Fall Garden..? It's getting late.

MrBooker 7/27/2018, 4:16 pm

I searched the threads for fall gardens and didn't find any recent ones. I may be jumping the gun but I planted some Turnips today. Going to get my two 4x8 hoop houses ready for fall planting right away. I still have plenty of homemade compost to dig in plus some Black Kow and other bagged of compost.

2016 was my best fall/winter garden in a long time. I was pulling carrots, beets, parsnips and cutting cabbage at about 10 degrees F. The plastic cover and the heavy layer of shredded leaves kept the beds from freezing. I've never tasted carrots that sweet in my life.

Here is a GREAT video on building a good Hoop house. I've posted it before but here it is again. This guy says it cost him less than $70 to build. I bought the PVC pipe and EMC tubing for around $30. All you need to build it is a hacksaw and a hammer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-QhAg2jhvw&t=17s

**Scorpio Rising** 7/27/2018, 6:46 pm

Yes, for us here in the Midwest, it is time to start some things for Fall! I started my lettuces 2 weeks ago inside (due to high temps which they don’t like to germinate!). Thinning tomorrow for a final time.

This weekend, Mother Earth News says start radishes, turnips, and spinach in the garden. So that is my intention! I never ever time Fall right!!!! Rolling Eyes

MrBooker 7/28/2018, 7:08 am

Scorpio Rising wrote:Yes, for us here in the Midwest, it is time to start some things for Fall! I started my lettuces 2 weeks ago inside (due to high temps which they don’t like to germinate!). Thinning tomorrow for a final time.

This weekend, Mother Earth News says start radishes, turnips, and spinach in the garden. So that is my intention! I never ever time Fall right!!!!

There are so many different websites suggesting different planting dates. Mother Earth says plant Turnips now and others websites say Aug 28 - Sep 27. Wow, What a stretch.

    As I mentioned in another post "Every year is different". I keep records of my planting dates from year to year and what was the perfect planting time last year, may be way too early or too late this year. I think it's all a guessing game.

    That's where hoop houses come in handy. That way, I can plant a little later in the year and if I see it's going to get colder, I can put the plastic over the hoops and warn it back up.

    This year, my Turnips are not in a hoop house. I planted some yesterday and will plant more each week until the end of August. Good luck with your fall garden.

**sanderson** 7/28/2018, 11:37 am

MrBooker wrote:
Scorpio Rising wrote:. . .This weekend, Mother Earth News says start radishes, turnips, and spinach in the garden. So that is my intention! I never ever time Fall right!!!!
. . . As I mentioned in another post "Every year is different". I keep records of my planting dates from year to year and what was the perfect planting time last year, may be way too early or too late this year. I think it's all a guessing game.

Imagine how hard it was to judge when to plant before modern communication and weather monitoring. Planting times were passed down through generations.

MrBooker 7/28/2018, 3:58 pm

sanderson wrote:
MrBooker wrote:
Scorpio Rising wrote:. . .This weekend, Mother Earth News says start radishes, turnips, and spinach in the garden. So that is my intention! I never ever time Fall right!!!!
. . . As I mentioned in another post "Every year is different". I keep records of my planting dates from year to year and what was the perfect planting time last year, may be way too early or too late this year. I think it's all a guessing game.
Imagine how hard it was to judge when to plant before modern communication and weather monitoring. Planting times were passed down through generations.

I believe that 100%. Also, I don't think folks of long ago started seed inside. I believe they planted the seed in the garden. I was thinking of trying that in the spring. Just plant a few mater seeds in the soil to see what happens.

RJARPCGP 7/28/2018, 9:22 pm

MrBooker wrote:

2016 was my best fall/winter garden in a long time. I was pulling carrots, beets, parsnips and cutting cabbage at about 10 degrees F.

I was thinking that you were being sarcastic, L O L. What a Face

2016 had one of the coldest forth quarters, much like 2013!
(even though, the temps bounced back, which was also true, even back in 2013)

OhioGardener 8/6/2018, 5:56 pm

MrBooker wrote:
Imagine how hard it was to judge when to plant before modern communication and weather monitoring. Planting times were passed down through generations.
I believe that 100%. Also, I don't think folks of long ago started seed inside. I believe they planted the seed in the garden. I was thinking of trying that in the spring. Just plant a few mater seeds in the soil to see what happens.

I'm not sure how long ago you were thinking about, but my father and his father used to start their seeds in "cold frames" early in the spring, and then transplant them out into the gardens. They never started them indoors, like I do today, but the cold frames were heated by the sun shining through the glass top. Then, in the fall they would plant their fall plants in the same cold frames to extend the season. Much like a miniature greenhouse.

**Scorpio Rising** 8/6/2018, 6:25 pm

OhioGardener wrote:
MrBooker wrote:
Imagine how hard it was to judge when to plant before modern communication and weather monitoring. Planting times were passed down through generations.
I believe that 100%. Also, I don't think folks of long ago started seed inside. I believe they planted the seed in the garden. I was thinking of trying that in the spring. Just plant a few mater seeds in the soil to see what happens.

I'm not sure how long ago you were thinking about, but my father and his father used to start their seeds in "cold frames" early in the spring, and then transplant them out into the gardens. They never started them indoors, like I do today, but the cold frames were heated by the sun shining through the glass top. Then, in the fall they would plant their fall plants in the same cold frames to extend the season. Much like a miniature greenhouse.

I would love love love to have a cold frame!!!!

**sanderson** 8/7/2018, 4:38 pm

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