Start to Finish: Preparing for Fall Garden Planting

Preparing for Fall Planting

On this week's episode, Travis is demonstrating how to prepare for fall garden planting. He recently has added on a new plot for gardening and it is a 20 foot wide by around 35 feet long area. Originally this plot was just grass and in order to prepare it for planting, Travis tilled the area during the summer and since then has tilled it about once a week for a month to break up all the grass. Then, after that, he started to use his single wheel hoe to maintain the weeds until it comes time to plant in the garden. Travis is planning on planting five different vegetables such as green magic broccoli, Denali cauliflower, Toscano kale, rainbow swiss chard, and bok choy. To begin preparing the garden for planting, Travis is going to start by using the wheel hoe and cultivate the area to get rid of any small weeds. Next, we laid off our five rows to be three feet apart in the garden. Then, Travis uses the plow set attachment to begin preparing the garden with furrows where the drip tape will lay. Once, the drip tape is laid then it is time to set up the drip irrigation system such as the Filter Regulator Combo and Mainline Tubing. When everything is set up we turn the irrigation system on and let it run for a while to let the water start seeping up out of the soil where the emitters are for planting. Travis is going to plant right on top of the emitters to ensure that each plant is effectively getting the needed amount of irrigation right to the plant roots for overall better production.

Green Magic Brocolli

A heat-tolerant variety of broccoli the Green Magic does best when grown during late spring and early fall. This broccoli produces uniform heads that are slow to bolt and go to seed which allows for excellent texture and flavor when harvested from the vegetable garden. It is time to harvest broccoli once the crowns become dark green before any seeds or flowers develop on the crowns.

Snow Bowl Cauliflower

This hybrid variety is known for having bright white cauliflower heads that are uniform and well wrapped producing great flavor and tender texture in the garden. The Snow Bowl variety does best when planted during the fall so you are able to harvest in the winter. We suggest transplanting cauliflower to ensure you get consistent planting spacing, effective germination, and better production.

Lacinato Kale

One of the most productive crops to grow in the garden is the Lacinato Kale. This is an Italian heirloom variety that produces long and slender blue to green leaves year-round in the vegetable garden. It is a cold-tolerant crop, but it is also resistant to bolting during the warmer months too.

Bright Lights Swiss Chard

A colorful blend twist of swiss chard is the Bright Lights that works great for baby leaf or full leaf production. The different leaf colors include shades of orange, pink, red, and green. An All American Selections winner, this swiss chard variety has excellent bolt tolerance for extended harvests into the late spring and early summer growing seasons.

Pak Choi

A popular Chinese cabbage variety that produces darker leaves and stems with upright heads is the Pak Choi. This is an excellent heat and cold tolerant variety that does well throughout the spring and fall growing seasons. You can either direct seed this cabbage variety with our garden seeder or transplant with our seed starting trays.