Tips for Fall Vegetable Gardening

With fall already here every garden lover is trying to make the most of sunlight and warmth before winter sets in. Fast growing plants are the a wonderful choice if you are looking for a quick one season harvest and want to make efficient use of the space in the garden that you have already harvested from. Apart from the fact that your food shopping bills will become considerably less and less, planting vegetables in the garden is a wonderfully nurturing experience that no one would want to miss. So start planting them now and get your harvest before it’s too cold.

Choosing the Vegetables

Fall is a very beautiful time of the year, though a little cooler than summer, which is why you need to choose the vegetables that can be happy with this seasonal climatic conditions. If you want a quick harvest you need to choose the ones that take no more than a month or two, or can be harvested before the frost starts. Lettuce, spinach, kale, basil, parsley, cilantro, most of other such herbs, radishes, mustard greens, beet greens, arugula, baby carrots, Swiss chard and turnip greens can all be harvested within two months’ time. If you live in places where you have more time, then you can try broccoli, cabbage, beetroots, turnip roots and full grown carrots.

Clean Up Previous Harvest

Before proceeding to plant your fall vegetable garden make sure you have cleaned up all the dead remains of harvested plants. This helps the plants have a clear ground for uninterrupted growth and they will be less crowded. Rake the soil to aerate it while adding your compost to refresh it for next plant growth.

Protect from Cold Weather

It is important to keep your plants warm enough and not get them frozen before they could grow completely. You can try using cold frames, wooden frames with a transparent top lid that can be opened to let in the sun and fresh air and closed when it starts to snow. You can also use poly tunnels which are easily portable greenhouses made with hoops that are covered over by polyethylene that can be raised over the plant beds. They will help preserve the warmth and humidity inside and insulate the plants from cold draughts or snow. Row covers, transparent fabric or plastic sheets, are also another good idea to protect your plants from cold and bugs.

Use Raised Beds

There are many good reasons for using raised beds for gardening and whether it is fall or not it is the best way to reap the benefits of your produce. Raised beds provide extra warmth and humidity unlike when planted on the ground. This is because the heat and cold propagate through matter and raised beds give less opportunity for the plants to get in contact with the ground. So the heat or cold from the ground takes longer to reach the plants. Another benefit being that you just have to add your compost and water to just that area. The warmth gives the plants a chance to grow for longer duration increasing the time of growing season. It is also easier to stop pests from spoiling your plants as the sides act as a blockade.

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