PREPPING FOR OUR FIRST FALL GARDEN.
Have you ever planted a fall garden?
If so, when did you start planning and planting? Were the pests and disease as bad as during the summer? How did the weather affect your harvest?
If you’re like us, and new to planning a fall garden, you’ll still find a lot to learn, even if you are an old pro at the summer garden experience.
August has been all about getting ready for a fall garden. Here’s this month’s garden journal summary of what’s been happening so far.
Journal Entries
August 7th & 8th “Seeds and Starts”
The tomato and cabbages I had started from seed on the 18th of July were now large enough to put into individual pots. We potted:
- 15 Brickyard tomatoes
- 15 Homestead tomatoes
- 15 early cabbages
The pumpkins and butternut squash had already come up in their pots and have been hardening off outside.
This weekend I also planted marigold, passion fruit, and nasturtium seeds.
We bought a few things for the garden including 30 bags of topsoil, large pots for the avocado trees, canning jars, and new hand trimmers.
August 9th “Fall Garden Planning”
After cutting the lawn, taking a dip in the pool, then enjoying a bowl of ice cream this Monday night, we sat on the back porch watching a thunderstorm roll in for the fourth night in a row. It was hot and steamy, and the cicadas were humming in full volume.
As I sat looking at the long east fence, I could picture where everything would be planted in the next month and even had some ideas about the upcoming winter garden. I drew some sketches and made notes in my garden notebook.
Mike and I have been discussing occasionally what we want to grow on our future homestead. We’re also still getting used to the Florida seasons. I’ve come to rely on the garden journal for our garden planning. I’ve looked at several free online planners, but I’m so “old-school,” I opted for a graph paper notebook and single-subject notebooks for each year. You can find some good digital garden planners here, if hand-written isn’t your style: https://www.thespruce.com/free-garden-planners-1357749
I’m tracking our garden expenses with a spreadsheet I created. Also, I plan to create a seasonal calendar for our region, including everything from seed starting, to planting, to harvest. Our goal is year-round gardening to provide fresh produce as well as larger harvests for canning, freezing, drying, or fermenting.
August 15th “Prepping the Beds”
For about four hours this morning, we completed the following:
- Removed cherry tomato plants and raised the chicken wire to the top half of the t-posts
- Chopped and dropped the annual flowers in their bed
- Moved several Boat Lilies to the front flower bed and replanted some Periwinkles
- Weeded the flower and garden beds
- Dumped lawn clippings and some shredded brush into a garden section
- Collected 8 five-gallon buckets of free fill dirt
- Cleaned up our mess!
After lunch I saved the seed from seed heads I had collected from the annual flowers before we mowed them. They were a mixed variety of Forget-Me-Nots, Calendula, Cornflower, Candy tuft, Flax and Baby’s Breath.
August 16th “Miscellaneous Small Projects”
We finished our weekend gardening projects quickly before the heat of the day. I planted the 6 pumpkins in the garden, moved several bromeliads and small aloes, and watered potted plants. I baked some sourdough bread and gathered blackberry leaves to dry for tea this winter. It was a relaxing Sunday and fulfilling weekend.
August 18th “Sweet Leaves”
After learning that sweet potato leaves are edible and highly nutritious, I found a simple recipe to prepare them with an evening meal. I picked an amount similar to what we would pick if we were cooking spinach. After washing and coarsely chopping the leaves, I sauteed half a cup of chopped onion in olive oil, tossed in the sweet potato leaves and cooked them until wilted, then finished it off with little bit of salt and pepper to taste. The leaves were very mild, but had a nice leafy-greens flavor.
I’ve also started substituting the sweet potato leaves in my green smoothie recipes. I replace any spinach or other greens with the same amount of sweet potato leaves. Since spinach is almost impossible to grow here in the summer, it’s nice to have a fresh supply of greens.
August 22nd “More Prepping and Planning”
Today we planted the butternut squash plants in three different locations. We’re still experimenting with finding the best sun location for different plants. Eight of the squashes we planted where there was morning shade, four where there was morning and early afternoon shade.
We planted another half dozen around a tall palm tree with filtered shade throughout the day. We’re trying to find a balance between too much sun and heat, but enough for the vines to thrive. Some of the plants were starting to create blossoms despite being only a couple of feet long.
It may seem like we’re planting a lot of squash and pumpkins, but the powdery mildew has found them already. We’re hand-picking the leaves that look the worst. Even though it’s suggested to start pumpkins and squash in August in Central Florida, we’re wondering if we should try in September. I have enough seed to start another batch and experiment.
August 29th “End of Fall Garden Prep”
Even though it was “sleep-in-Saturday,” we still had a busy morning planned for the garden.
We added 20 bags of topsoil to the garden beds on the east and north fences. Half of a five-gallon bucket of our homemade compost was mixed in for every two bags of topsoil. We covered as much as we could with lawn clippings and let it rest until we plant the following weekend.
Two sections of the east garden beds are for the tomatoes. We installed four t-posts there and rolled out enough chicken wire to create a trellis for the tomatoes as they grow. The weather and other commitments delayed the install of the wire, but it will be up and ready before next weekend.
Looking Ahead:
Labor Day weekend, September 5-7, we will be planting the tomatoes and sowing bean seeds of several types.
We are done adding soils to our garden beds. In the future, we will be using cover crops during the summer or when a garden bed is between seasons.
Almost all of our compost pile is gone. It has helped us immensely to add nutrients and increases the water retention of our sandy soil. We’re looking forward to rebuilding it. Fall leaves will help as well as several more months of fast-growing lawn. Storms will blow down neighborhood tree limbs and our wood chipper will be put to good use. We’re also going to try experimenting with compost tea.
Planning begins for the winter garden. We’ll need to calculate harvest dates for the fall plants and start seeds accordingly. Our busy garden seasons are upon us here in Central Florida!
Are you ready for fall gardening? Have you made plans, bought seeds or plants? When’s the last time you checked your soil PH and NPK nutrient levels?
If you can get into a seasonal flow of gardening, it can be fun looking ahead to new growth and looking back to reflect on what’s worked (or not) in the past. Not only do you harvest the fruits and vegetables, but you get to connect with nature, engage in healthy activities, enjoy the beauty, share your bounty with others, and feel a sense of accomplishment.
I hope your fall gardening season is off to a wonderful start!
Happy gardening!
Alisa
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