Eisley Nursery

GETTIN’ DIRTY with the Garden Goddesses…

GETTIN’ DIRTY with the Garden Goddesses…
By Earlene Eisley-Freeman and Cyndi Davis

The tomatoes and peppers are beginning to be harvested, the zucchini is starting to come faster than it can be eaten, and the pumpkins are starting to size up. So what to do in the garden besides weed, water and harvest?
How about planning where you are going to put the fall and winter vegetables – Yes it is already time to think about planting for the next season! Earle, our vegetable garden guru (and nursery owner), plants the first part of his fall and winter garden this month! August 15 is the day he plants his carrot, beet and pea seeds for harvest before Thanksgiving. Turnip seeds usually get planted about September 1. His favorites are Sugar Snap Peas and either Red Core Chantenay or Danvers Half Long Carrots.
Then on Labor Day weekend the rest of his fall garden goes it – that includes broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, chard and pak choi. It’s also a good time to set out onion seedlings, and leaf crops like lettuce, kale and spinach. The benefits to planting in late summer and early fall are that the soil is still warm so that plants take off and get going strong before the cold weather sets in, and yet the nights are cooling down enough that the plants are not stressed by too much warm weather.
Some of us are lucky enough to have a large enough area to have separate winter and summer gardens, but if that is not the case in your yard, think about pulling out the almost done (white fly or spider mite infested) beans or zucchini or cucumbers, and using that space for some fall veggies. Onion, garlic and shallot sets don’t need to be put out until late September or October, so you can squeeze them in between the still producing tomatoes, peppers and eggplants where they get a little shade while they get going. Then before they need more space, it will be time to cut down the larger summer plants to make room for the new stuff. Lettuce, spinach and hardy herbs can also be stuck into small spaces where they will be able to grow big once the other stuff is gone.
Just remember that the summer crops have used up the nutrients in the soil and that you need to amend and fertilize again to give your next crops the nutrients they need to grow! The fall and winter garden can be a whole new experience, and doesn’t need nearly as much watering and pest-enforcement as the summer crops. So if you are enjoying your summer bounty of crops, don’t stop now – the fun is just beginning!!!

Earlene Eisley-Freeman and Cyndi Davis can be found at Eisley Nursery in Auburn, 380 Nevada St., 530-885-5163.