In this issue:
- September in the Garden
- Fall To Do’s
- Gardenerd Tip of the Month: Tips for Fall Planting
- Gardenerd Product of the Month: Gardenerd Zip Hoodie
1. September in the Garden
The Gardenerd website has been undergoing some changes, and we’re dealing with the inevitable growing pains that go along with it. Our blog has a new location in cyberspace, so if you are a subscriber and haven’t been getting new posts delivered to your mailbox, you may need to resubscribe. Both the blog and newsletter archives are available to read while we work out the kinks of our search function. Thanks for your patience in the meanwhile.
In the Test Garden, the summer crops have said goodbye, and we’ve plotted out space for bright and shiny fall crops. We’ve started broccoli, kale, kohlrabi and cabbage seeds in trays. We’ve also started parsley, rustic arugula, Swiss chard and celery. Soon we’ll be planting lettuces, arugula, mustard greens and peas. It’s a very exciting time in the garden.
To help you get started for fall, we’re sharing some of our classic blog posts about growing some great fall crops. If you need help getting your fall garden started in Los Angeles, give me a call for an appointment. I’m here to help.
Happy Gardening,
Christy
2. Fall To Do’s
If you haven’t started yet, there is still time to get the garden ready for fall. Here’s a quick list of To-Do’s for fall:
Pull Summer Crops – some may have already given up the ghost, but for others you have to pull the plug. Use the Iron Fist of gardening and send those leggy, strung-out plants to the compost heap.
Bed Prep – add an inch or two of compost to each bed. Turn it in, if you prefer, or just water it well. Your soil biology will start to mix it together for you.
Start Seeds – we mentioned them at the beginning of this newsletter, but if you want an official list, here is what you can plant this fall:
Lettuces: loose-leaf and head varieties.
Greens: arugula, mustard greens, collards, spinach, and Swiss chard.
Herbs: parsley – flat and curly, cilantro, thyme, fennel, mint, sorrel, and lovage.
Brassicas (in mild climates): broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and kohl-rabi.
Root vegetables: carrots, parsnips, beets, turnips, and radishes.
Bulb Vegetables: Green onions, and Garlic! Grow your year’s supply of garlic in as little as 4 square feet.
Vines: Peas, and sweet peas (for color).
Winter Grains: winter wheat and other grains can be started in fall before snow sets in.
Green manure crops: these are cover crops that lock in nitrogen and that build up the soil: fava beans, clover, hairy vetch, and the like. Dedicate one raised bed per fall season for this wonderful soil builder and you will have a loamy foundation to start with in spring. Bountiful Gardens and Peaceful Valley Farm and Garden Supply both offer a great selection of cover crop seeds.
3. Gardenerd Tip of the Month – Tips for Fall Planting
We have a lot of great blog posts to guide you this fall. Want to plant kale or peas? We’ve got you covered. Thinking about trying shallots this year? Check out our blog post. Get your garden growing this fall:
Growing Kale: Ironman of the Garden
Growing Peas: Garden Snack Food
Growing Swiss Chard: Nature’s Multivitamin
4. Gardenerd Product of the Month – Gardenerd Zip Hoodie
With cool weather heading our way, it’s time to think ahead to warmer clothes. The newest item in the Gardenerd Cafe Press Store is the Gardenerd Zip Hoodie. It has our nerdy carrot on the front, and the full, tell-all Gardenerd logo on the back. Get yours today!
Stay tuned for more tips and tidbits from Gardenerd.com. Happy fall gardening!
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I live on the Texas Gulf coast so we’re not close to frost time yet. Some years we won’t get them until December although other years we’ll have a very early frost at the end of October. It’s been an unulualsy warm fall so far (and it was an unulualsy hot summer). We typically have 2 months (January and February) of what to us is very cold weather with frosts and occasional freezes. The rest of the winter we have a mix of cold and warm days. I’ve worn a tank top and shorts on Christmas day. However last year we had 4 nights in a row of hard freeze with daytime temps barely above freezing. That is unheard of! I have radishes, carrots, mustard greens, tomatoes and peppers growing at the moment. Soon I’ll put in some garlic, peas, more greens, carrots, lettuce, turnips and I might grow some cucumbers on the western wall of my house. We can grow things straight through the winter here. In fact, our season of no growth is summer…July through August.
Thanks Christy! Really great articles. I’m going to try to grow Kale, Chard and radishes this time. I’m excited to get my Fall garden started!