Fall & Winter Vegetable Planting

Fall & Winter Vegetable Planting Guide

Fall and winter gardening, although an old practice, is an excellent solution for keeping the tilth and fertility of your garden's soil at its peak levels. At the same time it yields crops of delicious vegetables throughout the fall and winter that cost a fraction of produce purchased in the supermarket. Central Arkansas is actually more suited to winter crops, while some northern states have to rely on cold frames, hot beds, or greenhouses.

The key to successful winter gardening is knowing the average date of the first killing frost in our region. You then plant your winter crops early enough to let them reach their full maturity before that killing frost. Master Gardeners can give you information about the timing of the first frosts and the hardiness of various crops for your area. The planting suggestions in this presentation are based on middle to late November first freeze.

Late maturing crops - Approximate maturity 90 days. Plant by mid July for fall harvest, later for spring harvest.

Many of our hardiest vegetables are closely related and are known as crucifers. Broccoli, cabbage, kale, collard, cauliflower, kohlrabi and brussel sprouts all belong to this category and can be sown in July for fall and winter harvest. These vegetables are easy to grow from seed and are often sown in containers and then transplanted into the garden in September, rather than sown directly in the ground. Another option is to purchase transplants from a garden center. Broccoli and cauliflower will tolerate light frost and often produce better in fall than in spring, while brussel sprouts, kale, collards, and cabbage will last in the garden all winter. Another hardy group of vegetables are the alliums, or onion family. Onions can be sown in the fall directly into the garden for spring harvest. Only short day varieties like ‘Texas Supersweet’ or ‘Granax’ should be grown this way. Fall (Sept – early Oct) is also the time to plant garlic, which is grown from cloves, and will be harvested in spring. Be sure to choose soft neck varieties as these perform much better in the south.

ROOTCROPS

Beets
Carrots
Parsnip
Rutabaga
Globe Onions

LEAFCROPS

Brussells Sprouts
Cabbages
Cauliflower
Fava Bean

LEAFCROPS

Early Cabbages
Winter Cauliflower
Collards
Perennial Flowers
Perennial Herbs
Swiss Chard

ROOTCROPS

Early Carrots
Leek
Turnip
Kohlrabi

ROOTCROPS

Chives
Bunching Onions
Radishes

LEAFCROPS

Broccoli
Cover Crops
Leaf Lettuces
Mustard
Spinach
Lawn seed

When planting a garden for a fall or winter crop, keep in mind that the cooler days of autumn often give vegetables a better flavor than those of spring and summer. Some are even able to be left in the garden until the early winter months. Your available space and your choice of what you want to plant are your key factors. Some vegetables growing in your garden now will continue to grow and produce well into the fall, vegetables such as tomatoes, sweet potatoes, peppers and okra. cabbage, broccoli and brussel sprouts make a good fall crop.

When planting use seeds rather than plants that needs to be transplanted. After the seeds emerge and reach about a ½ inch in height, thin them out to about a foot apart in each row. If you plan on planting beets and carrots, remember they are root vegetables and the soil should be kept loose around their base to allow for room to expand and grow, otherwise you’ll have only a top and a very small bottom. Seeds will need lots of moisture until they fully emerge. After planting your seeds cover them with soil and lightly cover with sand or compost to help the soil to retain moisture and keep it from hardening

Knowing when to plant, how long will it take your plants to develop and how tolerant they are to frosts is a key factor in deciding what to plant. Potatoes and cabbage take longer periods of time to grow and mature, so mid July is a good time to start them. Other vegetables such as radishes and lettuce can be planted as late as early September.

If your plans are to plant in the same space you used for your spring and summer garden, you may want to add some additional fertilizer to the soil to help support the new fall crop. If you think you need to fertilize, use it sparingly in the fall, heavy use can ruin your young plants.

Do not add large quantities of organic matter to the soil when fall planting, with the cooler weather they may loosen and dry the soil out. Save the organic matter for a late fall application, because no extensive soil preparation should be needed at this time. Avoid heavy tilling also, simply lightly till and cultivate the surface soil by hand with a pitch fork or shovel to prepare your seed beds.

To ensure good growth and plenty of vegetables, fertilize after about 2 weeks along the sides of the rows. Plants need sufficient watering to develop and thrive so adequate watering is essential to germination and growth so water well after planting and fertilizing, nothing will grow well without moisture.

Top Garden Projects for November

This month and throughout the next several months will be good times to transplant trees and shrubs, apply winter dormant sprays and begin fall and winter planting. November is the month to clean-up the garden and begin getting it ready for the cooler late fall and winter months ahead.

TRANSPLANTING - One of the most asked questions at this time of year is when can I transplant my peonies, rhododendrons, azaleas, etc. This is the time! As the plants begin their dormant cycle they can be safely dug and replanted. The key to transplanting is to dig a large root ball, getting as much of the root system as is possible. Almost as important, is to get the plant back into the soil as quickly as possible, so the roots do not dry out from air exposure. Always dig the new planting hole considerably larger than the root ball of the plant you are transplanting. This insures that the new roots will have rich soil in which to become established.

Prepare the planting soil by mixing generous quantities of peat moss and processed manure and/or compost (if available) with your existing soil. The addition of a non-burning transplanting fertilizer is beneficial in encouraging new root development over the winter.

Large trees or shrubs should be staked to protect them from wind whipping during winter storms. Keep them staked until the roots have a chance to develop and anchor them.

DORMANT SPRAYING - As soon as the leaves fall from fruit trees, shade or flowering trees, raspberries and other deciduous plants they can be sprayed for the first time with a dormant spray. The second spraying should take place in December and a third one in early February. Most dormant sprays are a combination of liquid lime, sulphur and oil. This spraying helps control over-wintering insects and diseases. Apply according to label instructions.

PLANTING - November is also an excellent month for planting. If you have a favorite tree or shrub that you want to add to the garden, this is a great month to select and plant it. Prepare the planting soil in the same manner as mentioned earlier for transplanting. Fall planting encourages good root development and gives the plants a chance to get established before the spring growing season, next year.

CLEAN-UP - Take some time to clean up the garden this month. Dead leaves can be cut off perennials and the debris from summer plants can be collected and added to the compost pile. A little time spent on grooming the garden will certainly improve the overall appearance of the garden for the rest of the fall and winter.

WEEDING - Weeds tend to germinate like crazy during the fall. So this would be a good time to pull or cultivate weeds before they have a chance to go to seed and flower again. Remember weeds are hosts to many insects and diseases so it is important to keep them under control.

LAWNS - If you haven't already applied a fall or winter type of lawn fertilizer, this would be a good month to do it. Feeding at this time of year encourages good root development and helps improve the color of the lawn. Lime can also be applied, if needed.

BULBS - The spring flowering bulbs (tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and crocus) can still be planted this month. The sooner they are planted, the better.

PRUNING - One word; wait. Many home gardeners are anxious to prune their fruit trees and other trees and shrubs. It is best to wait until the winter months to do most pruning.

WINTERIZING THE GARDEN - This is a good time to give some thought to providing winter protection to any of the tender plants in your garden. Mulching with bark, sawdust or straw will help create a blanket of protection over the root system. For example, a mound of mulch placed around the canes of roses will protect them and the roots. Make the mound about 5 or 6 inches deep at the base of the rose canes. Should the weather get exceptionally cold suddenly, the placement of burlap, cloth or dark plastic over tender plants will give them some additional protection from the cold.