Now is the time to ponder a fall garden

If you are a vegetable gardener, you are busy fertilizing, weeding, checking vegetable plants for insects and diseases, and harvesting that gorgeous tomato, head of cauliflower, and some radishes. And, you are looking at the potential corn crop that is coming on. Unfortunately when the corn is picked and the tomatoes play out, you will be out of fresh vegetables for your evening dinner, unless you start thinking ahead to a fall garden.

Most of my gardening experience growing up, came from relatives living in Northwest Missouri. Because of the climate there, they only had a growing season long enough for one crop of vegetables each year. Winter hung on until April or May and then could begin again in late September. So everyone was accustomed to growing one crop of each vegetable per season.

If you talk with seasoned vegetable gardeners in the Heartland, you will find out that most years -- this one being an exception because of the late winter -- you can easily grow two gardens, a spring and a fall garden. In fact many of the "older" gardeners tell me that most of the years, their fall garden is better than a spring garden.

So what do you need to do now to get ready for that fall garden? First I would go to your local seed store and pick out seeds for the plants you want to grow in the fall. Some suggestions are radish, beans, short day corn, squash, lettuce and cole crops.

Purchase your seed now, because most of the packaged seed companies will be asking the retailer to send the unpurchased seed back to them by mid- to late July. If you purchase locally packaged seed at your retailer, you may find that they are running out of seed and will not be able to replenish their supply until January. Most of these seeds will be planted in July or August for harvest at the end of September and into October. On the other hand, you may want to start cole crops now from seed in containers so you can transplant them into your garden in August. The cole crops I am referring to are cabbage, cauliflower, kale and broccoli.

In order to start the cole crop seeds now, purchase a seed and cutting-starting soil-less mix. This product is a finely ground combination of peat, perlite and vermiculite. Do not purchase a mix that contains moisture control or fertilizer. You want to be able to control moisture and fertilization yourself, not the soil manufacturer.

Place the mix in small containers, and then place two or three seeds per container at a depth of about one-quarter-inch. Water carefully so that the splash of water will not move the seed in the soil mix.

Place the seeded containers in a spot where they will receive full sun. Continue keeping the soil moist until the seeds begin to emerge.Thereafter, water only when the soil begins to dry. More plants are killed with a garden hose than any weed killer that I know of.

Once the seeds have emerged, biweekly when watering, add a little Blooming and Rooting fertilizer to the water. This 9-58-8 fertilizer is high in phosphorous, which will encourage the new seedlings to put all of their energy in producing a strong root system.

Continue this until you plant the cole crops in your garden in late August. Then in October you can have fresh slaw or a fresh cauliflower head that will be a treat.

If you are a vegetable gardener in the Heartland, extend your gardening season by planting the fall crop. This will give you more time to contemplate life while you are weeding, picking and savoring those fresh vegetables.