fall gardening

Is anyone planting a fall garden - and if so what are you
planting?

It is to cold here to plant anything I know of. I will be watching to see what others do.

well you start a fall garden late summer. then you havest in like october. turnips and spinach and other cold weather crops.

Here in VA we are supposed to start 8/1

Around here the fall is still too hot. I do put out a winter crop of spinach, cabbage and kohl rabi. I time it to put out the seedlings in late Sept. or early Oct.

Starting seeds in greenhouse now for fall planting...broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi, cauliflower, turnips...will start lettuce, radishes a little later, as heat persists in the San Joaquin Valley as per gman500 in Manteca.

I'm starting my heirloom seeds now for fall harvest. Fall and winter are my best growing seasons. We can virtually grow anything at that time of year but I prefer my favorites. TOMATOES!! All kinds of heirlooms and maybe a couple of early season hybrids but only because I just can't wait for my heirlooms. I've had a lot of interruptions concerning my gardening due to mid-season moving and health problems but all is okay now.

Tplant- which heirlooms are you growing for fall?

I have my pepper seedlings hardening off and have yet to start my tomatoes for autumn. One track mind, I guess. But I gotta have tomatoes too!

Daisy ---- Haven't quite decided on all of them but to mention a few:
1)Black -- a russian heirloom formerly grown as Black Prince. It is supposedly delicious with a mahogeny color.
2)Southern Night--- rare old fashion russian heirloom with 3 1/2 in. fruit, supposed to be good for hot areas. Dark red color.
3)Micado Violettor---5 oz. purple fruit,potatoe leaf.
4)Reisentraube--- red cherry grown in sweet clusters of 20 or 30.
5)Brandywine(Suddath)--- no need to explain this one. I still love their taste even though the harvest is not plentiful.
6)Marrianna's Peace--- Supposed to be the best tasting ever. Medium sized, red and a good slicer and salad.
7)Sugar Baby & Dr. Carolyn-- though not heirlooms they are sweet and tangy and something to munch on while working in the garden.
8)Polish--- Large red tomatoe (1 lb.) from Poland.(land of my grandparents)
9)Hillbilly--- Colorful large yellow-orange w/red streak. Heavy tomatoes, 1 lb. and up.
10)Bull's Heart--- Russian heirloom of large pink oxheart variety.
11)Polish Linguisa---sausage shape, similiar to Roma only larger and juicer. 8-10 oz. Heirloom from 1800's New York.
12)Red Pondersa--- a delicious beefsteak that I used to grow in my back yard N.Y. Don't know if it is an heirloom but it is gooood!

I probably will grow a couple more because I like the varierty of flavors and more so, the colors when I make a salad and the look on my neighbor's faces when they realize all the different colors and types compared to store bought.
P.S. I will be growing some peppers . Giant Marconi and Red Marconi because they are so sweet.

This message was edited Aug 4, 2004 5:23 PM

Wow!! Looks like a great list, TPlant!!

I am still trying to decide and I am doing my research from this list- you might find it useful because it is for our warmer climates ; )

http://www.gotonursery.com/tominv.html


I do want to start some suckers of my Sungold and my SantaF16 and maybe my Lemon boy although I am worried that it will be too hot for the Lemon Boy. he is so fair.

Daisy~
You may plan to grow your Lemon Boy in the shade (filtered sunlight) of another plant already established.... tall cutting flowers, perrenials, okra, sunflowers, anything tall enough. Later, when it needs the suns warmth, hopefully that tall thing will be done... just a thought.

You could plant it in the shade of some corn...mmmmm...

~Cornius

And I do have that bed of sunflowers and fall corn....!!!

DAISY AVENUE~
I am a little smarter today--I was curious what a lemon boy was, now I know it is an Heirloom Tomato--woohoo! (I was thinking CUKE)

I wouldn't recommend planting the Lemon Boy next to the sunflowers, it makes the tomato more receptive to disease. But I think corn is OK. I have my sunflowers on one side of my corn, then put my potatoes on the other. So I would assume that 10-20 feet is far enough away from the sunflowers. (Assuming you know that potatoes and tomatoes are susceptible to the same disease, that is why the reference to my potatoes).

This is my first year, and though I have read a lot and asked a million questions, my experience is not very full yet. So just take my suggestion for what it is worth. Just out of curiousity, I am going to look and see what else could shade your lemon boy. After all, you will post a pic for me to drool over, won't you? =-)

~Cornius (AKA CURIOUS)
btw, what kind of fall corn.....

I have fall planted lemon boy and it did just fine. Going in will also be lettuce, beets, swiss chard, snow peas, and who knows what else.

Here is a picture of the Japanese cuke- It is just that yellow but that is the only one. The others all look like the lower one. I think that my Dave picks them too early but they still taste great.

My corn is Country Gentleman, aka Shoe Peg Corn- introduced 1891, sweet, white, supposed to be 6-7 feet tall but I have some from early summer producing right now and they are over 10 feet.

anyone gardening indoors?

DA~
Wow, country gentleman, I have a serious case of corn envy...

Meanwhile, DO NOT put you tomatoes by the corn if you have either corn earworm or tomato hornworms, as they are the SAME creature.

Sorry, take my suggestions for what they are worth, and when I am wrong, I will try to fess up...

~Fullocorn

I came back to edit and see Shoe straightened me out :)

The corn earworm is identical to the tomato FRUITWORM. Oh, well, since we are reading the same books, you already knew that, and you also know that if you take good care of your soil, you are not likely to get many of these worms. And, as Shoe pointed out, the corn you have won't likely get them either. Have you looked at the "alternative" thread yet, it is getting some looks and responses.

This message was edited Aug 6, 2004 10:18 PM

Nope- gotcha. We are reading the same books ; )

Howdy~!

The yellow cuke is simply over-ripe...nothing wrong there. It should still be edible (especially if you peel it, quarter it, sprinkle it with salt, some lime juice, a dash of cayenne pepper, and a tad spritz of hot sauce! Yummy!!!)

By the way, corn earworm and hornworm are not the same...two entirely different creatures. However, the corn earworm and the tomato worm are the same...(not tomato hornworm/tobacco hornworm).

As for me, I've planted corn and maters side by side, and followed crop with like-crop also, and have seldom seen troubles by doing so. I seriously doubt you will notice a problem either, especially in an isolated family garden. (Commercial farmers who monocrop will be the ones most susceptible to that problem.)

Daisy...Country Gentleman is a great corn! Also, from what I remember (limited room in my brain these days!) the husk holds tightly to the ends of the ears, helping to hold back the earworms.

Ya gotta luv gardening, eh!?

Oh, yeah I do, 'shoe! Thanks for the info. This one yellow cuke was yellow when it was a baby too! Oh, well. Just the odd guy out, I guess.

But do you know what they are called, those cukes?

daisy...it may be the result of crossed seeds. (cukes cross rather easily)

It could also be the result of poor nutrition or bug invasion (however, your yellow cuke doesn't seem to show signs of bugs).

Hard to say what kind it is...so many "Japanese" cukes out now. One of the first I heard about was "shuyo"...many of those are parthenocarpic and were/are grown here for greenhouse crops.

I would save seeds from your long green one. Are there many seeds in it? And if there are, are they really flat, or are they filled out?

These are the innards from one and I just think they are all jelly still. I need to get my Dave to leave on on the vine longer.

Is that how I get the seeds and do I have to ferment them like a tomato?

No need to ferment them.

There are no seeds in there. Many "parthenocarpic" plants will not make seeds. (A good way to tell is to check your invoice...were those seeds you bought expensive??)

If not a parthenocarpic variety, then yes, let them stay untill the begin to shrivel at the stem end. By then they will be making seeds, if they have that ability.

Have you tasted those cukes yet? Do they taste like gel? Ugh.

Most Japanese cukes should be firm, they are known for being "slicers".

They are okay tasting- in gazpacho!!!!! LOL I am still buying English cukes for my slicers.

I didn't start them from seeds but rather from seedlings (a rare thing for me). Not again. The lemon cuke I bought at the same time croaked before a month was up.

I did see something that looked like a start of a seed on one of the pockets- I just think that my Dave picks far too soon!! grumble grumble!!!

hah!....luv your "grumble grumble"! (I do that a lot!!!)

If you need seeds of lemon cukes (or lemon apple) just holler...they're my favorites! I've grown them for years...luv em!

Sure if you spare some I would love to try them from seed!!
signed the girliest grumbling curmudgeon you will ever meet!

I don't know, dais!... (that's kinfolk talk for daisy!)... My wife is a certified grumbler ( she learnt that from me!) (she really never grumbles but only imitates me!)...but when she imitates me I'm sure she'd give you competition!

Ya'll cuke season continues, eh? I'll check my stock!

I got it from my dad, 'shoe. Careful how you grumble 'round that princess!

Thanks if you've got seeds!

Daisy & Shoe~See my edit above...

And I thought your cukes looked like Soya too. I bought seeds, but then planted some other varieties. Let me know if you want some.

***YOU BE SURE AND SHARE PICTURES OF YOUR CORN***

***AND PUT IT IN THE DATABASE***

Pray for me, I am discouraged, found smut on an ear of Stowell's today.

~Cornfedup

We have so many threads going on about cukes right now, I am lost, TamaraFaye!!!! LOL I keep think that I have responded but then I see this thread. Sorry - not ignoring ya!

Thank goodness I don't grow brugs cause I would never be able to keep up with the posts!

How late into the year can you grow soyhu cukes (or whatever they are called). I mean, how low can it get at night? I might could grow some this year still......

Hey Shoe - What are you growing this fall? This will be my first fall garden in NC and I'm wondering what does well and what doesn't.

PS. Is it time to harvest the taters? I pulled up a few plants and only got one tater per plant. I'm beginning to think I'm cursed with these stupid things.

Howdy Ivory!

Taters...if your vines are all wilted and "gone by" you could go ahead and dig the spuds. (Mine are dead plants but can't get in to dig cus the ground too wet and now we're expecting bigtime rains from the two hurricanes. Bummer!)

My Fall/Winter garden usually consists of turnips and turnip greens, kale, leeks, a doz or so plants (each) of brocolli, cabbage, collards, a small patch of Swiss chard, and will also set out some onion sets. I may soak some beet seeds and broadcast sometime this month also (with a few radish seed mixed in). I used to grow spinach this time of year but find I prefer the other greens due to that fact they are much hardier.

Hopefully (waiting on the weather) I'll get in a planting of October beans also. They should come in before frost gets them.

Thanks, Shoe. I got my broccoli, chard and leeks started, and I'm going to grow lettuce as long as I can. Just put in an order from Johnny's for cabbage, garlic, turnips, parsnips and beets and carrot seeds. I'll be putting in more beans, too. The Japanese beetles pretty much took care of my early bean crop.

It seems like fall will be an easier time to garden here in the South. I wasn't prepared for the wild jungle of pests I encountered this summer. By the time I had attacked one bug, some other bug was at it. Next year I will be prepared.

Yep, definitely agree w/ya on the bugs! Every bug there is seems to live in NC in the summer!

The Fall garden grows with many fewer bugs (one reason I grow broc and cabbage much better in the Fall.)

If you're ordering from Johnny's you should check out their row cover (Reemay)...they had the best price several yrs ago (I bought the bulk pack).

Do you use row covers on fall crops also? I have some of Johnny's row covers. Guess I should have used them earlier.

I have on some occasions. Right now I have some reemay on my soy beans but that is to deter the pesky wabbits!

Another time I will use them is to protect plants from the first frost...the row cover collects the frost and saves the plant. Often-times the first frost will appear but then you won't get another threat for a couple weeks or so, if not more. This will surely extend your season.