It’s time to start your fall garden! Your local extension office can help you succeed.
A soil test is always a great place to start. You can take your sample(s) according to the instructions and decide which soil test you need. Most people just need the basic test, S1, which is $10 and includes pH and nutrient testing. You will receive a soil report that contains fertilizer recommendations based on what you want to grow. Each sample needs about one cup of soil. You will bring your soil sample into the office in whatever clean container you like, and we can transfer it to our soil testing bags and send it off for testing. Results are usually available after 5-10 business days. Your pH should be in the range of 6.2 to 6.8. Your soil report will include a recommendation for lime to get your pH in that range.
Now there is the choice to make if you will plant seeds or transplants. At this stage, if you have not started certain vegetables by seed indoors, you will want to buy transplants. Other plants grow quickly and can be sown directly. Plant seeds to the depth indicated by their package and plant transplants with appropriate spacing. See the charts below for more details.
To prepare your garden site, till the area to a depth of 6 inches and incorporate any organic matter, like compost, you want to add. Next apply fertilizer based on your soil test recommendations. In the absence of a soil test, 10-10-10 fertilizer is a good place to start.
Larger plants like cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower will need about 1 to 2 ft. of distance from each other within a row and 3 ft between each row. Spacing is very important to ensure adequate airflow to help manage disease and insect problems.
Heavy feeders are crops that require increased amount of nutrients. Heavy feeders include, Soil testing includes information on ‘heavy feeder’ requirements, increase fertilizer recommendations by 50% for those crops.
Boron is an often-overlooked micronutrient. Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and turnips are heavy boron feeders. Deficiencies result in yellowing of young leaves, stunted or brown cauliflower curds, hollow stems in broccoli, and soft brown centers in root vegetables. All the crops mentioned will also benefit from an application of boron (B). You can accomplish this by using 1 tablespoon of borax per 100 feet of row. This can be applied by mixing the borax thoroughly with approximately 1 quart of soil in a container and then applying the mixture along the row; or it can be mixed with a quart of water and applied to the soil in solution. Don’t overdo it with boron. It doesn’t take much to help the crop, but too much can cause severe injury.
Cover crops are something you should consider if there are areas of your garden you are not planning on planting. Cover crops prevent erosion, add organic matter, and keep weeds at bay. Legume cover crops fix nitrogen. Plant in early September into the first part of October. Can be used in unused parts of garden or entire plot if you are not planting a fall garden. Crimson clover, Cereal rye, vetch, peas, and oats are popular options.
Don’t think you missed out just because the summer is ending. Fall is a great time to be outside and get a garden started. Milder weather makes for a wonderful gardening experience!
Feel free to reach out to your local extension office to learn more about fall gardening.
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