Seeding for Autumn

Today I prepared the pallet gardens for fall planting.  In hot, dry weather like this, lettuce becomes bitter tasting and spinach bolts so we pulled out whatever was left of these cool weather veggies (and fed them to the ducks) to make room for seed sowing. 

Tomorrow, the boys and I will put in beans, beets and carrots.  These will sprout and grow during the next several weeks of really hot weather and then be ready to harvest and preserve in early autumn.

Inside, I started the seeds for our fall crop of broccoli, cabbage, and head lettuce.  In 4-6 weeks we will transplant these baby plants outside in the space currently occupied by the garlic and our previous plantings of brassicas.

It is hard to think about planting when we have so much weeding and harvesting currently going on but successive plantings are the key to a plentiful fall crop.  In the next few weeks we will directly sow more cool weather crops such as peas and radishes, leaf lettuce, arugula and spinach - it is too hot for these right now.  Harvest then plant, harvest then plant - that is the name of the game right now.

For whomever needs to hear it - if you have not yet started your fall broccoli and cabbage inside, it is time!  You will thank me when you sit down to fresh coleslaw in September and homemade kimchi all winter long.  You're welcome.