July 8, 2025 • 35 mins
Fall might still feel far off, but if you want a successful fall harvest, now is the time to start those seeds indoors. Today on Just Grow Something, I walk you through the step-by-step timing strategy for indoor seed starting specifically for fall gardening.
Learn how to:
- Calculate back from your first fall frost date to find yoursowing and transplanting windows
- Adjust days to maturity using the “fall buffer” method
- Choose the best crops to start indoors based on your zone and daylight hours
- Utilize strategies for short-season gardeners and season extenders
From understanding the Persephone period to selectingshort-season varieties, this episode equips you with the tools to master indoor seed starting for the fall garden. Let’s dig in!
Fall Buffer Chart:
Planting Window Before Frost: Days to Maturity Adjustment
> 11 weeks: +10% buffer
8–10 week: +20% buffer
5–7 weeks: +40% buffer
3–4 week: +70% buffer
Links:
Save 20% on your new own-root rose plant at Heirloom Roses with code JUSTGROW https://heirloomroses.com
Seed to Sprout Course: https://www.justgrowsomething.com/indoor-seed-starting
Resources:
Plant Growth Factors: Temperature
Sowing Planting Calculation | UC Agriculture and Natural Resources
Fall Vegetable Gardening | UGA Cooperative Extension
Find the full show notes at https://justgrowsomethingpodcast.com/episode/fall-garden-seed-starting-secrets-ep-257
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Fall is not just for raking leaves and pumpkin spice lattes.
It is prime garden time. Now I know it seems a little
weird to talk about fall gardening already when it is hot
as Hades outside. But if we're going to have a
fall harvest, we have to plant in the summer, and oftentimes
that means getting back to some indoor seed starting.
(00:21):
But getting the timing spot on for this is kind of like
threading a tiny little needle. Don't start seeds too early or
you risk heat stress and bolting.
But if you plant too late, you're racing frost and fading
daylight hours and just incomplete harvest.
It also gets trickier if you're gardening in a short season zone
(00:42):
where your frost free window maybe only 120 days.
So today I'll just grow something.
We're going to go step by step through timing and executing an
indoor seed starting strategy for the fall garden.
We'll talk about the science behind the fall nutrients and
daylight changes Countdown calendars, going from your frost
rate back to your transplant date and back to your indoor
(01:05):
sewing date. Fall garden crops that might be
candidates for indoor seeds starting based on their maturity
timing and their growth data, and then special strategies for
you very short season growing areas.
By the end, you'll have the tools you'll need to know when
to get your seeds started indoors for your fall garden so
you don't miss the window of opportunity.
(01:27):
Let's dig in. Hey, I'm Karen and what started
as a small backyard garden 20 years ago turned into a lifelong
passion for growing food. Now as a market farmer and
horticulturist, I want to help you do the same.
On this podcast I am your friendin the garden, teaching evidence
based techniques to help you grow your favourites and build
confidence in your own garden space.
(01:47):
So grab your garden journal and a cup of coffee and get ready to
just grow something. So if you are on the e-mail
newsletter list, you will noticethat last week's newsletter was
a little bit different than whatwe have done in the past.
And I am encouraging you if you are not somebody who is already
on this the newsletter to go ahead and get on that mailing
(02:10):
list. I've done some switching around.
It's no longer just sort of a recap of of what's happening in
the episodes or a gentle reminder that we released an
episode. There's a little bit more
information in there now and some, you know, fun tips and
tricks. And I'm trying to get a little
bit more personal with you guys.So if you're not on the e-mail
list, go ahead and go to my website justgrowsomething.com
(02:32):
and you'll be able to find the sign up at the bottom of the
page. If you did not start seeds
indoors this past spring for your garden, but you are
considering doing this for fall,or if you just didn't have very
much success with your early indoor seed starts, My Seed to
(02:52):
Sprout course is available on the
courses.page@justgrowsomething.com.It's 20 bucks.
It takes you through the proper containers and soil, heat mats
and light requirements, proper planting techniques, growing
them on troubleshooting. I even have a bonus section in
there on hardening off and thereare downloadable resources.
Again, that's on the courses.page@justgrowsomething.com.
(03:15):
I will also leave a link to thatin the show notes.
So why is fall sort of its own unique animal over the spring
garden? OK, so first a little science.
Let's lesson we need to calculate things a little bit
differently in terms of our seeds starting in our planting
(03:36):
dates for fall for a couple of different reasons.
The first of these is temperature and heat stress.
So our fall crops are going to be mainly cool season crops and
they prefer daytime highs below 75 Fahrenheit and nights that
are above 40°F. So if you get higher than that,
(03:56):
they start to get stressed out, they bolt.
Basically, they head into their reproductive mode prematurely in
the fall, even though our peak summer heat has waned, right,
Which is great. The plants get that sort of cool
shoulder season to grow in after, you know, the summer
heat. But there are a lot of
(04:17):
temperature swings that happen. And so if we decide that we're
going to plant directly in ground, that can actually delay
germination and those cooler temperatures that happen after
that peak summer break, our heatbreaks can actually slow our
early growth rates. So there are some considerations
between whether or not you're going to direct so and whether
(04:39):
or not you're going to transplant.
And we want to time our plantings so that these crops
mature as the days begin to cooland not earlier than that.
The second consideration is the number of daylight hours and
photo periodism, right? So as we shift from summer into
the fall, the sun's daily path shortens.
(05:02):
And so by late October, in a lotof latitudes, a lot of the areas
are falling below that 10 hours of daylight.
We're a little bit later than that here, but not by much.
And our research shows that photosynthesis slows
dramatically once we get below that 10 hours.
(05:23):
So Elliot Coleman, who is sort of the father of four season
gardening termed this the Persephone period.
And so you know, that's what we just refer to it as the
Persephone period. Once you hit that Persephone
period that that daylight hours below 10, the growth rates slow,
leaf production drops, root growth suffers.
(05:46):
So when you're planting late, you know you're planting in the
fall as all these changes are happening.
Some plants may actually need almost double the amount of time
to reach their harvest if they are planted too late.
So this is a a real thing and itcan really reduce your yield
(06:07):
dramatically if you don't get the timing right.
And then the third considerationis soil moisture and sort of
your microclimate. So after it's been really hot
all summer and we start to move into those cooler days, the soil
just retains moisture better. You have lower evaporation, so
that means we're watering less #1 and we also have sort of
(06:29):
better early root growth. Now, of course, a lot of this
can be mitigated in the summer garden with a lot of layers of
mulch. But you know, regardless of the
mulch, those cooler temperaturesare going to help facilitate
this. And on the flip side of this,
you know, if you live somewhere where your rainy season is the
fall, those fall rains can also bring mold or just really wet
(06:53):
soil consistently. And that can be kind of risky
for young transplants. So you have to watch out for
fungal diseases. And we also have to make sure
that we're planting in well draining beds or raised areas if
you are somewhere where you do get a lot of fall rain.
So all of this translates into sort of the idea that fall
gardening is more than just spring in reverse, right?
(07:17):
It's we're not just doing the opposite of what we did or
repeating what we did in the spring.
It, it, it really is its own season.
And so we kind of have to recalibrate our timing and our
variety selection and the way that we care for these spring,
these fall crops. Now don't let that scare you
because I do maintain that the fall garden is a bit more hands
(07:42):
off. It is not nearly as time
intensive or labor intensive as the spring garden.
In my experiences, there tend tobe fewer weeds because just like
those daylight hours are waitingfor the plants that we're trying
to grow and it's also waiting for the weeds too.
So that is also meaning that they are not growing as quickly
(08:03):
as they normally would like theydo in the spring and the summer
garden. And also you have fewer of those
weed seeds getting in there and sprouting as quickly.
So that is very helpful. We also tend to see fewer pest
issues as well. And let's be honest, when it
starts to cool off a little bit out there, like it just makes
gardening a little bit more enjoyable, right?
So I am all about the fall garden.
(08:25):
Just we just have to understand that it really is its own
season. It's not like a little, you
know, repeat of spring, only in reverse.
So the first thing that we have to do is sort of create this
countdown method that tells us when it is that we're supposed
to start our fall seedlings. And this generally begins if you
(08:46):
are in an area that gets frost. We start with our frost states.
So most gardeners know what their last frost date is in the
spring, right? Because we're all itching to get
out there and get our first plants in the ground and we're
trying to make make sure that you know, they don't run the
risk of of getting frosted before they get a chance to take
(09:08):
off. If you've never gardened for
fall, then you may not be payingas close of attention to your
first frost date in the fall. So that's where we have to
start. You need to know your zone's
first frost date, so sources like your Extension Service are
great ways to find this. You can go to the Old Farmer's
(09:30):
Almanac online or any one of theclimate tracker apps and find
your average first frost date. This is the date where the
temperatures dip to 32°F or 0 Celsius or below.
So for example, my zone typically sees the first frost
right around October 20th or so.We'll see whether or not that
(09:52):
moves a little bit this year. You know, our our last frost in
the spring was way earlier than it normally has been and that's
been two years in a row now thatthat has happened.
So I think last year I'd have togo back and check our notes, but
I think last year our first hardfrost was later than that
(10:12):
October 20th date. So this is not a hard and fast.
This is just a guideline to let you know you know how to time
when to get these crops in the ground, which helps you time
when to get those seeds started.OK, And this is going to tell
you a couple of different things.
(10:33):
You have to decide this based onwhat it is that you're growing,
because some of these crops thatyou want to grow for the fall
are perfectly fine with the frost.
In fact, they taste better afterthey've had a frost.
So this frost date is just a point of reference for you for.
OK, yes, there are things that need to be to maturity before
that date so you can get them harvested and out of the garden,
(10:53):
like lettuces that can't really handle a hard freeze.
But if you have, you know, brassicas that are OK with a
light frost or if you have season extension, which we'll
talk about here in a little bit.Have you had frosted spinach?
Like spinach that has had frost is so much sweeter and is so
much better than any other type of spinach.
(11:13):
Carrots that have had the groundget really cold, you know, it
concentrates those sugars and they just taste so much better.
So this isn't saying that, oh, gosh, the garden's going to be
done at your first frost date. It just means you have to be
cognizant of what that date is and know which crops need to go
in when based on that date, OK. And once we know that, then we
are going to understand when we start these crops.
(11:36):
So the second, the second thing that we have to think about in
this is understanding the days to maturity for what it is that
we're going to grow. So this is usually printed on
the seed packet and it's usuallycalibrated for optimal spring
conditions. So those days that are
lengthening and the soils that are warming, OK, that's speeding
(11:57):
up the growth of those plants inthe spring.
The opposite is true for the fall garden.
That growth is going to be slower.
So our days to maturity isn't actually going to equal that
sort of perfect spring timing anymore.
So it's up to us to adjust it. So this is the fall buffer
(12:18):
factor and the research and you know, extension services and
stuff basically have sort of given us these adjustments as
fall approaches. And it's all based on the
planting window before your first frost date.
So if whatever it is that you'replanting right, has a maturity
date, that means you are planting more than 11 weeks
(12:39):
before your first frost date, then you generally only have to
add about 10% to the number of days to maturity.
Once you get to like that eight to 10 week time frame, then
you're looking at a 20% buffer. For five to seven weeks you're
looking at a 40% buffer. So the closer we get to when
those crops are planted near ourfrost date, the more days to
(13:03):
maturity we have to add to that and understand how long it's
going to take these crops to actually get to maturity.
So let me let me give you an example of this to kind of help
explain this because I know it can be kind of confusing.
And I'm going to put all of thisinformation in the show notes.
So when this episode is posted, you can go over to the website
and you can go into the show notes and you will see all of
(13:25):
this information in there. But essentially, if you have
like spinach and the spinach packet says that it gets to
maturity in 45 days and you're frustrated is like mine, it's
October 20th. All right, Well, 45 days is
about 6 1/2 weeks. That is in that five to seven
(13:45):
week zone. Well, at five to seven weeks, we
need to add a 40% buffer, OK, soyou've got 45 days, you know,
multiply that by 40%, add it to the 45 days and what do we have?
We have 63 days. So if we are trying to harvest
our spinach or have it to maturity by October 20th, that
(14:08):
first frost date so that we can continue to harvest after that.
But we know it's going to be to maturity and we also know we're
going to be losing our daylight hours.
So there's not going to be a tonof growth after that.
So our goal is to get the spinach to maturity by October
20th. Well, now we know it's going to
take 63 days for that spinach toget to maturity, not the 45
(14:29):
days. So we have to start counting
backwards from October 20th. Well, 63 days puts us at August
18th for an outdoor transplant date.
If you're starting your seeds indoors, we also have to take
into account growing the seedlings plus hardening them
(14:51):
off before that August 18th date.
So we have to add those extra days back in there so that we're
not scrambling around because westill have to harden these
plants off before they go out inthe garden just the same way
that we do in the springtime. It's easy to sort of forget that
step when we are planning when these seeds need to be started.
Now, could you direct sow your spinach on on that August 18th
(15:15):
date? Yes, but you're likely going to
miss the window a little bit. So I know we're talking all
about indoor seeds starting today, but keep this in mind
too, that when you're deciding whether or not you're going to
direct sow something or you're going to transplant something,
you have to take into consideration that the number of
days to maturity on a seed packet is from the time it
(15:36):
either germinates. And I think generally speaking,
they, they mean it germinates and it has its first set of true
leaves, right? Or for the transplant date or
from the transplant date. So either way, even if you're
direct sowing, you're still going to have to add some time
back on that that transplant date of August 18th because you
(15:58):
have to account for how long it takes for that seed to germinate
and get its first true leaves. So you're still probably having
to add, you know, about 10 days there, which is about the same
amount of time that you would have to add for your for
hardening off those seedlings. OK.
And the reason that those dates are very similar to each other
(16:19):
is because when we transplant, we have to account for the
transplant shock to happen because we know once we set
those plants in, they're not going to immediately take off
and start growing again. No matter how well you have
harvested them off, no matter harvested them, no matter how
well you have hardened them off and no matter how great the soil
(16:40):
is, they still need to settle in.
That takes 10 days, sometimes two weeks for them to start
their growth again. So regardless of whether we're
doing this directly sowing or we're, you know, trying to
figure out a date for our indoorseed starting, the dates are
going to be around the same. OK, so let's just keep that in
mind as we're talking about thisprocess.
(17:00):
Roses love water. The correct amount of water
helps them grow and promotes large, long lasting flowers with
rich color and the thick, sturdypetals.
Water transports nutrients to the Rose through both the roots
and the leaves. When watering your rose plants,
remember these tips, especially in the summertime.
Water your roses early in the day, right at the soil level to
(17:22):
help prevent diseases like blackspot.
If it's been exceptionally dry and dusty, you can spray your
rose Bush with water once per week if needed.
On a sunny day, a spray nozzle will provide enough force to
clear the leaves of dust and dirt and spider mites and other
insects, especially if your areahasn't seen any recent rainfall.
Avoid routinely wetting the foliage though, especially when
(17:46):
it's overcast, because this could encourage and spread
disease. Of course, the best roses start
with the best roots and HeirloomRoses sells only healthy virus
free own root roses and they guarantee your success in the
first year. They are a family owned company
that invests in not just their roses and their employees, but
also in us the customer. They're friendly rose experts,
(18:07):
are available year round to answer questions, and there are
guides and tutorials on their website in case you ever or get
lost about what you should be doing with your roses and the
different stages of growth and different times of the year.
Get your own beautiful healthy rose from heirloomroses.com.
I'm using code Just Grow to save20% on your purchase.
(18:28):
heirloomroses.com use code just Grow.
The link is in the show notes. So when we start to calculate
these seeds, starting dates, I like to use a visual timeline of
some sort. You can use a spreadsheet to
figure this out. I just take my calendar out and
I figure it out. So you go through and basically
go on to your calendar and mark this date that you just figured
(18:50):
out, right? So August 18th was our spinach
example. So then we're going to add our
hardening off, you know, acclimatization sort of period
there. So 10 to 14 days prior to
transplanting for the seed to adapt to their outdoor, you
know, light and weather conditions.
I like to stick to about 10 daysat the Max just because two
(19:11):
weeks tends to, you know, sort of over harden them off and then
it tends to get them a little bit more in terms of transplant
shock. It's it's kind of a weird
phenomenon, but I like to stick with about 10 days.
So that's going to bring your indoor seedlings finish date
basically to August 8th. So that means you need to take
(19:32):
into consideration the amount oftime that takes for those seeds
to germinate and how long it takes to grow them on.
So to get their early growth andget those true leaf stages
going. So we have that August 8th time
frame of when we want to start hardening them off to get them
outside. Now we have to take into
consideration how long does it take to germinate?
How long are we growing them on?Well, lettuce and spinach
(19:55):
usually needs about four weeks, sometimes six weeks, depending
on the conditions indoors to getgerminated and get up and get
growing and get those first few true leaves before you put them
outside to harden off. Longer, you know, lived crops,
or I should say crops that take longer to mature, things like
(20:15):
broccoli or cauliflower, we're generally looking at like 6 to 8
weeks indoors. And then so like cabbages or
things like that that might be even longer, we're looking at 8
to 12 weeks. So for spinach, you know, we're
using spinach as our example, then we're going to want to
count back six weeks from that August 8th deadline of getting
(20:36):
them finished and getting them to harden off, which puts us at
June 27th as our indoor startingdate, which I have already
passed. So it's a good thing that I plan
on just starting my seeds directly out in the garden.
This is an option for you depending on what it is that you
(20:57):
are growing. And obviously there's a lot of
things that you just really don't ever want to start indoors
anyway that are just better started in place.
But, you know, this is one of the things where how much time
do you have to devote to gettingthe seeds started indoors?
How much space do you have to devote at this time of the year
to those seedlings? You can help to, you know, think
(21:18):
about those things and figure out whether or not you're
actually going to just start them directly in the ground.
So instead of the June 27th indoor seed starting date, I am
just moving forward and I am going to that August 8th date
and that's when I will direct sow my seeds.
OK, so let's use a different example.
(21:39):
Maybe broccoli is a good one. If it's got 75 days to maturity,
that's around 10 weeks or so. At that 8 to 10 weeks before
frost date, we end up adding a 20% buffer.
OK, so when we figure that out, we ends up being 90 days.
So to figure out our target transplant date, we have that
October 20th, we go back 90 days.
(22:01):
That gives us a July 22nd date for transplanting.
So then if we want those seeds to get 6 to 8 weeks indoors to
sprouts and to get their first true leaves and then we have to
add the hardening off, then thatmeans we're starting those seeds
(22:22):
around late May to early June for our broccoli.
OK, so you see how this is working.
You figure out how long it takesfor them to get to maturity in
the spring, figure out how many weeks that is, go back through
our list, our chart and see, OK,how many weeks before frost
we're going to be planting those.
We add that buffer to account for the slow growth because of
(22:45):
the fall and then we work backwards from that.
So you know it counting backwards from the the days to
maturity and accounting for our hardening off for about 10 days
and how long it takes for us to start to sprout those seedlings
and to grow them on. And of course, we kind of like
to layer on successions in this too.
So if you're doing lettuce and you don't want all your lettuce
(23:07):
coming on at once, you know whenwe have successions like that,
you can sew your lettuce every or start your lettuce every two
to three weeks indoors so that you can actually transplant them
at those times that is appropriate for you.
So that you are harvesting everytwo to three weeks.
It helps to sort of smooth the harvest out and it kind of
hedges your bets a little bit for your timeline.
(23:29):
So let's talk some specific plants.
I group them by maturity and sort of complexity so that you
can customize this based on yourgoals for your fast growing
ones. The ones that mature 30 to 40
days or so, all of your baby greens, your lettuces, your
arugula, these are all sort of our fall here.
They are very quick, they are very forgiving.
(23:50):
They are really good for succession sewing and they sort
of balance out the garden a little bit because even if
you're not interested in growingthese to eat a ton of them, they
also make really good trap cropsfor the other things that you
might want to be growing. So those are maybe some of the
ones that are in our sort of midrange here where it's like they
take between 50 and 80 days to mature.
(24:10):
Things like kale, Swiss Chard, your broccoli, your cauliflower,
you definitely want to plan thatfull buffer for these.
And depending on where you are and what your first frost date
is, they also sometimes can do really well with some extra row
cover or maybe some low tunnels that you can put over them,
(24:30):
especially to protect them. Just post transplant to cover
them or shade them a little bit.Because again, we're going to be
planting these in the heat of the summertime and so we might
need to give them a little bit extra protection and then you
might need to put that protection back out there again
once we get into that sort of frost time frame to be able to
(24:51):
extend your season a little bit.We'll talk about here that here
in a second. And then you've got sort of
longer season crops that are, you know, good for transplanting
into the the fall garden, thingslike your cabbages and like your
Brussels sprouts. Now if your zone is really
short, like zone 3 or 4, then you actually have to add an
extra 2 to 3 weeks to that buffer.
(25:13):
So these may actually need extraprotection into the late fall to
protect them from the really hard freezes in some of these
zones. So let's talk to you my short
season gardeners, for those of you who only have fewer than 120
frost free days. So like zone 3, zone 4, right?
This is all about you. The The thing is, you are likely
(25:34):
going to have to start indoors early and often.
So your long maturing groups, the crops are probably going to
need about 12 to 14 weeks beforeyour first frost to really build
those resilient seedlings and get them transplanted.
Even if these aren't ready for transplant until later, at least
you have healthy stock ready when that window of opportunity
kind of opens up. Season extension for you is
(25:54):
really, really important. So utilizing row covers and cold
frames and like little mini, youknow, Caterpillar tunnels or
hoops, even if it just pushes your harvest window by like 2
weeks, that can actually make orbreak your things that maybe are
late maturing. Like broccoli.
You know, broccoli doesn't love a hard freeze, but if your
(26:17):
season is really short and you need to get it in really early
because you need that extra buffer time, they may not be
ready by the time you start having your first few frosts.
And so if you can use those row covers, that's going to extend
your season a little bit and letyou get that broccoli to
maturity before it really startsto freeze hard.
You also just may want to chooseshort season varieties or
(26:38):
varieties that are suitable for overwintering.
A lot of times it'll say it on the packet that it's actually an
overwintering variety. So you know, if you're looking
at spinach, you might choose like a Bloomsdale spinach that's
only 45 days or a Flamenco kale that's only 55 days.
Things that are really fast versus, you know, something
that's like a 70 day heirloom orsomething like that, right?
Go for those quick maturing varieties.
(27:01):
And just remember once that day length dips below 10 hours, we
hit that Persephone period. Depending on your latitude,
you're locked in, your growth isgoing to slow.
So you either have to have matured those crops before this
point or you need to have a little bit of a backup plan.
So if the frost shows up but thesoil hasn't frozen yet, you can
(27:22):
continue to harvest those cold Hardy greens like the kale and
the Chard or the collards. They'll actually keep until like
down to -10 Fahrenheit if you keep them with some row covers.
If this is not really, you know,relating to seeds starting in
terms of indoor seeds starting, but if you're using like root
crops like beets or carrots, youcan actually kind of store those
(27:42):
in place in the garden until that ground starts to freeze.
Just use some heavy straw mulch and some row covers.
And then once the ground does start to freeze, then you can
pull them and move them into cold storage.
That kind of extends your seasona little bit too.
But those aren't things that we're starting indoors, or at
least we shouldn't be starting indoors to transplant out the
outside. Those should definitely be
planted directly into the soil, regardless of where it is you
(28:06):
are growing. In terms of zone, how you're
growing or how you garden does make a little bit of a
difference. If you are gardening in in
ground beds, know that that soilis going to start to cool down
more quickly in the fall, which means that you can plant
Midsummer seedlings for the fallcrops.
(28:27):
And you want to kind of top yourbed with some compost and some
amendments like in early in early August to kind of get
these things, your beds preparedfor these transplants.
If you are in raised beds, you're going to your soil is
going to continue to fluctuate quite a bit more.
You know, those in the in groundbeds have just more mass to
(28:50):
them. And so the heat from the rays
from the sun are tending to dissipate a little bit better.
When you're in raised beds and you have that lower volume of
soil, it can fluctuate a lot more.
So you have a really, really, really hot day and it's going to
get hot. Generally speaking, those late
summer rays are going to continue to keep that soil
(29:11):
warmer. So keep in mind that if you are
planting fast maturing crops like lettuces, they can handle
being transplanted a little bit later in the summer to kind of
protect them from a lot of that heat and that fluctuation.
So it might be a few weeks laterin a raised bed than it would be
(29:32):
in an in ground bed just for thesake of the plants honestly.
And then if you were somebody who was growing in like small
containers, this is actually kind of ideal because you can
move them to the ideal locationsfor sunlight, but also for
temperature. So if you're transplanting into
small containers that are movable, put those things in the
(29:52):
shade and transplant your plantsand slowly begin to move them
out into that summer sun for your fall crops.
You also can move them indoors if you get to like your fall
frost date and they're not readyyet, you can move them indoors
and just kind of consider some supplemental light, You know,
especially even if you're not ina frost area and but you get
(30:15):
down below 10 hours a day, you hit that Persephone period and
all that growth has slowed. Well, you might just bring them
in the house and throw some cheap LE DS over top and boom,
there you go. You get to extend your season.
So I mentioned the broccoli and the window for seed starting
being in early June and transplanting on July 22nd.
(30:39):
The problem in my area is I havestruggled with this year after
year after year because it is still very, very hot here at the
end of July. And I don't have a really good
way historically to make sure that those ceilings get
consistently watered while they're being settled in.
(31:00):
And I often need to add some sunprotection of some sort to
protect them from sun skull during that time.
And as a result of this, sometimes I have really great
fall broccoli and cauliflower, and sometimes it does nothing at
all. So this year I am direct sewing
my brassicas in the late summer garden for a fall harvest.
(31:25):
I'm going to be pulling back thestraw mulch and amending the
beds, putting the mulch back andjust sort of making these
pockets in the mulch where I'm going to direct sew.
I know that the germination is going to happen very, very
quickly because that summer garden soil is still going to be
very, very warm. It's almost akin to having the
heat lats on in your seed starting area and warming that
(31:49):
soil up to its ideal temperaturewhen you plant.
The same thing is going to happen out there in the summer
garden with these warm temperatures.
I just have to make sure that I keep that area watered enough
while I'm waiting for those seeds to sprout, which should
only take a few days given how warm it's going to be.
So the mulch is going to help with that, and I do have a way
(32:09):
to get to water them. And I think this is going to
actually help reduce the amount of watering that I have to do
after they have sprouted becausethey're already going to be
acclimated to the spaces where they sprout, right?
Versus having to wait a good twoweeks as I water and kind of,
you know, help mitigate that transplant shock in really
(32:33):
scorching heat in late July. So that's what I'm going to do.
I am going to, you know, work with doing some direct sewing
instead of doing some transplanting of those crops.
And I'm going to focus my transplants and my seed starting
area solely towards the faster maturing things that I can put
out there just a little bit later.
(32:56):
So planting for fall is absolutely an experiment, I
mean, from year to year to year.And so this is another way where
you just kind of need to use your garden journal and figure
out what worked well and what didn't and understand that this
is a learning experience and noteverything is going to go.
I mean, it might go perfectly well for you the first time.
(33:17):
I mean, I'd love that for you. But if experience has told me
anything and that's not the way this is going to go.
So don't get discouraged if you try it and you go and transplant
these plants and it's like, Oh my gosh, they look awful and
they they all burn up. It's just a matter of figuring
out the timing. But I promise you the fall
garden is absolutely worth it. OK, so here's your summary.
(33:42):
Look up your first frost date inthe fall.
Figure out what crops it is thatyou want to grow and check their
days to maturity. Adjust those dates to maturity
based on that fall buffer percentage.
I will list that in the show notes.
Set your transplant deadline by counting back from that frost
date and then add in that hardening off buffer.
(34:04):
Plan your indoor sow date based on the seed to transplant time
frame. And then if you need to use some
season extenders to kind of stretch that harvest window
window out. Just make sure that you are
keeping notes of all of this that you know where to go the
next time. It's it's easy to kind of
pinpoint what went wrong. And yes, of course, the weather
(34:26):
can be unpredictable. And from one season to another,
you know, your July or August temperatures may fluctuate quite
a bit. But once you get the hang of
this, you kind of know how long you can wait to get things into
the garden before they get to maturity too late or how early
you can get them in and, you know, really get them settled in
(34:49):
and, and how much heat they can really stand.
Right. So next week we're going to talk
a little bit more about the summer garden and the
successions that you can plant to keep that going right now.
And then the following week we're going to go back to
talking about the fall garden. We're going to talk about your
fall garden plan. I talk about the fall garden
(35:09):
every year at this time and I know it can sometimes be a big
step for new gardeners or even experienced gardeners who have
like never tried it before because it does take some
planning and proper timing. But it really can be a great
time of year to garden. So I hope, you know, this
episode has given you the confidence to kind of get some
seeds started for the fall garden, whether you've got 200
(35:31):
growing days or just barely a couple, you know, a couple of
weeks or a few weeks. The link to my seed to sprout
course will be in the show notesso that you can check that out.
Until next time, my gardening friends, keep on cultivating
that dream garden, and we'll talk again soon.
Fall is not just for raking leaves and pumpkin spice lattes.
It is prime garden time. Now I know it seems a little
weird to talk about fall gardening already when it is hot
as Hades outside. But if we're going to have a
fall harvest, we have to plant in the summer, and oftentimes
that means getting back to some indoor seed starting.
(00:21):
But getting the timing spot on for this is kind of like
threading a tiny little needle. Don't start seeds too early or
you risk heat stress and bolting.
But if you plant too late, you're racing frost and fading
daylight hours and just incomplete harvest.
It also gets trickier if you're gardening in a short season zone
(00:42):
where your frost free window maybe only 120 days.
So today I'll just grow something.
We're going to go step by step through timing and executing an
indoor seed starting strategy for the fall garden.
We'll talk about the science behind the fall nutrients and
daylight changes Countdown calendars, going from your frost
rate back to your transplant date and back to your indoor
(01:05):
sewing date. Fall garden crops that might be
candidates for indoor seeds starting based on their maturity
timing and their growth data, and then special strategies for
you very short season growing areas.
By the end, you'll have the tools you'll need to know when
to get your seeds started indoors for your fall garden so
you don't miss the window of opportunity.
(01:27):
Let's dig in. Hey, I'm Karen and what started
as a small backyard garden 20 years ago turned into a lifelong
passion for growing food. Now as a market farmer and
horticulturist, I want to help you do the same.
On this podcast I am your friendin the garden, teaching evidence
based techniques to help you grow your favourites and build
confidence in your own garden space.
(01:47):
So grab your garden journal and a cup of coffee and get ready to
just grow something. So if you are on the e-mail
newsletter list, you will noticethat last week's newsletter was
a little bit different than whatwe have done in the past.
And I am encouraging you if you are not somebody who is already
on this the newsletter to go ahead and get on that mailing
(02:10):
list. I've done some switching around.
It's no longer just sort of a recap of of what's happening in
the episodes or a gentle reminder that we released an
episode. There's a little bit more
information in there now and some, you know, fun tips and
tricks. And I'm trying to get a little
bit more personal with you guys.So if you're not on the e-mail
list, go ahead and go to my website justgrowsomething.com
(02:32):
and you'll be able to find the sign up at the bottom of the
page. If you did not start seeds
indoors this past spring for your garden, but you are
considering doing this for fall,or if you just didn't have very
much success with your early indoor seed starts, My Seed to
(02:52):
Sprout course is available on the
courses.page@justgrowsomething.com.It's 20 bucks.
It takes you through the proper containers and soil, heat mats
and light requirements, proper planting techniques, growing
them on troubleshooting. I even have a bonus section in
there on hardening off and thereare downloadable resources.
Again, that's on the courses.page@justgrowsomething.com.
(03:15):
I will also leave a link to thatin the show notes.
So why is fall sort of its own unique animal over the spring
garden? OK, so first a little science.
Let's lesson we need to calculate things a little bit
differently in terms of our seeds starting in our planting
(03:36):
dates for fall for a couple of different reasons.
The first of these is temperature and heat stress.
So our fall crops are going to be mainly cool season crops and
they prefer daytime highs below 75 Fahrenheit and nights that
are above 40°F. So if you get higher than that,
(03:56):
they start to get stressed out, they bolt.
Basically, they head into their reproductive mode prematurely in
the fall, even though our peak summer heat has waned, right,
Which is great. The plants get that sort of cool
shoulder season to grow in after, you know, the summer
heat. But there are a lot of
(04:17):
temperature swings that happen. And so if we decide that we're
going to plant directly in ground, that can actually delay
germination and those cooler temperatures that happen after
that peak summer break, our heatbreaks can actually slow our
early growth rates. So there are some considerations
between whether or not you're going to direct so and whether
(04:39):
or not you're going to transplant.
And we want to time our plantings so that these crops
mature as the days begin to cooland not earlier than that.
The second consideration is the number of daylight hours and
photo periodism, right? So as we shift from summer into
the fall, the sun's daily path shortens.
(05:02):
And so by late October, in a lotof latitudes, a lot of the areas
are falling below that 10 hours of daylight.
We're a little bit later than that here, but not by much.
And our research shows that photosynthesis slows
dramatically once we get below that 10 hours.
(05:23):
So Elliot Coleman, who is sort of the father of four season
gardening termed this the Persephone period.
And so you know, that's what we just refer to it as the
Persephone period. Once you hit that Persephone
period that that daylight hours below 10, the growth rates slow,
leaf production drops, root growth suffers.
(05:46):
So when you're planting late, you know you're planting in the
fall as all these changes are happening.
Some plants may actually need almost double the amount of time
to reach their harvest if they are planted too late.
So this is a a real thing and itcan really reduce your yield
(06:07):
dramatically if you don't get the timing right.
And then the third considerationis soil moisture and sort of
your microclimate. So after it's been really hot
all summer and we start to move into those cooler days, the soil
just retains moisture better. You have lower evaporation, so
that means we're watering less #1 and we also have sort of
(06:29):
better early root growth. Now, of course, a lot of this
can be mitigated in the summer garden with a lot of layers of
mulch. But you know, regardless of the
mulch, those cooler temperaturesare going to help facilitate
this. And on the flip side of this,
you know, if you live somewhere where your rainy season is the
fall, those fall rains can also bring mold or just really wet
(06:53):
soil consistently. And that can be kind of risky
for young transplants. So you have to watch out for
fungal diseases. And we also have to make sure
that we're planting in well draining beds or raised areas if
you are somewhere where you do get a lot of fall rain.
So all of this translates into sort of the idea that fall
gardening is more than just spring in reverse, right?
(07:17):
It's we're not just doing the opposite of what we did or
repeating what we did in the spring.
It, it, it really is its own season.
And so we kind of have to recalibrate our timing and our
variety selection and the way that we care for these spring,
these fall crops. Now don't let that scare you
because I do maintain that the fall garden is a bit more hands
(07:42):
off. It is not nearly as time
intensive or labor intensive as the spring garden.
In my experiences, there tend tobe fewer weeds because just like
those daylight hours are waitingfor the plants that we're trying
to grow and it's also waiting for the weeds too.
So that is also meaning that they are not growing as quickly
(08:03):
as they normally would like theydo in the spring and the summer
garden. And also you have fewer of those
weed seeds getting in there and sprouting as quickly.
So that is very helpful. We also tend to see fewer pest
issues as well. And let's be honest, when it
starts to cool off a little bit out there, like it just makes
gardening a little bit more enjoyable, right?
So I am all about the fall garden.
(08:25):
Just we just have to understand that it really is its own
season. It's not like a little, you
know, repeat of spring, only in reverse.
So the first thing that we have to do is sort of create this
countdown method that tells us when it is that we're supposed
to start our fall seedlings. And this generally begins if you
(08:46):
are in an area that gets frost. We start with our frost states.
So most gardeners know what their last frost date is in the
spring, right? Because we're all itching to get
out there and get our first plants in the ground and we're
trying to make make sure that you know, they don't run the
risk of of getting frosted before they get a chance to take
(09:08):
off. If you've never gardened for
fall, then you may not be payingas close of attention to your
first frost date in the fall. So that's where we have to
start. You need to know your zone's
first frost date, so sources like your Extension Service are
great ways to find this. You can go to the Old Farmer's
(09:30):
Almanac online or any one of theclimate tracker apps and find
your average first frost date. This is the date where the
temperatures dip to 32°F or 0 Celsius or below.
So for example, my zone typically sees the first frost
right around October 20th or so.We'll see whether or not that
(09:52):
moves a little bit this year. You know, our our last frost in
the spring was way earlier than it normally has been and that's
been two years in a row now thatthat has happened.
So I think last year I'd have togo back and check our notes, but
I think last year our first hardfrost was later than that
(10:12):
October 20th date. So this is not a hard and fast.
This is just a guideline to let you know you know how to time
when to get these crops in the ground, which helps you time
when to get those seeds started.OK, And this is going to tell
you a couple of different things.
(10:33):
You have to decide this based onwhat it is that you're growing,
because some of these crops thatyou want to grow for the fall
are perfectly fine with the frost.
In fact, they taste better afterthey've had a frost.
So this frost date is just a point of reference for you for.
OK, yes, there are things that need to be to maturity before
that date so you can get them harvested and out of the garden,
(10:53):
like lettuces that can't really handle a hard freeze.
But if you have, you know, brassicas that are OK with a
light frost or if you have season extension, which we'll
talk about here in a little bit.Have you had frosted spinach?
Like spinach that has had frost is so much sweeter and is so
much better than any other type of spinach.
(11:13):
Carrots that have had the groundget really cold, you know, it
concentrates those sugars and they just taste so much better.
So this isn't saying that, oh, gosh, the garden's going to be
done at your first frost date. It just means you have to be
cognizant of what that date is and know which crops need to go
in when based on that date, OK. And once we know that, then we
are going to understand when we start these crops.
(11:36):
So the second, the second thing that we have to think about in
this is understanding the days to maturity for what it is that
we're going to grow. So this is usually printed on
the seed packet and it's usuallycalibrated for optimal spring
conditions. So those days that are
lengthening and the soils that are warming, OK, that's speeding
(11:57):
up the growth of those plants inthe spring.
The opposite is true for the fall garden.
That growth is going to be slower.
So our days to maturity isn't actually going to equal that
sort of perfect spring timing anymore.
So it's up to us to adjust it. So this is the fall buffer
(12:18):
factor and the research and you know, extension services and
stuff basically have sort of given us these adjustments as
fall approaches. And it's all based on the
planting window before your first frost date.
So if whatever it is that you'replanting right, has a maturity
date, that means you are planting more than 11 weeks
(12:39):
before your first frost date, then you generally only have to
add about 10% to the number of days to maturity.
Once you get to like that eight to 10 week time frame, then
you're looking at a 20% buffer. For five to seven weeks you're
looking at a 40% buffer. So the closer we get to when
those crops are planted near ourfrost date, the more days to
(13:03):
maturity we have to add to that and understand how long it's
going to take these crops to actually get to maturity.
So let me let me give you an example of this to kind of help
explain this because I know it can be kind of confusing.
And I'm going to put all of thisinformation in the show notes.
So when this episode is posted, you can go over to the website
and you can go into the show notes and you will see all of
(13:25):
this information in there. But essentially, if you have
like spinach and the spinach packet says that it gets to
maturity in 45 days and you're frustrated is like mine, it's
October 20th. All right, Well, 45 days is
about 6 1/2 weeks. That is in that five to seven
(13:45):
week zone. Well, at five to seven weeks, we
need to add a 40% buffer, OK, soyou've got 45 days, you know,
multiply that by 40%, add it to the 45 days and what do we have?
We have 63 days. So if we are trying to harvest
our spinach or have it to maturity by October 20th, that
(14:08):
first frost date so that we can continue to harvest after that.
But we know it's going to be to maturity and we also know we're
going to be losing our daylight hours.
So there's not going to be a tonof growth after that.
So our goal is to get the spinach to maturity by October
20th. Well, now we know it's going to
take 63 days for that spinach toget to maturity, not the 45
(14:29):
days. So we have to start counting
backwards from October 20th. Well, 63 days puts us at August
18th for an outdoor transplant date.
If you're starting your seeds indoors, we also have to take
into account growing the seedlings plus hardening them
(14:51):
off before that August 18th date.
So we have to add those extra days back in there so that we're
not scrambling around because westill have to harden these
plants off before they go out inthe garden just the same way
that we do in the springtime. It's easy to sort of forget that
step when we are planning when these seeds need to be started.
Now, could you direct sow your spinach on on that August 18th
(15:15):
date? Yes, but you're likely going to
miss the window a little bit. So I know we're talking all
about indoor seeds starting today, but keep this in mind
too, that when you're deciding whether or not you're going to
direct sow something or you're going to transplant something,
you have to take into consideration that the number of
days to maturity on a seed packet is from the time it
(15:36):
either germinates. And I think generally speaking,
they, they mean it germinates and it has its first set of true
leaves, right? Or for the transplant date or
from the transplant date. So either way, even if you're
direct sowing, you're still going to have to add some time
back on that that transplant date of August 18th because you
(15:58):
have to account for how long it takes for that seed to germinate
and get its first true leaves. So you're still probably having
to add, you know, about 10 days there, which is about the same
amount of time that you would have to add for your for
hardening off those seedlings. OK.
And the reason that those dates are very similar to each other
(16:19):
is because when we transplant, we have to account for the
transplant shock to happen because we know once we set
those plants in, they're not going to immediately take off
and start growing again. No matter how well you have
harvested them off, no matter harvested them, no matter how
well you have hardened them off and no matter how great the soil
(16:40):
is, they still need to settle in.
That takes 10 days, sometimes two weeks for them to start
their growth again. So regardless of whether we're
doing this directly sowing or we're, you know, trying to
figure out a date for our indoorseed starting, the dates are
going to be around the same. OK, so let's just keep that in
mind as we're talking about thisprocess.
(17:00):
Roses love water. The correct amount of water
helps them grow and promotes large, long lasting flowers with
rich color and the thick, sturdypetals.
Water transports nutrients to the Rose through both the roots
and the leaves. When watering your rose plants,
remember these tips, especially in the summertime.
Water your roses early in the day, right at the soil level to
(17:22):
help prevent diseases like blackspot.
If it's been exceptionally dry and dusty, you can spray your
rose Bush with water once per week if needed.
On a sunny day, a spray nozzle will provide enough force to
clear the leaves of dust and dirt and spider mites and other
insects, especially if your areahasn't seen any recent rainfall.
Avoid routinely wetting the foliage though, especially when
(17:46):
it's overcast, because this could encourage and spread
disease. Of course, the best roses start
with the best roots and HeirloomRoses sells only healthy virus
free own root roses and they guarantee your success in the
first year. They are a family owned company
that invests in not just their roses and their employees, but
also in us the customer. They're friendly rose experts,
(18:07):
are available year round to answer questions, and there are
guides and tutorials on their website in case you ever or get
lost about what you should be doing with your roses and the
different stages of growth and different times of the year.
Get your own beautiful healthy rose from heirloomroses.com.
I'm using code Just Grow to save20% on your purchase.
(18:28):
heirloomroses.com use code just Grow.
The link is in the show notes. So when we start to calculate
these seeds, starting dates, I like to use a visual timeline of
some sort. You can use a spreadsheet to
figure this out. I just take my calendar out and
I figure it out. So you go through and basically
go on to your calendar and mark this date that you just figured
(18:50):
out, right? So August 18th was our spinach
example. So then we're going to add our
hardening off, you know, acclimatization sort of period
there. So 10 to 14 days prior to
transplanting for the seed to adapt to their outdoor, you
know, light and weather conditions.
I like to stick to about 10 daysat the Max just because two
(19:11):
weeks tends to, you know, sort of over harden them off and then
it tends to get them a little bit more in terms of transplant
shock. It's it's kind of a weird
phenomenon, but I like to stick with about 10 days.
So that's going to bring your indoor seedlings finish date
basically to August 8th. So that means you need to take
(19:32):
into consideration the amount oftime that takes for those seeds
to germinate and how long it takes to grow them on.
So to get their early growth andget those true leaf stages
going. So we have that August 8th time
frame of when we want to start hardening them off to get them
outside. Now we have to take into
consideration how long does it take to germinate?
How long are we growing them on?Well, lettuce and spinach
(19:55):
usually needs about four weeks, sometimes six weeks, depending
on the conditions indoors to getgerminated and get up and get
growing and get those first few true leaves before you put them
outside to harden off. Longer, you know, lived crops,
or I should say crops that take longer to mature, things like
(20:15):
broccoli or cauliflower, we're generally looking at like 6 to 8
weeks indoors. And then so like cabbages or
things like that that might be even longer, we're looking at 8
to 12 weeks. So for spinach, you know, we're
using spinach as our example, then we're going to want to
count back six weeks from that August 8th deadline of getting
(20:36):
them finished and getting them to harden off, which puts us at
June 27th as our indoor startingdate, which I have already
passed. So it's a good thing that I plan
on just starting my seeds directly out in the garden.
This is an option for you depending on what it is that you
(20:57):
are growing. And obviously there's a lot of
things that you just really don't ever want to start indoors
anyway that are just better started in place.
But, you know, this is one of the things where how much time
do you have to devote to gettingthe seeds started indoors?
How much space do you have to devote at this time of the year
to those seedlings? You can help to, you know, think
(21:18):
about those things and figure out whether or not you're
actually going to just start them directly in the ground.
So instead of the June 27th indoor seed starting date, I am
just moving forward and I am going to that August 8th date
and that's when I will direct sow my seeds.
OK, so let's use a different example.
(21:39):
Maybe broccoli is a good one. If it's got 75 days to maturity,
that's around 10 weeks or so. At that 8 to 10 weeks before
frost date, we end up adding a 20% buffer.
OK, so when we figure that out, we ends up being 90 days.
So to figure out our target transplant date, we have that
October 20th, we go back 90 days.
(22:01):
That gives us a July 22nd date for transplanting.
So then if we want those seeds to get 6 to 8 weeks indoors to
sprouts and to get their first true leaves and then we have to
add the hardening off, then thatmeans we're starting those seeds
(22:22):
around late May to early June for our broccoli.
OK, so you see how this is working.
You figure out how long it takesfor them to get to maturity in
the spring, figure out how many weeks that is, go back through
our list, our chart and see, OK,how many weeks before frost
we're going to be planting those.
We add that buffer to account for the slow growth because of
(22:45):
the fall and then we work backwards from that.
So you know it counting backwards from the the days to
maturity and accounting for our hardening off for about 10 days
and how long it takes for us to start to sprout those seedlings
and to grow them on. And of course, we kind of like
to layer on successions in this too.
So if you're doing lettuce and you don't want all your lettuce
(23:07):
coming on at once, you know whenwe have successions like that,
you can sew your lettuce every or start your lettuce every two
to three weeks indoors so that you can actually transplant them
at those times that is appropriate for you.
So that you are harvesting everytwo to three weeks.
It helps to sort of smooth the harvest out and it kind of
hedges your bets a little bit for your timeline.
(23:29):
So let's talk some specific plants.
I group them by maturity and sort of complexity so that you
can customize this based on yourgoals for your fast growing
ones. The ones that mature 30 to 40
days or so, all of your baby greens, your lettuces, your
arugula, these are all sort of our fall here.
They are very quick, they are very forgiving.
(23:50):
They are really good for succession sewing and they sort
of balance out the garden a little bit because even if
you're not interested in growingthese to eat a ton of them, they
also make really good trap cropsfor the other things that you
might want to be growing. So those are maybe some of the
ones that are in our sort of midrange here where it's like they
take between 50 and 80 days to mature.
(24:10):
Things like kale, Swiss Chard, your broccoli, your cauliflower,
you definitely want to plan thatfull buffer for these.
And depending on where you are and what your first frost date
is, they also sometimes can do really well with some extra row
cover or maybe some low tunnels that you can put over them,
(24:30):
especially to protect them. Just post transplant to cover
them or shade them a little bit.Because again, we're going to be
planting these in the heat of the summertime and so we might
need to give them a little bit extra protection and then you
might need to put that protection back out there again
once we get into that sort of frost time frame to be able to
(24:51):
extend your season a little bit.We'll talk about here that here
in a second. And then you've got sort of
longer season crops that are, you know, good for transplanting
into the the fall garden, thingslike your cabbages and like your
Brussels sprouts. Now if your zone is really
short, like zone 3 or 4, then you actually have to add an
extra 2 to 3 weeks to that buffer.
(25:13):
So these may actually need extraprotection into the late fall to
protect them from the really hard freezes in some of these
zones. So let's talk to you my short
season gardeners, for those of you who only have fewer than 120
frost free days. So like zone 3, zone 4, right?
This is all about you. The The thing is, you are likely
(25:34):
going to have to start indoors early and often.
So your long maturing groups, the crops are probably going to
need about 12 to 14 weeks beforeyour first frost to really build
those resilient seedlings and get them transplanted.
Even if these aren't ready for transplant until later, at least
you have healthy stock ready when that window of opportunity
kind of opens up. Season extension for you is
(25:54):
really, really important. So utilizing row covers and cold
frames and like little mini, youknow, Caterpillar tunnels or
hoops, even if it just pushes your harvest window by like 2
weeks, that can actually make orbreak your things that maybe are
late maturing. Like broccoli.
You know, broccoli doesn't love a hard freeze, but if your
(26:17):
season is really short and you need to get it in really early
because you need that extra buffer time, they may not be
ready by the time you start having your first few frosts.
And so if you can use those row covers, that's going to extend
your season a little bit and letyou get that broccoli to
maturity before it really startsto freeze hard.
You also just may want to chooseshort season varieties or
(26:38):
varieties that are suitable for overwintering.
A lot of times it'll say it on the packet that it's actually an
overwintering variety. So you know, if you're looking
at spinach, you might choose like a Bloomsdale spinach that's
only 45 days or a Flamenco kale that's only 55 days.
Things that are really fast versus, you know, something
that's like a 70 day heirloom orsomething like that, right?
Go for those quick maturing varieties.
(27:01):
And just remember once that day length dips below 10 hours, we
hit that Persephone period. Depending on your latitude,
you're locked in, your growth isgoing to slow.
So you either have to have matured those crops before this
point or you need to have a little bit of a backup plan.
So if the frost shows up but thesoil hasn't frozen yet, you can
(27:22):
continue to harvest those cold Hardy greens like the kale and
the Chard or the collards. They'll actually keep until like
down to -10 Fahrenheit if you keep them with some row covers.
If this is not really, you know,relating to seeds starting in
terms of indoor seeds starting, but if you're using like root
crops like beets or carrots, youcan actually kind of store those
(27:42):
in place in the garden until that ground starts to freeze.
Just use some heavy straw mulch and some row covers.
And then once the ground does start to freeze, then you can
pull them and move them into cold storage.
That kind of extends your seasona little bit too.
But those aren't things that we're starting indoors, or at
least we shouldn't be starting indoors to transplant out the
outside. Those should definitely be
planted directly into the soil, regardless of where it is you
(28:06):
are growing. In terms of zone, how you're
growing or how you garden does make a little bit of a
difference. If you are gardening in in
ground beds, know that that soilis going to start to cool down
more quickly in the fall, which means that you can plant
Midsummer seedlings for the fallcrops.
(28:27):
And you want to kind of top yourbed with some compost and some
amendments like in early in early August to kind of get
these things, your beds preparedfor these transplants.
If you are in raised beds, you're going to your soil is
going to continue to fluctuate quite a bit more.
You know, those in the in groundbeds have just more mass to
(28:50):
them. And so the heat from the rays
from the sun are tending to dissipate a little bit better.
When you're in raised beds and you have that lower volume of
soil, it can fluctuate a lot more.
So you have a really, really, really hot day and it's going to
get hot. Generally speaking, those late
summer rays are going to continue to keep that soil
(29:11):
warmer. So keep in mind that if you are
planting fast maturing crops like lettuces, they can handle
being transplanted a little bit later in the summer to kind of
protect them from a lot of that heat and that fluctuation.
So it might be a few weeks laterin a raised bed than it would be
(29:32):
in an in ground bed just for thesake of the plants honestly.
And then if you were somebody who was growing in like small
containers, this is actually kind of ideal because you can
move them to the ideal locationsfor sunlight, but also for
temperature. So if you're transplanting into
small containers that are movable, put those things in the
(29:52):
shade and transplant your plantsand slowly begin to move them
out into that summer sun for your fall crops.
You also can move them indoors if you get to like your fall
frost date and they're not readyyet, you can move them indoors
and just kind of consider some supplemental light, You know,
especially even if you're not ina frost area and but you get
(30:15):
down below 10 hours a day, you hit that Persephone period and
all that growth has slowed. Well, you might just bring them
in the house and throw some cheap LE DS over top and boom,
there you go. You get to extend your season.
So I mentioned the broccoli and the window for seed starting
being in early June and transplanting on July 22nd.
(30:39):
The problem in my area is I havestruggled with this year after
year after year because it is still very, very hot here at the
end of July. And I don't have a really good
way historically to make sure that those ceilings get
consistently watered while they're being settled in.
(31:00):
And I often need to add some sunprotection of some sort to
protect them from sun skull during that time.
And as a result of this, sometimes I have really great
fall broccoli and cauliflower, and sometimes it does nothing at
all. So this year I am direct sewing
my brassicas in the late summer garden for a fall harvest.
(31:25):
I'm going to be pulling back thestraw mulch and amending the
beds, putting the mulch back andjust sort of making these
pockets in the mulch where I'm going to direct sew.
I know that the germination is going to happen very, very
quickly because that summer garden soil is still going to be
very, very warm. It's almost akin to having the
heat lats on in your seed starting area and warming that
(31:49):
soil up to its ideal temperaturewhen you plant.
The same thing is going to happen out there in the summer
garden with these warm temperatures.
I just have to make sure that I keep that area watered enough
while I'm waiting for those seeds to sprout, which should
only take a few days given how warm it's going to be.
So the mulch is going to help with that, and I do have a way
(32:09):
to get to water them. And I think this is going to
actually help reduce the amount of watering that I have to do
after they have sprouted becausethey're already going to be
acclimated to the spaces where they sprout, right?
Versus having to wait a good twoweeks as I water and kind of,
you know, help mitigate that transplant shock in really
(32:33):
scorching heat in late July. So that's what I'm going to do.
I am going to, you know, work with doing some direct sewing
instead of doing some transplanting of those crops.
And I'm going to focus my transplants and my seed starting
area solely towards the faster maturing things that I can put
out there just a little bit later.
(32:56):
So planting for fall is absolutely an experiment, I
mean, from year to year to year.And so this is another way where
you just kind of need to use your garden journal and figure
out what worked well and what didn't and understand that this
is a learning experience and noteverything is going to go.
I mean, it might go perfectly well for you the first time.
(33:17):
I mean, I'd love that for you. But if experience has told me
anything and that's not the way this is going to go.
So don't get discouraged if you try it and you go and transplant
these plants and it's like, Oh my gosh, they look awful and
they they all burn up. It's just a matter of figuring
out the timing. But I promise you the fall
garden is absolutely worth it. OK, so here's your summary.
(33:42):
Look up your first frost date inthe fall.
Figure out what crops it is thatyou want to grow and check their
days to maturity. Adjust those dates to maturity
based on that fall buffer percentage.
I will list that in the show notes.
Set your transplant deadline by counting back from that frost
date and then add in that hardening off buffer.
(34:04):
Plan your indoor sow date based on the seed to transplant time
frame. And then if you need to use some
season extenders to kind of stretch that harvest window
window out. Just make sure that you are
keeping notes of all of this that you know where to go the
next time. It's it's easy to kind of
pinpoint what went wrong. And yes, of course, the weather
(34:26):
can be unpredictable. And from one season to another,
you know, your July or August temperatures may fluctuate quite
a bit. But once you get the hang of
this, you kind of know how long you can wait to get things into
the garden before they get to maturity too late or how early
you can get them in and, you know, really get them settled in
(34:49):
and, and how much heat they can really stand.
Right. So next week we're going to talk
a little bit more about the summer garden and the
successions that you can plant to keep that going right now.
And then the following week we're going to go back to
talking about the fall garden. We're going to talk about your
fall garden plan. I talk about the fall garden
(35:09):
every year at this time and I know it can sometimes be a big
step for new gardeners or even experienced gardeners who have
like never tried it before because it does take some
planning and proper timing. But it really can be a great
time of year to garden. So I hope, you know, this
episode has given you the confidence to kind of get some
seeds started for the fall garden, whether you've got 200
(35:31):
growing days or just barely a couple, you know, a couple of
weeks or a few weeks. The link to my seed to sprout
course will be in the show notesso that you can check that out.
Until next time, my gardening friends, keep on cultivating
that dream garden, and we'll talk again soon.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Law & Order: Criminal Justice System - Season 1 & Season 2
Season Two Out Now! Law & Order: Criminal Justice System tells the real stories behind the landmark cases that have shaped how the most dangerous and influential criminals in America are prosecuted. In its second season, the series tackles the threat of terrorism in the United States. From the rise of extremist political groups in the 60s to domestic lone wolves in the modern day, we explore how organizations like the FBI and Joint Terrorism Take Force have evolved to fight back against a multitude of terrorist threats.