Fall presents a time of year that gardening can be more enjoyable. Usually, temperatures are going to be cooler, making it easier to work outside. As with any garden or planting, you need a plan.
The first step is prepping the soil. Pull out the remains of your summer garden that has stopped producing. Don’t just turn under dying plants, pull them out. You don’t want any disease or pest issues over-wintering and causing problems next season. Turn over the dirt and mix in any needed soil amendments and/or compost. If you didn’t take a soil test for the summer garden or are starting fresh in the fall, now is the time. A soil test can give you valuable information about soil pH and fertility and get your plants off to the right start.
The two most important factors when organizing your garden are sun exposure and access. The sun’s path is lower in the southern sky during the winter, so orient your rows to run east to west maximizing sunlight. Put taller crops on the north side of the garden where they won’t shade out shorter crops.
An excellent guide for fall vegetable gardening is the UGA’s Home Gardening Planting Chart. It provides information on vegetables to plant and when.
When planting remember fall vegetables take longer to mature so some fall vegetables are best purchased as transplants. These include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower. Vegetables that can be planted as seeds include beets, bunching onions, carrots, collards, kale, lettuce, mustard, radishes, spinach, Swiss chard and turnips. Once the garden is planted apply a light layer of mulch and water.
Cultivate or hoe the garden as often as needed to control weeds and grasses. Do not cultivate or hoe too deeply, or root injury will result. Cultivating too often will also result in the soil drying out excessively.
A mulch of straw, leaves, compost or pine straw will help conserve moisture, control weeds and reduce cultivation. Apply enough mulch to have 2 to 4 inches after settling. Newspaper can also be applied as a mulch two to three layers thick around plants. Apply 3 in. of straw or compost on top of the paper.
Water the garden as often as needed to maintain a uniform moisture supply. In the absence of rain, a good soaking once a week will probably be adequate for heavier soils. Light, sandy soils might require an application more frequently. Water early in the morning so foliage will dry off quickly, which helps prevent diseases. Use soaker hoses or irrigation tape if possible to prevent foliage from getting wet and help prevent disease.
Serious losses can occur from insects, diseases and nematodes. Preventive control measures can be used for insects and diseases, or can be started as soon as problems are spotted. Contact your local county Extension agent for assistance in pest identification and recommended control measures.
Harvest vegetables as soon as they are ripe. Leaving them on the vine too long will lead to disease and insect problems and will cause some crops to be over-mature and terminate or stop producing. Any surplus production should be canned or frozen as soon as possible after harvesting.
UGA Extension has a publication: Fall Gardening: A Collection of Information and Resources, https://site.extension.uga.edu/colquitthomeowners/2021/11/fall-gardening-a-collection-of-information-and-resources/
Taking good notes on your successes, failures, problems, and wishes is a great way to get ready for next year. During winter as you start your garden planning and seed ordering, you can reflect on your notes and make good choices for next year. Happy gardening!
The author of this article, Phillip Prichard, is a Paulding UGA Extension Master Gardener, trained to provide education for homeowners on horticulture, sustainable landscaping, and environmentally friendly gardening practices using unbiased, research-based information from the University of Georgia. For more information, contact Paulding County UGA Extension at 770-443-7616 or view our online resources at www.ugaextension.org/paulding.
