Your garden: Spring and fall

It sure is hot outside. On the other hand, I have found that "real vegetable gardeners" don't mind the climbing temperatures and humidity levels at all. They know this season will come to an end soon and they can start working on their fall garden.

The first few years of my life were spent in Northwest Missouri. I watched my aunts, uncles and grandparents plant a garden in the spring and harvest in the summer. After that harvest the garden was done until next spring.

When my parents moved our family to Cape in the mid-1950s, I realized the climate allowed both a spring and a fall garden. Wow! On any plot of land, you could get twice the produce in the Heartland compared to that in northwest Missouri. What a deal. Experienced vegetable gardeners in the Heartland now are gearing up for the fall garden.

New fall gardeners often ask me "What can you grow in the fall?" My stock answer is "Just about everything you put into your spring and summer garden." I find fall gardeners plant beans, squash, lettuce, radishes, cucumbers, turnips, short day corn, and greens such as mustard, spinach and collards. All of these are planted from seed in the garden. Most gardeners begin planting between now and the end of August.

I have also found if a gardener has a perennial problem with blight on tomatoes in the spring garden, they put out a new crop of tomato plants in July, so they can have fresh tomatoes all the way up until Thanksgiving.

Chinese cabbage also is a good choice for a fall garden. (Adam Vogler)

Most fall gardeners also plant cole crops such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. These plants are started from seed now in pots, with the idea of transplanting the plants into the garden in August.

When you plant a fall garden you do it just the way you do a spring garden. First, work up the soil. Next, plant your seeds just like you do in the spring, either in rows, mounds or broadcast. Make sure the seeds are covered with soil. You can broadcast or side dress with an unbalanced fertilizer such as 11-15-11 with micronutrients. The higher middle number is phosphorous. That will encourage rooting, blooming and fruit development.

You may want to water your newly planted garden immediately. Or you may wait to see whether it rains within a few days. If no rain occurs within a week or so, water the garden thoroughly to encourage seed germination.

If you are transplanting plants, make sure after planting you water them in with a fertilizer water solution. The fertilizer should be an unbalanced soluble type such as a 9-59-8. Again, the high middle number, phosphorous, will encourage rapid root development.

Because you are starting your fall garden in the late part of the summer, you may have to water it occasionally. I would not water more than one time per week unless your garden is in a very sandy soil.

Weeds can be a problem in a fall garden just like in a spring garden. I would suggest after the seeds have germinated, you apply Treflan or a similar product to the garden to control weed seed as they germinate.

Fall gardens are a great way to enjoy fresh produce for a longer part of the year. You may even be able to enjoy fresh tomatoes with your Thanksgiving turkey.

Send your gardening and landscape questions to Paul Schnare at P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, MO 63702-0699 or by email to news@semissourian.com.