squash. Semi-hardy crops
include cabbage and cauliflower (transplants), collards, potatoes (seed
potatoes), kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, parsnips, radish, swiss chard and turnips.
Beginning in September, you can plant
garlic and onions, which are great crops to start in the fall, as they grow all
winter. If you do this, in late spring next year, you can harvest fresh garlic
and onions to last you the entire year (if you grew enough).
Whether you have a summer or fall
garden, mulch should be an important part of your garden strategy, as it helps
retain moisture, as well as reduces the need for weeding. In addition, mulch
helps control soil temperature swings during the day. The soil temperature of
un-mulched soil can vary up to 30 degrees per day with mulch reducing that to
10-15 degrees per day. Your plants will be happier and will perform better with
mulch. In addition, mulch can provide a barrier for soil-borne diseases, such
as septoria leaf spot in tomatoes.
If your spring and summer garden
struggled or you just want to keep the harvest going, fall gardens are a great
choice.
Garden tips
·
Divide
and replant crowded hybrid iris (bearded iris) after flowering until August.
When planting, take care not to plant the rhizomes too deeply. Cover them with
an inch of soil or less. Do not mulch iris.
·
Water
all plants deeply and early in the morning. Most plants need approximately 1 to
2 inches of water per week. Rather than watering daily, water less often and
more deeply.
·
Some
trees, such as sycamores and river birches, lose large numbers of leaves in the
heat of summer. Trees do this to reduce water loss from their leaves. It is a
coping action by the tree; it is not dying.
·
Master
Gardener training begins in September. We will have two informational sessions
in August for you to see if the Master Gardeners is a good way for you to serve
our community and make some great friends. Check out our website for more
information: tulsamastergardeners.or
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