Plant now for Fall veggies

I've wanted to plant some veggies in our backyard, and so I've been looking for ideas for late summer plants... I stumbled upon an article, found on Gardners.com. It was helpful so I wanted to share a quick summary:

Seeds germinate fast when the soil is already nice and warm. For delicious, picture-perfect fall crops of spinach, lettuce, peas, kale and broccoli, now’s the time to plant. Here are 4 easy steps to ensure your success.

1. Pull some. Plant some. Pull out any plants that are past their prime, and toss into a compose if you have one. Then till the soil with organic fertilizer and any compost you may have, and plant your new seeds.

2. Screen the Sun. Keep the soil surface from drying out with netting or screens. Fall-planted seeds should be sown twice as deep as in the spring.

3. Sow the Right Crops. Plants that thrive in fall weather include: carrots, beets, broccoli, Swiss chard, kale and all kinds of salad and Asian greens.

4. Don’t Delay. Summer-planted crops usually require an extra 2 weeks to reach maturity (since fall days become shorter and air temperatures are cooler).


Also, a note about lawncare (however tiny like ours!)... Late summer and early fall is also the best time to seed lawns. Home gardeners can begin seeding of lawns in mid -to-late August, depending upon your climate/zone.

(image via flickr, and me)