False Fall is happening again, and it will continue for Angelinos through the rest of October. What is false fall? I guess you could say it’s when you think it’s time to plant, but it’s not. Over and over again.
Or maybe it’s when you do plant, and then weather comes along to ruin your efforts. Every year we talk about this phenomenon, but today I want to share the signs to look for in your area.
What Does It Look Like?
False fall goes like this: we get a weekend of cool weather and everyone thinks fall has finally arrived and it’s time to plant. But then…
That was just a false alarm (False fall #1). Temperatures return to scorching and anything planted suffers in that heat wave. Then a week or so later, another dip in temperatures comes (FF #2).
It’s later in the month, so we think, “This is it!” and we plant more stuff. But alas, it is temporary and the heat returns.
This trend repeats itself one more time before true fall temperatures kick in (FF #3) . Every year we get 3 FFs before it’s really time to plant.
Here’s What to Look For
I tell my clients to keep checking the 10-day forecast for temperatures under 73º F that last at least 10 days in a row. Once you see that, it’s safe to plant.
It used to be that those temperature trends appeared in September, but now we’re pushing into November before we see consistent temps below 73ºF here in Los Angeles.
The good news is that seeds like warmer temperatures to sprout. So if you are able to hand water the soil surface every day, you can start seeds that take weeks to germinate now (mid-October). Keep the seed bed moist every day, and most of those seeds will make it.
But hold off on installing transplants from the nursery, or from moving babies under grow lights out into the garden, until you see those lower temps. We just had our second FF here at Gardenerd HQ. We planted potatoes (which don’t mind the heat) but we’re holding off on planting out other crops until we see those numbers.
This helpful timing tip comes from our online course, Plan Your Abundant Edible Garden. There’s still time to plan your garden on paper, and our course will help you grow your most efficient, best timed garden ever.
Don’t let False Fall catch you unaware. Keep your eye on the forecast and do your bed prep in the meantime.
