Fall green cabbage ready for eating

August is one of the best times to begin planting your fall garden.  Never planted a fall garden before?  Fall gardens can offer you a wide variety of vegetables well into the winter months with very little effort.

Fall planted crops normally have fewer pest problems and are rarely bothered by disease.  Many vegetables love the cooler, damper air and you don't have to worry as much about watering.  Because the ground is typically warmer,seeds will sprout quickly when planted at the end of summer.

Some great vegetables to add to a fall garden are:

• Squash
• Turnips
• Lettuce
• Spinach
• Onions
• Peas
• Radishes
• Broccoli
• Cabbage

Before preparing the soil for a fall garden, you must remove the previous crops and any weed growth.  The end of August and on into September is when the majority of crops are harvested, so clearing out the summer garden should be as easy as picking the fruit and composting the vines and other waste. Prepare the soil by tilling or spading to a depth of at least 6 to 8 inches.

Direct seeding - planting seeds rather than using transplants - is the easiest way to plant most fall crops, especially broccoli, cabbage and collards.  Seeds should be planted deeper in the fall because the moisture level is lower in the soil and the surface temperature is higher.  The planting depth should be about 2 times as deep as for spring and summer plantings of the same crop.  However, the success of direct seeding depends on the amount of moisture in the soil.  If you wish to use transplants, and have not already started your own, most local garden centers will have transplants of many fall crops.

Even though the weather is cooler, vegetables still require at least one inch of rain or water per week.  As with all plants, a single, deep watering is recommended over frequent smaller waterings.  Fall crops will also benefit from a liberal application of compost.

To extend the fall garden past the first frost date, you may have to provide protection.  This can be in the form of grow cloths over the garden beds, or even just a simple plastic garbage bag.  Just remember to remove the coverings in the mornings before the sun gets too hot.

For more information on fall gardening - or just gardening questions in general - check out this wonderful publication from the UK Cooperative Extension Agency on Home Vegetable Gardening in Kentucky.