August is here and it is time to start preparing for a Fall garden. It is still extremely hot this time of year in Georgia, but Fall will be here before you know it and with it will come Fall planting season. Now is the time to terminate the remains of the old garden crop if this has not been done yet. Terminating consists of mowing, disking, and/or spraying the spring crop and weeds that have grown up in the last few weeks. This is also a good time to go ahead and pull another soil sample from your garden plot for the Fall planting.
The next item on the agenda is deciding what to plant? If a Fall crop of potatoes or snap beans are on the agenda, the last planting date for them is August 15. The soil preparations for these crops needs to be done soon. The last planting date for squash and cucumbers is August 31. If planting one of these two crops during the Fall, a powdery mildew resistant variety is recommended.
During the month of August is also a good time to plant seedbeds to grow transplants for broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, and onions. It is a good idea to choose a half-shaded area to plant seedbeds to reduce high temperatures on young seedlings. These plants should be ready to transplant in September when temperatures may still be too hot for direct seeding of these plants. If temperatures are extremely hot when the transplants are set out is a good idea to keep the soil moist until the plants have taken root to ensure a good plant stand.
Direct seeding of beets, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, collards, lettuce, mustard, spinach, radishes, turnips, kale, and onions can be done in September and October once the weather conditions become milder and the heat subsides. For more tips or questions about gardening please contact Ross Greene Evans County ANR Agent at 912-739-1292.
