Ms. Eudora’s Garden Tool Blog

The month of June has gone by and we can look forward to the hot humid days of July.  July is considered to be the perfect time to start preparing to plant your Fall Gardens. Remember it is July, so when you begin to prepare your beds, work early in the mornings before the sun gets to hot.

Begin by weeding your garden beds removing all weeds and debris, then watering the soil thoroughly.  Cover the area with clear heavy plastic sealing the edges with some soil.

This is one method of solarization and it traps in the heat of the sun and will help to prevent the re-growth of unwanted new weeds, harmful nematodes and other unwanted garden pests.  Allow the area to rest like this for a minimum of six weeks during the hottest months of July and August.

You will be able to plant vegetables such as tomatoes or peppers afterwards, if you do decide to opt for tomatoes or peppers be sure and plant maturating varieties such as Whirlaway, Carnival or Bingo these have a shorter maturity time, usually 75 days, giving you a crop before the first freeze.  You will however still be  ready to plant cool weather vegetables such as broccoli, turnips, carrots and some varieties of Southern Peas.

Cold sensitive crops need to be planted in time to mature before the cold snaps begin and stop their growth and heat sensitive plants need to be planted late enough to take the first frost.  This makes timing of your planting crucial.  A few examples of planting times are listed below; you can also check the Farmers Almanac.

Southern Peas        July 1st to August 1st
Tomato Plants       July 15th to August 2nd
Beans                    July 15th to August 15th
Broccoli                August 1st to September 15th
Carrots                 August 15th to October 15th
Mustard Greens    September 15th to October 15th
Turnips                 October 1st to November 1st

Planting within these time frames will ensure you of a bountiful fall vegetable garden.

tags]Planting a Fall Garden [/tags]