Gardening Beyond Spring: How Planting in July Can Lead to a Fall Harvest

By: Emma Rauschert

Many people think gardening season begins in the springtime. That's when all the seedlings arrive at the stores, anyway. While it is common for people to start their produce in the spring, you can also plant in mid-summer to reap a bountiful fall harvest. Many vegetables prefer to be planted in late summer rather than spring and will be ready to eat in the fall. I like to direct sow a second crop of carrots, broccoli, cabbage, cilantro, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, lettuce, spinach, kale, bok choy, beets, radishes, turnips, collards, peas, and parsnips from seeds in the late summer. These crops are often referred to as cool-season crops and do best in cool weather.

To start your plants from seeds, follow the planting directions on the back of your seed packets and plant them directly into your garden. I always watch the weather and plant my seeds right before I know we will get a good rain to save myself the chore of watering. Rainwater soaks the seeds in much better than a garden hose. Once the seeds come up, mulch around them with old hay, straw, woodchips, or even this newspaper. Keep the weeds down around them, and watch them grow. Depending on the plant, your harvest should be ready between September and October. I especially like planting crops I can harvest and store over the winter. Root vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, garlic, and onions, are perfect for storing.

Onion and garlic sets can be ordered online or found at a local nursery if they have them in the fall. You can also buy organic garlic from a grocery store and plant the garlic cloves directly into your garden. Plant garlic cloves three inches apart and onion sets six inches apart. Onions and garlic should be planted so only the top is peeking out, and the rest of the bulb should be covered with soil. Be sure you plant the roots in the ground and not upside down! I reuse potatoes to replant, but you can buy potatoes from the grocery store or a local nursery if you are just starting. You can also plant potatoes that have gone "bad" in your pantry. Potatoes want to be put in the ground if they are beginning to germinate eye buds. Be sure your potatoes are disease-free and don't have any soft spots, rot, or other damage before planting. Don't plant potatoes whole; what a waste! I like to cut mine where the "eyes" or growth is. This way, you can get more potatoes instead of just one. Cut your potatoes into chunks, each with a growth or an "eye" on it or a couple of eyes for better chances. Cut around the eyes, but don't cut into them, or you will ruin your future sprout. Let your potatoes sit at room temperature for a day after making the cuts to ensure that your potato will grow a protective layer over the open wound to prevent disease and moisture from escaping the potato. Plant the potato pieces six inches deep in rows, and space the rows about a foot apart. Some people like to plant their potatoes in trenches. I have found potatoes do best in my compost-filled garden beds. I throw them in there and cover them up. The key is that they like loose soil. The looser the soil, the bigger the potato. You can plant any of these vegetables in mid-summer, usually around the end of July or early August.

The best part about fall gardening is that you can store most of your produce all winter long. I have had great success storing squashes, garlic, potatoes, onions, and carrots for up to 10 months in a dark, dry closet. I like to freeze spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, and peas. I cut the edible part from the plant and put it in a freezer-safe bag for easy storage. Toss your bagged vegetables in your freezer, and they will last up to a year, probably longer, but I eat mine too fast. The first mistake most make when storing produce comes right after the harvest. It is a common practice to wash produce before storage, but this drastically reduces its shelf life. I never wash anything I plan to store long term, only brush off the dirt. Onions, for example, need to be dried out or "cured" for a couple of weeks before putting them into storage. You can do this by setting them in a dark and well-ventilated room. I set mine upside down with the greens poking through on a wire dog crate in my barn for a couple of weeks, then cut the tops off and move them into permanent storage. I like to put my potatoes, onions, garlic, and squash in wooden crates that are not exposed to light. For squash, I brush off the dirt, lightly spray them with a water-vinegar mix, and wipe them down to make them more rot-resistant and have a longer shelf life. Carrots can be stored in a plastic tub and covered with moist sand. Cut the green tops off the carrots to about a half inch and brush off all the soil. Place your box of carrots in an unheated place that doesn't freeze, such as a garage or basement. Make sure the mice don't get to them! Check that when you store any of your produce, they do not touch each other too much to avoid rot. Finding a cool, dry, dark place for your vegetables is essential. I will store everything I don't freeze in a dark closet or the basement of my house. If you have an unfinished basement or larder to store your produce in, that is the best! I take that back: if you have a root cellar, you win.

Enjoy eating your garden produce all winter long! In the spring, you can even reseed the potatoes and garlic you have left. I also collect many seeds from my fall harvest to plant again in the spring. I recommend buying heirloom seeds when gardening to be sure you can keep reusing your seeds year after year. This past year, my potatoes made it in my closet just until March before they started to sprout new growth. I replanted them in April, and now I have a bountiful crop of new potatoes. They will be ready to harvest in mid-July, and I will replant many of the potatoes again in my fall garden for a harvest right before winter. The process repeats, and the food keeps on giving. Fall gardening has become more important to me than spring gardening because I know that what I grow late in the year will become my pantry staples for winter. Happy Growing!!

A healthy potato crop

Onions alongside carrots