Plant Your Fall Garden Now
AUG 19 2022
Plant Your Fall Garden Now
It seems that just as our summer gardens get into full swing, it’s time to start thinking about fall planting. In fact, mid-to-late summer is the perfect time to start sowing your fall garden plants.
While crisp air may make it trickier to grow crops, there are still many veggies that you can plant. They may need a little extra time to mature once daylight starts to wind down, but they actually will produce better in the fall, while cooler temperatures mean less watering and sweating for you.
Tips to Remember
All it takes to get started now is some planning and a bit of knowledge about how long it takes fall crops to grow in your area.
First, you need to figure out your local frost dates and expected weather. The frost date is the average date of the first light freeze in fall. Freeze temperatures are calculated based on their effect on plants; a light freeze (29 to 32°F) will kill tender plants. A moderate freeze (25 to 28°F) hurts most vegetation, and a severe freeze (24° or below) will do heavy damage to most garden plants. To find the average frost date in your location, just google your zip code and “frost date”.
Next, you want to determine plant maturity dates to guide your choices. Depending on when you will be planting, you’ll want to pick something that has enough time to mature before the frost arrives. These can often be found on seed packets or plant labels, and it’s a good idea to add a few extra days to be safe. Another way to approach this is to choose an expected harvest period and select your plants accordingly.
Quick-Growing and Weather-Hearty Selections
Vegetables that mature fairly quickly include carrots, radishes, spinach, zucchini, beets and cucumbers. If you don’t beat the frost, these can be covered for a time with a garden cloth. Some crops, including Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale, and cabbage, keep growing when temperatures drop, and some even taste better since they produce more sugar!
Don't Forget Your Seating
Of course, you’ll want to keep an eye on your fall garden from your highwood® weatherproof furniture. Our garden benches, for example, are the perfect place for you and a friend to watch your garden or just enjoy the cooler weather.
The Weatherly Garden Bench, available in 4- and 5-foot lengths, offers clean lines and comfortable contour seating, as does the Lehigh Bench with its classic, elegant design. The Hamilton Dining Height Bench offers a double-Adirondack style back for a traditional look.
Picnic benches also offer great seating, plus the added versatility of a backless design. You might choose the Weatherly Picnic Backless Bench, with its clean, A-frame shaped leg design, or the straight-legged Lehigh Picnic Bench, in a classic, straight-leg style. Both are available in 4- or 5-foot lengths.
Apartment or High Rise? No Worries!
You may also want to plant your fall garden in a convenient window box or planter, such as the Beckett Window Box, available in a 3-, 4-, or 5-foot version, or the Windsor 16” by 16” planter.
Whatever route you take, your fall garden is sure to delight, both by extending the growing season—and providing a delicious crop of vegetables for your fall menu planning.
What are your top gardening tips? We want to hear about it in the comments below!
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