The fall garden: cool, welcoming, and--with a little planning--highly productive.
The arrival of high summer is one of the turning points of the garden season. While we have enjoyed long, luxurious daylight for nearly two months, that will soon change–and fast! A month from now, our days will be a full two hours shorter, and the first hint of fall coolness will likely visit during a starry night or two.
This process of shrinking daylight will continue until December. Its primary effect on the garden is slowed plant growth. While in spring the lengthening daylight encourages faster and faster growth of young seedlings, the same cool-season crops grown for fall harvest require about two extra weeks to reach harvest size due to the steadily reducing sunlight.
For this reason, it’s important to start crops for fall harvest well before it actually feels like fall. They just won’t grow fast enough otherwise.
Not sure what to plant for fall–or when? Here are a few specific examples.
Cukes and Zukes and Green Beans. This is the last chance to sow some more green beans, cucumbers, and summer squash; seeds sown now will mature from mid-September into October. The quality of these crops in fall is much better from July sowings than from older plantings, so don’t hesitate–sow today!
Fall Peas. Growing peas in the fall is trickier than growing them in the spring–primarily because the young plants love cool temperatures. They need to be sown by the end of July for a decent harvest, which means they need irrigation and–if possible–shading to pull through the heat of high summer. Once cooler weather sets in, though, they thrive, and you can achieve a harvest that, though always less than the spring peas, is still a great bounty.
Lettuce. Lettuce sown from now until early September will achieve full size before deep freeze conditions set in. The later you sow lettuce, the more you should focus on dense sowings of baby-leaf mixes rather than going for big heads. Fall sown lettuce (late September and early October) will overwinter with a little mulch for your earliest April and May eating (or earlier if grown under row cover).
Turnips. Sow in early- to mid-August for harvest in late October. So sweet and delicious in fall, you’ll want to grow them every year.
Asian Greens. Sow bok choy, tatsoi, and other Asian Greens in the Mustard family from now until late August–or even later. Many of these crops hang on tenaciously through cold spells; fall crops will delight you with their sweet flavor and (relative) lack of damage from flea beetles.
Kale and Collards. Start as soon as possible in order to get as large leaves as possible before the plants “shut down” as day length diminishes in November. These crops can be harvested until the new year, even when covered in snow. Well worth the effort–and so much sweeter and appealing in the fall than in the summer.
Radishes. Sow in late August or early September, depending on variety; daikons can be sown earlier. Do a few sowings in succession for smallest, best-flavored roots into November. Roots get bigger in the fall and do not bolt, so be prepared to roast some if they swell before you get the chance to harvest them.
From front to back: flowering Parsnip, Mikola lettuce, Cress, Radish, Arugula, Peas, Hoophouse
Summer is undoubtedly here. Unlike last year, when it remained ambiguously cool from the summer solstice until the autumnal equinox, the summer of 2010 is shaping up to be the real deal: hot, sunny, and dry. While this makes for terrific beach and vacation weather, it poses some challenges to the garden. Many of the cool-loving crops are petering out earlier this year: the peas are drying on the vine a good week or two before they did last year, and even crops that normally survive the summer just fine may be looking ragged.
It’s important to irrigate your garden–especially if the dry weather continues much longer. Our normally moist silty soil is drying out more than we’ve seen in our three years on the site, and we are now spending large amounts of time dragging sprinklers from spot to spot. The beneficial effects of the water are quickly apparent: small seedlings grow quickly, and wilting older plants revive.
It’s also time to begin sowing for the fall garden. The fall garden is one of the most satisfying endeavors a gardener can undertake. Many of the plants that we all rush to start in spring suffer and disappear as the weather moves headlong into summer. Those same crops, when sown at the proper time for fall harvest, will last for weeks–even months–in the fall garden, all with less weed pressure, fewer pests to deal with, and no scorching sun and requisite watering. Plant some Piracicaba Broccoli now and have fresh picking for most of October and November. Plant snap peas–and keep them well-watered or even shaded for the next six weeks–and you’ll have crunchy peas to munch on while you behold the fall colors. Plant zucchini and cucumbers, and you’ll have good, young, healthy crops until frost. While enthusiasm may wane for gardening in the heat of summertime, be diligent now and you’ll be rewarded with endless delicacies during the cooler months to come.
What are we up to on the farm?
Isolating peppers. Peppers cross-pollinate readily; in order to harvest seeds that produce crops that are true to the variety, they must be isolated from other varieties. We do this with bent 1/2″ EMT conduit and row cover.
Harvesting our first flush of seed crops. We’ve harvested mache and chervil seed, a small batch of chive seed, and garlic. Over the next week we anticipate harvesting winter wheat (Arapahoe variety), parsnip seeds, and various peas. Seed of radishes, arugula, garden cress, Chinese Cabbage, and lots more is soon to come.
Starting our fall crops. We’ve started plenty of fall cabbages for our own eating and are starting all remaining brassicas this evening (except tatsoi and bok choy, both of which grow so quickly they are best started a little later–a sowing today would give great results, but more in the late summer than the fall, so we’ll probably re-sow in late July or early August).
Stringing up tomatoes. Tomatoes love this dry heat, and the results are apparent in the suddenly very robust plants most of us are seeing. We have found a little early blight in our fields already–on the most mature plants, generally–but this is a type of alternaria seen nearly every year and is a far less destructive disease than last year’s late blight (which is caused by a different fungi: phytophthora infestans). So far, we’ve seen few reports of late blight in the northeast, and the hot, dry weather makes a serious outbreak more and more unlikely every day. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed that this good luck continues, and soon enough we’ll be awash in tomatoes like we are most years.
Hope everyone is enjoying the summer and the steady stream of good eating coming in the from the garden these days. Remember: it’s important to keep on sowing in order to have your garden be healthy and productive into the fall. So brave the heat, ignore the weeds if necessary, and get those seeds planted to keep you in fresh food from now until the winter solstice.
This radish image is from a late 1800s Rice Seeds trading card.
One of the first crops to come out of the spring garden is the humble radish: small, crunchy, brightly colored, and sharply flavored. Many people accept the radish harvest somewhat begrudgingly. The roots have none of the allure of the more sweet crops to come later in the season, such as carrots and tomatoes, but they are ready in May, determined and hairy-leaved harbingers of the harvest to come. They are few gardeners’ favorite crops, but they give hope and fresh crunchy texture when little else from the garden does.
Surely the standard American treatment of radishes–eaten fresh only, sliced thinly in salads–is to blame for this lack of excitement, as radishes served this way stay very sharp in flavor, demanding a dressing or sweet counterpoint. While a radish adornment on a salad can indeed be tasty, radishes that are roasted or steamed are a whole other experience: their flavor is mellowed and sweeter, and their texture is remarkably juicy. Dressed with your favorite seasonings, they sing of spring and good garden eating.
The radish is also highly versatile in the garden. Most varieties mature in about six weeks, which make them one of the fastest of all garden crops. Sown in early April, they are ready by mid-May. Because of this quick maturity, they can be sown alongside slower crops such as carrots or tomatoes or peas. The radish harvest will cede space and soil nutrition to the slowpokes right when they are ready for it. They do not hold well in the soil in spring: they swell from the good-eating stage to the pithy stage within a week. It’s best to harvest all the radishes when they are just ready to eat and then store them in the fridge; they will keep for several weeks as long as you remove the greens first. (The greens are edible and are really nice in soups or stir-fried with the steamed roots.) For steady fresh radishes, sow in succession until about June 1st, then start again in August for a fall crop, which will hold much more nicely in the cooling soils of autumn.
We are officially snowed in and powered out. It’s beautiful and calm here, except for the cracks and crashing of large limbs and small trees. We’re being told that we will not have electricity for 2-3 days. We will not be able to process orders until the power is back on. Sorry for any delays. We’ll get packing as soon as we can.
Another Wednesday, another snow-covered landscape. But this one is sloppy, with big wet globs of slushy, sticky, snow dropping noisily from tree limbs and roof eaves. More is on the way, they say, but I (like you, too?) am seeing right through winter’s waning days, staring straight into springtime. And I’m bringing a bunch of plants along with me.
Starting seeds early, when done right, is one of the most satisfying aspects of gardening. To see young, green shoots perk up through the soil while winter carries on outside is incredibly gratifying. It’s as if spring begins as soon as the first cotyledons (first leaves) pop open. It’s also an essential part of growing tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and other crops, which otherwise don’t have a long enough season in northern climates to mature much ripe fruit.
For the home gardener lacking a heated greenhouse, there are two main ways to start seeds under protection: indoors or in a cold frame. We’ll take a look at both strategies.
STARTING SEEDLINGS INDOORS
Our friend Kerry Trueman demonstrates her own indoor seed-starting technique–with decopage!–in this great video. Check out retrovore.com for more New York-based food and gardening content.
For many gardeners, starting seeds indoors is the preferred, tried-and-true method. However, despite what most people believe, to be successful requires more than just a sunny windowsill. Successful indoor seed-starting requires the following components.
WARMTH. Most seeds will germinate within a fairly wide range of different temperatures. However, the swiftest germination takes place for most seeds of annual crops when soil temperatures are in the 70-80 degree range. The most notable exception to this is lettuce, which prefers a cooler temperature range of 60-70 degrees. Warmth is usually provided either by locating your seed-starting set-up strategically (near a woodstove or radiator, usually) or using a propagation mat, an electrical device that supplies bottom heat to the undersides of trays. In most cases an interior temperature of 60-70 degrees is not warm enough for quick germination, but seeds usually will germinate eventually (lack of supplemental heat is especially detrimental to peppers and eggplants, both of which are REALLY SLOW to germinate when left at room temperature).
MOISTURE. Seeds sown indoors are easy to water, but be sure to locate the seeds somewhere where you’ll be free to water liberally when needed. Watering can create drips and mess, and if you put the set-up in a pristine living room you risk being too precious about things to get done what has to get done.
LIGHT. For nearly all varieties (except lettuce), a sunny windowsill just doesn’t cut it. There do exist rare, due-south, full-sun, bay windows that just might cut it. But for most situations, extra light is necessary when starting seeds indoors. The most affordable way to provide this is to purchase a shop-light fluorescent fixture and suspend it within 1-2 inches of the emerging seedlings. Run it for 12-14 hours every day. And if you can set it up against a window, so much the better.
HARDENING OFF. Seedlings grown indoors are incredibly tender and sensitive, as they are subjected to neither the temperature swings nor breezes found outdoors. If you were to move them directly from the house to the garden, the shock would severely damage or kill them. Indoor-grown seedlings require full hardening off: a period of about 3-7 days when the seedlings are exposed in increasing doses to the natural elements. Start with a couple hours the first day, and gradually work your way up to 8 or 12 hours before transplanting them. Be sure to take on this process at the correct time for each variety.
Summary: Starting seeds indoors is convenient and accessible to all gardeners. Little time or money needed for infrastructure. Supplemental lighting is almost always necessary: don’t skip it! Seedlings grown indoors are ultra-tender and require careful hardening off.
STARTING SEEDLINGS IN A COLD FRAME
A homemade cold frame produced from easily obtained materials. Instructions on how to build this cold frame will be posted soon.
A cold frame is a simple structure placed in the garden that features structural sides (usually made of wood) and a top made of a transparent material such as clear plastic or glass. Starting seeds in a cold frame eliminates several of the difficulties of starting seeds indoors. However, it requires a small investment of time and money in the construction of the cold frame and careful attention on cold nights. Here’s a brief run down of what you need to know for successful cold-frame seed-starting.
WARMTH. From early March on, cold frames warm up significantly almost every day. When unvented, the interior temperature can easily top 90 degrees on a sunny day. The soil in seedling trays or soil blocks absorbs much of the solar radiation and heat, and the soil easily reaches temperatures that initiate seed germination. However, on cold nights the cold frame provides only 10-15 degrees of protection (depending on wind and the previous day’s high), so providing a bit of heat to stave off frost overnight is sometimes necessary. Sometimes throwing some old wool or polyester blankets on top can be enough; sometimes running a light bulb or Christmas lights within the box can do it. Generally some extra heat is wise if the outside temperature is predicted to drop below about 26 degrees and the frame contains frost-sensitive seedlings such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, basil, and certain flowers. (A cold frame with only brassicas and lettuces and greens will need no additional heat.) On sunny or warm days, venting is necessary–anything from cracking the lid to removing it entirely. Keep a thermometer handy: experiment a bit and you’ll get the hang of it.
MOISTURE. Seeds sown in a cold frame can be watered with abandon–no mess to worry about. Do monitor the seedlings at the end of the afternoon, as solar heat and breezes from venting can cause rapid moisture loss on a warm or sunny days.
LIGHT. When you use a cold frame, the mighty sun takes care of your light requirements: no supplementation is necessary. Just be sure to place the cold frame in a spot that gets full sun exposure. (Keep in mind that leafless trees will fill out and shade the cold frame before tender seedlings can be put in the garden.)
HARDENING OFF. Seedlings grown from the start in a cold frame require almost no hardening off, as they are exposed to temperature swings and breezes from a young age. Maybe give them one or two days of resting in a semi-protected spot outside of the cold frame before putting them in the ground; other than that, you’re golden!
Summary: Cold frames provide an ideal environment for seed-starting. Gardeners are assured ample natural light and need not bother with much hardening off before transplanting. Cold nights are an issue: gardeners must monitor for sub-26 temps and provide additional insulation or supplemental heat on those nights if frost-tender crops are in the cold frame.
Nothing welcomes spring like a cold frame full of seedlings.
Hi winter-weary gardeners! We’ve finally had our first really nice snow of the season here in the mid-Hudson Valley–about five inches of fluffy, soft, and brilliant white flaky powder. It’s great and all, but it’s mid-February, and my heart and mind are on spring.
We decided that it’s high-time to put up more general gardening how-to information on the site, and we’ve decided to use the blog to do so.
Our first effort: a six-part series on seed-starting basics, to be posted every Wednesday for the next six weeks.
The first topic is… (drumroll, please)…
Crafting a Seed-Starting Schedule
From the soft comfort of a fireside rocking chair, your garden holds endless possibilities. You can picture–taste, even–the sweet tang of your certain bushels of tomatoes, the crisp crunch of cucumbers, the melting delicateness of a pile of stir-fried snow peas. All of this dreaming is essential–and at least partly true–but luckily February moves along, and wispy garden dreams must solidify into concrete garden plans if you hope to bring your visions to fruition, so to speak.
There are many garden plans to be made–questions of fencing, fertility, and size, among countless others–but one of the most vital is planning your schedule for starting seeds.
The key information to establishing your plan is your last spring frost date. This date is the average last day that gardeners can expect a frost to visit their garden. Here in the Mid-Hudson Valley, this date is about May 10th. However, this date differs significantly throughout the state (see this link from Cornell for an enlightening map), and it is also often refuted by actual fact: in both 2008 and 2009, for example, much of the Hudson Valley experienced a late May frost strong enough to damage frost-tender crops significantly. Still, we need a starting point, and the last frost date is it. (Outside NYS? Check out this link for extremely thorough frost and freeze data from throughout the country.)
Below is a rough schedule of spring seed-starting tasks in our region. For gardeners in the NYC metro area, you can start seeds about two or three weeks earlier than listed; for gardeners north and west of the Hudson Valley, you can start seeds about one week later than listed. Live elsewhere? Modify the chart by figuring out the difference between your frost date and May 10th, then adjust your plantings by that increment in either direction.
This table is a work in progress (it’s also too busy-looking for my taste–but it’ll have to do for now). It is not meant to be prescriptive; it just lists sowing and transplanting opportunities for each of the main spring planting weeks. Many flowers and herbs are not yet included, and probably a few veggies are missing, too. Share your preferred planting dates in the comments, and let me know what’s missing–I’ll update this as much as I can over the next week or two. Enjoy!
“Under Protection” means in a cold frame, greenhouse, or indoors with supplemental lighting.
Week Starting…
Seed-Starting Opportunities in the Mid-Hudson Valley (May 10th Frost Date)
Under Protection: Arugula, Spring Raab, Parsley, Onions, Leeks, Scallions, Chives, Garlic Chives, Celery, Celeriac, Artichoke
March 14th
Under Protection: Lettuce, early Cabbage, Kale, Collards, Broccoli, Arugula, Spring Raab, Parsley, Onions, Leeks, Scallions, Chives, Garlic Chives, Celery, Celeriac Direct Sow: Spinach, Peas, Arugula, Spring/Summer Onions
March 21st
Under Protection: Peppers, Tomatoes, Eggplant, Chard, Lettuce, early Cabbage, Kale, Collards, Broccoli, Tatsoi, Bok Choy, Arugula, Spring Raab, Parsley, Scallions, Chives, Garlic Chives Direct Sow: Radishes, Spinach, Peas, Arugula, Spring/Summer Onions
March 28th
Under Protection: Peppers, Tomatoes, Eggplant, Chard, Lettuce, early Cabbage, Kale, Collards, Broccoli, Tatsoi, Bok Choy, Arugula, Spring Raab, Parsley, Scallions, Chives, Garlic Chives Direct Sow: Spring Raab, Radishes, Spinach, Peas, Arugula, Spring/Summer Onions
April 7th
Under Protection: Peppers, Tomatoes, Eggplant, Chard, Lettuce, early Cabbage, Kale, Collards, Broccoli, Tatsoi, Bok Choy, Arugula, Spring Raab, Parsley, Scallions, Chives, Garlic Chives Direct Sow: Spring Raab, Radishes, Spinach, Peas, Arugula, Spring/Summer Onions
April 14th
Under Protection: Peppers, Tomatoes, Eggplant, Chard, Lettuce, early Cabbage, Kale, Collards, Broccoli, Tatsoi, Bok Choy, Arugula, Spring Raab, Parsley, Scallions, Chives, Garlic Chives Direct Sow: Lettuce, Carrots, Parsnips, Spring Raab, Radishes, Spinach, Peas, Arugula, Spring/Summer Onions Transplant:Lettuce, Spring Raab, Parsley, Scallions, Chives, Garlic Chives
April 21st
Under Protection: Chard, Peppers, Tomatoes, Eggplant, Lettuce, early Cabbage, Kale, Collards, Broccoli, Tatsoi, Bok Choy, Arugula, Spring Raab, Parsley, Scallions, Chives, Garlic Chives Direct Sow: Chard, Beets, Lettuce, Carrots, Parsnips, Spring Raab, Radishes, Spinach, Peas, Arugula, Spring/Summer Onions Transplant:Lettuce, Spring Raab, Parsley, Scallions, Chives, Garlic Chives
April 28th
Under Protection: Peppers, Tomatoes, Eggplant, early Cabbage, Kale, Collards, Broccoli, Tatsoi, Bok Choy, Arugula, Spring Raab, Parsley, Scallions, Chives, Garlic Chives Direct Sow: Chard, Beets, Lettuce, Carrots, Parsnips, Spring Raab, Radishes, Spinach, Peas, Arugula, Spring/Summer Onions Transplant: early Cabbage, Kale, Collards, Broccoli, Tatsoi, Bok Choy, Arugula, Lettuce, Spring Raab, Parsley, Scallions, Chives, Garlic Chives
May 7th
Under Protection: Okra, Cucumbers, Melons, Squash, main season Cabbage, Tomatoes, Tatsoi, Bok Choy Direct Sow: Chard, Beets, Corn, Lettuce, Carrots, Parsnips, Radishes, Spinach, Peas, Arugula Transplant: early Cabbage, Kale, Collards, Broccoli, Tatsoi, Bok Choy, Arugula, Lettuce, Spring Raab, Parsley, Scallions, Chives, Garlic Chives
May 14th
Under Protection: Okra, Cucumbers, Melons, Squash, main season Cabbage, Tomatoes, Tatsoi, Bok Choy Direct Sow: Chard, Beets, Beans, Corn, Lettuce, Carrots, Parsnips, Radishes, Spinach, Peas, Arugula, Spring Raab Transplant: early Cabbage, Kale, Collards, Broccoli, Tatsoi, Bok Choy, Arugula, Lettuce, Parsley, Scallions, Chives, Garlic Chives
May 21st
Under Protection: Okra, Cucumbers, Melons, Squash, main season Cabbage, Tomatoes Direct Sow: Beans, Corn, Lettuce, Carrots, Parsnips, Arugula Transplant: Tomatoes, early Cabbage, Kale, Collards, Broccoli, Tatsoi, Bok Choy, Arugula, Lettuce, Parsley, Scallions, Chives, Garlic Chives
May 28th
Under Protection: Okra, Melons Direct Sow: Cucumbers, Squash, Beans, Corn, Lettuce, Carrots, Parsnips, Arugula Transplant: Cucumbers, Squash, Peppers, Eggplant, Tomatoes, Kale Collards, Tatsoi, Bok Choy, Arugula, Parsley, Scallions, Chives, Garlic Chives
June 7th
Direct Sow: Okra, Melons, Cucumbers, Squash, Beans, Corn, Lettuce, Carrots, Parsnips, Arugula Transplant: Okra, Melons, Cucumbers, Squash, Peppers, Eggplant, Tomatoes, main season Cabbage
We’re approaching mid-February, and the season of seed-starting is upon us. We’ve loaded up on potting soil for making our soil blocks and starting seeds (thanks to McEnroe Organic Farm in Millerton), and we’ve taken advantage of the recent spell of clear days and remarkably bare ground to do some pre-spring cleaning around the property. Dump runs have been made (we’re embarassed to say that months-old refuse from the autumn construction of the office was among the recently tossed debris), laundry has been air-dried outside (how does it still smell so fresh in the middle of winter?), and the greenhouse has been re-visited (though not yet cleaned–this week!). In short: we’re in full-fledged spring anticipation mode. Soon this will give way to frenetic non-stop whirling work mode, but for now we’re still chomping at the bit. (more…)
Our Imbolc present to retailers: Our new display racks for Garden and Library Packs, made by our friend Rustic Stu.
Well, folks–we’ve made it! No, winter’s not over yet. Though we did have a nice January thaw, the searing cold seems to have returned. But what’s gone for good–or at least another ten months or so–are the ultra-short deep winter days of December and January. The light is beginning to linger in the evenings, just a little, and we’re approaching one of the eight turning points of the calendar year: the day half-way between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, the day the ancient Celts called Imbolc. (Never heard of it? Check out this Wikipedia article. In America, we celebrate a much diminished version of this holiday as Groundhog Day.) (more…)
Kate surveys the inventory before it heads to our storage room.
Hi folks! Just wanted to give everybody an update on how things are going around here during this (surprisingly balmy) late January.
We’ve received plenty of January orders, for which we are very grateful! Our shipping season began this week, and by Thursday the 21st we’d managed to get out about a third of all orders received so far. We anticipate nearly all remaining orders will be shipped today (Friday the 22nd) or Monday (the 25th). Thanks for your patience and understanding; our business model doesn’t give us much down time anywhere during the calendar year, but early January is the best window we can find for a brief hiatus. In future years, we hope to be able to afford coverage during this window, too, but much depends on the success of this year’s seed-selling season (so please spread the word to anyone you think might be interested in our project!).
Last year’s surge of interest in gardening–combined with the difficult weather much of the nation experienced last season–has taxed seed resources nationwide, with companies everywhere experiencing more early-season backorders than in previous years. So, unfortunately, we have more Garden Packs currently on backorder than we would like to see. If you’ve never ordered seed from a mail-order company before, please rest assured that varieties go on backorder every year–it’s nothing to worry about. If you do order a backordered variety, we will send it to you as soon as it is in stock. You don’t need to track it; it will arrive at your shipping address when it is available. If we are unable to get you the backordered items by the end of March (tomatoes and peppers, as well as cool season crops) or by the beginning of May (beans, corn, and other tender direct-sown crops), we will let you know immediately and refund that portion of your order.
Friends and helpers Kate, Linda-Brook, Aileah, and Erin wind down a seed-packing marathon.
Two Library Packs have done a switcharoo and become Garden Packs; this is because the locally grown seed for these varieties fared poorly in germination tests. So, commercial seed has to be obtained. It was a bummer to discover that these great varieties didn’t cut the mustard, but overall we’re very happy: our germ tests for the year have just concluded and, excepting these two let-downs, they were a resounding success.
A final note: Planting and seed-saving instructions for all varieties will be updated and current on the website by the third week of February, the earliest any of our varieties can be started in the Hudson Valley and similar climate areas. Do check in for detailed, thorough, fun-to-read growing instructions tailored to upstate New York and the metro New York area.
Thanks again for your support, and do not hesitate to e-mail us with any questions or concerns via our contact form.
p.s. We love our customers! What other seed company can report that its top-selling seed of the year so far is a ground cherry?!
