"Getting rid of everything that doesn’t matter allows you to remember who you are. Simplicity doesn’t change who you are, it brings you back to who you are."

Monday, August 15, 2011

Planting For Fall

This weeks forecast is for temperatures to moderate just a bit.  Lows in the  70's at night and highs hovering around 90 during the day.  I NEED to get the fall seeds and plants in the ground.  Time is short!





I found this nice page on Dave's Garden that gives you your frost dates according to your zip code. Here's what mine said.


Each winter, on average, your risk of frost is from November 8 through March 29.
Almost certainly, however, you will receive frost from November 26 through March 11.
You are almost guaranteed that you will not get frost from April 15 through October 21.
Your frost-free growing season is around 224 days.



I only have about 10 weeks before our first frost.  Seems like a long time doesn't it.  Ha!  It'll be here before I know it!

So I went ahead and planted the carrot "seed mats".  Just two paper towel widths.  I've never had much luck with carrots so I want to see what happens with these before I get all "gung ho".

I've read that you need to keep them damp with wet burlap or a wet board to get them to germinate in this heat.  


I found an old beach towel.  (I have NO idea where this thing came from.)  Surfs up everybody!  (Look how skinny SM is! @;)



I direct seeded some of my favorite lettuces and since I only had about 8 cucumber seeds left in the pack I went ahead and stuck those in the ground too.  They come into harvest in about 60 days so we might squeak a few more in.

I was "skunked" in my effort to buy some cooler weather veggie starts.  The gal at the nursery told me that all they had were tomatoes and peppers.  She anticipated that they'd get them in the first few weeks of September.  "We have to wait to get them in until after the weather breaks or else they're goners."

"Yeah.  I planted around mid September last year but didn't get anything out of them.  I didn't have a hoop house so the frost caught them." I told her.

There's a part of me that wonders if we'll get anything even with the hoop house.  (I still have my "Yankee" taste buds.)  I keep thinking that I should be able to grow things that I ate growing up in Ohio.  "Hate to break it to you Tami, but some things just don't grow well here in the South.  That's why greens are big down here."

Do any of you grow greens

Turnip, mustard and collard greens are pretty big down here.  I need to get with the program.  Expand my taste buds.  When in doubt, slap some bacon on it.  Everything tastes better with bacon on it.
 

6 comments:

  1. Tami - LOL so funny, here I'm having signs of spring appearing in my garden, and you're planning your fall garden...

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  2. Never tried greens before....but bacon (and onions--can't forget the onions!!) would probably make ANYTHING better.
    You have a growing season ALMOST 3 times as long as mine. I am sooooo envious. But now of 90 degrees. Ugh.
    :D

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  3. Greens are great! I will be planting some real soon for the winter. We started eating them a couple of years ago. We like to cook them in the juices from a roast or any other braised or roasted meat...yum! You will love them that way! I think that Kale and Collards are our favorites.

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  4. We go through a lot of green here all winter long. I am able to keep them growing in the greenhouse even in close to 0 temperatures. They are the bulk of our winter fresh eating. They get sweeter with a freeze so they would make a great crop for you to grow.

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  5. Can't wait to see how my tomato and eggplant starts are doing when we get back home.

    Best wishes for a fabulous fall harvest!

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  6. Hey Tami!
    Collards and kale are our favorites. As a Southerner, grew up on turnip/mustard greens... never ate the actual turnip.. ever. Now prefer collards and a few years ago tried kale and oh it is really good. I just put some collard seeds in the ground @1 week ago here. My kale didn't do well in spring, but trying again for fall. Good luck to you!

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