I've haven't done any fall crop planting and was hoping some fellow Michiganders could give me some advice on when to plant and any other helpful tips.
I have some kale, swiss chard and lettuce seeds I want to plant for fall harvest.
Also was wondering if lettuce could be planted throughout the summer
in pots if you offer them some shade during the hottest part of the day.
I was just going to ask the same thing! I have never planted a fall crop before and would love to give it a try.
I've never planted a fall crop but I would think you could count back the days from the expected first frost and look on your seed packet for the days to maturity and how long to germinate. Having done that you'd get a fair idea of when to plant. The timeing would be different for different vegetables.
I grow a kitchen garden in an antique galvanized double washtub by the back door. It's on wheels Each side has the drain hole that I put a screen over and then filled with rich dirt,compost and worm castings. I planted one grape tomato in the center and a smalll clump of chilves. I then scattered seed for a lettuce mixture. The fancy kind you see in the stores. I then put in here and there small onion sets. It's really neat and looks cute too. It's handy having it by the back door and since it's off the ground I don't have to worry about any bunnies taking a bite of my lettuce.
You could do something simliar in some kind of container and if you get an early frost prediction you could either bring it indoors or easily cover it with something for the night.
I just planted beets and will plant carrots in a couple of weeks.
Paul
I don't know when the first frost date is for Z5.
Anybody know?
So Paul, can one can start plnating seeds now?
Cottage, here is a good site for frost dates.
http://www.victoryseeds.com/frost/mi.html
Root crops are ok to plant now.
Cool weather crops like lettuce and spinach will "bolt" during hot weather. I'll wait until late August to plant these.
Carrots and beets can be left in the ground all winter, mulch with 6-8" of straw and dig them as you need them.
I agree with the spring date, I think the fall date is a little early in my area. I would say 10/20 is more likely here
Paul
