2016 Fall/Winter SFG.. I'm READY..!!

All I have left of my spring sfg is carrots, beets, peppers and a few "brown tomato" plants which I will remove shortly.
My cukes were mostly deformed although I did get a few nice ones. The trellised watermelons and cantaloupe are still in fair shape.

Today I will plant my fall/winter crop. (Mostly from seed into my SFG). Planting carrots, beets, turnips, Collards, lettuce, parsnips, cabbage, radish, chard and maybe some Kale.

I have hoops on two of my 4x4's and two of my 4x8's.  The hoops worked out great when I planted in early March this year. The last average frost date in my area is April 15th so I had an early start.
 
Anyone interested in fall/winter gardening.. Here's a good place to start.
http://www.motherofahubbard.com/category/winter-vegetable-gardening/

MrBooker wrote:Today I will plant my fall/winter crop. (Mostly from seed into my SFG). Planting carrots, beets, turnips, Collards, lettuce, parsnips, cabbage, radish, chard and maybe some Kale.

I'm ready too -- carrots, turnips, kale, broccoli -- all go in tomorrow or the next day.

LETTUCES

Thanks Mr. Booker! I love reminders like this because I apparently got only mostly through creating my calendar plan for the year before getting distracted, and there are some plants and or successions that I don't have reminders for.

I was unsuccessful with fall carrots last year, and the spring carrots have hardly done anything this year (the ones that germinated anyhow) ... maybe I'll find an edge or something to try a few. I started my parsnips in spring, and I thought I was supposed to leave them until frost...I'll have to research if I can grow them enough before frost in my area to get enough growth before a freeze if I start another round now.

My beet, turnip, rutabega, kohlrabi, napa cabbage, pak choy, collard, and eighth succession of lettuce seedlings are just coming up inside. My pre-sprouted peas will go out tomorrow.

The cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts (another one where I'm baffled by when to plant/expect harvest) and kale seedlings got transplanted a few days ago.

I haven't sown my winter radishes or spinach or mustard yet... soon! 

I got one of Eliot Coleman's books, referenced in the Planting Guide in the link you sent, but haven't had time to read through it all the way, much less incorporate it. I have some hours of sitting in a car ahead of me today and I should bring that book. (Yes, I can read in the car without ill effects, but can't work on my laptop for some reason.) Another thanks for giving me that thought!

BeetlesPerSqFt wrote:Thanks Mr. Booker! I love reminders like this because I apparently got only mostly through creating my calendar plan for the year before getting distracted, and there are some plants and or successions that I don't have reminders for.

I was unsuccessful with fall carrots last year, and the spring carrots have hardly done anything this year (the ones that germinated anyhow) ... maybe I'll find an edge or something to try a few. I started my parsnips in spring, and I thought I was supposed to leave them until frost...I'll have to research if I can grow them enough before frost in my area to get enough growth before a freeze if I start another round now.

My beet, turnip, rutabega, kohlrabi, napa cabbage, pak choy, collard, and eighth succession of lettuce seedlings are just coming up inside. My pre-sprouted peas will go out tomorrow.

The cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts (another one where I'm baffled by when to plant/expect harvest) and kale seedlings got transplanted a few days ago.

I haven't sown my winter radishes or spinach or mustard yet... soon! 

I got one of Eliot Coleman's books, referenced in the Planting Guide in the link you sent, but haven't had time to read through it all the way, much less incorporate it. I have some hours of sitting in a car ahead of me today and I should bring that book. (Yes, I can read in the car without ill effects, but can't work on my laptop for some reason.) Another thanks for giving me the reminder.

I live in zone 6a and my Carrots and beets did pretty well but I had them in a hoop house.


Here is a pic of my carrots still growing.


Still waiting for my Mexican Sunflowers to bloom.


I worked all day yesterday adding fresh MM to all of my beds and didnt get to plant. I think I will hold off a little longer since most of my sfg will be in a hoop house.


AHHhhhhhhh..... COMPOST.

Mr. Booker, That's a nice temp for your Berkeley compost pile. Did you mean you added fresh compost to all the boxes or did you add new MM? MM is only added to the beds when they are first built. It's the compost that gets used up and needs to be replenished. The peat moss and vermiculite are still there.

sanderson wrote:Mr. Booker, That's a nice temp for your Berkeley compost pile.  Did you mean you added fresh compost to all the boxes or did you add new MM?  MM is only added to the beds when they are first built.  It's the compost that gets used up and needs to be replenished.  The peat moss and vermiculite are still there.

WOOPS... I added new MM.  I dont have any compost other than bagged. I have 5 or 6 different kinds plus Black Kow manure.  Should I mix the bagged compost and cow manure and add it.?

This is just my take. Yes, It looks like you topped off the boxes. I think it would be best to remove a couple inches and then add and mix in the composts. Use the removed MM plus extra composts for another bed??

Any one else?? Camp, if you have time?

MrBooker wrote:

sanderson wrote:Mr. Booker, That's a nice temp for your Berkeley compost pile.  Did you mean you added fresh compost to all the boxes or did you add new MM?  MM is only added to the beds when they are first built.  It's the compost that gets used up and needs to be replenished.  The peat moss and vermiculite are still there.

WOOPS... I added new MM.  I dont have any compost other than bagged. I have 5 or 6 different kinds plus Black Kow manure.  Should I mix the bagged compost and cow manure and add it.?

Using bagged compost to the boxes is ok.  It is what most of us did until we had time and room and learned to make our own compost.  I still add bagged compost to my finished homemade compost to add more nutrients to the compost.  As Camprn said in a previous thread, just grass, leaves and veggies is not sufficient.  I do not have access to any type of manure so I still buy bagged compost to round out my compost.

sanderson wrote:This is just my take.  Yes,  It looks like you topped off the boxes.  I think it would be best to remove a couple inches and then add and mix in the composts.  Use the removed MM plus extra composts for another bed??

Any one else??  Camp, if you have time?

Sanderson.. Thanks. I think I will wait til I plant to remove the MM. Before I plant seeds or transplants, I'll just scoop out a hand full of the new MM and add the bagged compost. (I have 5 or 6 different kinds I'll mix up)
      OBTW:  Did you say "ANOTHER BED"?   HMMmmmm...... Reading my mind are you????

I only have room in the back yard for one more 4x8 before I start at the side of the house..lol

I see room for at least three 4' x 4'! The only reason to do it now would be to let the microbes multiply and spread throughout the box. How I wish I had your room. A handful of mixed compost will probably not be enough. I know, I know. More work.

sanderson wrote:This is just my take.  Yes,  It looks like you topped off the boxes.  I think it would be best to remove a couple inches and then add and mix in the composts.  Use the removed MM plus extra composts for another bed??

Any one else??  Camp, if you have time?

Yes, I agree, take a couple inches of your MM off, amend the beds with your compost, store the MM for next year, for a new bed, containers, whatever!    The compost is the fuel, the peat and vermiculite are the infrastructure!

screened a bunch of compost this weekend for use this fall...I was lazy and didn't turn my bins as often as I should have...just too darn hot this year.

I am going to skip all cole crops like Broccoli and Cauliflower this fall...maybe buy a few green cabbage seedlings from a local garden center...start some chinese cabbage indoors in a day or two.  Need to start some buttercrunch lettuce as well. I'll be direct seeding more carrots, beets, Tatsoi, Toy Choy, etc....then spinach and garlic over winter.

Scorpio Rising wrote:Yes, I agree, take a couple inches of your MM off, amend the beds with your compost, store the MM for next year, for a new bed, containers, whatever!    The compost is the fuel, the peat and vermiculite are the infrastructure!

Well said.

MrBooker wrote:

BeetlesPerSqFt wrote:I was unsuccessful with fall carrots last year, and the spring carrots have hardly done anything this year (the ones that germinated anyhow) ... maybe I'll find an edge or something to try a few. I started my parsnips in spring, and I thought I was supposed to leave them until frost...I'll have to research if I can grow them enough before frost in my area to get enough growth before a freeze if I start another round now.

I live in zone 6a and my Carrots and beets did pretty well but I had them in a hoop house.
Here is a pic of my carrots still growing.


Still waiting for my Mexican Sunflowers to bloom.

One of my Mexican sunflowers is just peeking petals out today.

Here's what my 4-square of carrots look like, for comparison. They were sown 5/5, so giving ~10days for germination, they're at 78 days maturity. According to the seed packets, they should be done now.

BeetlesPerSqFt wrote:
Here's what my 4-square of carrots look like, for comparison. They were sown 5/5, so giving ~10days for germination, they're at 78 days maturity. According to the seed packets, they should be done now.

Yeah, my carrots had spotty spring germination like that, too, for the past 2 yrs. And then they are all finishing at different times. It's weird. I'm thinking it's time for new seed so am letting the strongest and most perfect go to seed to collect next year.

CC

CapeCoddess wrote:

BeetlesPerSqFt wrote:
Here's what my 4-square of carrots look like, for comparison. They were sown 5/5, so giving ~10days for germination, they're at 78 days maturity. According to the seed packets, they should be done now.

Yeah, my carrots had spotty spring germination like that, too, for the past 2 yrs.  And then they are all finishing at different times.  It's weird.  I'm thinking it's time for new seed so am letting the strongest and most perfect go to seed to collect next year.

I just built my SFG this spring and of course, add fresh MM. I think I planted my carrots around the first week of April in a hoop house. I'm guessing the fresh MM and the hoop house had a lot to do with my success.
              
The carrots I planted in the 4x4x6 grew so long, they grew down to the weed barrier then grew horizontally. Some of them were so fat and woody I ran them through a food processor for the compost pile.

Soon I will be planting my fall/winter Cole crops. I'm going to try keeping the carrots in the ground all winter in the hoop houses.

I just planted some fall crops yesterday and today:
Lettuce - 4 types - 1 row each in 2 boxes
Bush Beans - purple - 1 row in 1 box
Carrots - Dragon and Nante - 1 row in 1 box

That is all the room I have for now.

Dunkinjean wrote:I just planted some fall crops yesterday and today:
Lettuce - 4 types - 1 row each in 2 boxes
Bush Beans - purple - 1 row in 1 box
Carrots - Dragon and Nante - 1 row in 1 box

That is all the room I have for now.

I'm going to wait a week or so since I will have mine in hoop houses. Keep us posted plz and good luck.

Hi Dunkinjean Good to see you

Sanderson - Thank you.

I have been away for awhile. Luckily I have the summer off from work.
I attended one wedding in June in NJ and then one wedding in July in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Also been visiting grandchildren in Washington, DC and Orchard Park, NY. Took two grandchildren from NY to visit with us for 1 week and returned them (lol-parents made us). Also received company from out of state a couple of times. We will be going out of state again in a few weeks to meet with both our sons and family in NY. 
All the while tending the gardens.
Hope all is well with everyone.

Goodness, Dunkinjean... You've been busy! No wonder we haven't seen you!!