As the temperature our still raging around a new growing season approaches, the Fall and Winter garden. Our fall and winter garden is going to placed with our sun patient garden where my Sunflower Salvation were. For my fall garden I choose cauliflower, swiss chard and cabbage. On average all of these plants need sun and take about 6-9 weeks till it is time to harvest them. For each section there is only room for one plant in each area, I count my space prior to buying the seedlings from the store so I know the exact amount to get. To prepare our little garden section for our fall crops I first irrigate the section. I use a garden fork to loosen, lift and turn over the soil in gardening spot. This helps to loosen the soil so it makes it easier to plant each plant when you are digging your holes. The first in my fall garden series is cauliflower this vegetable takes 8 to 10 weeks if planted in the summer and 4 to 5 weeks to produce as a fall crop. Cauliflower is very sensitive to the temperature it can causes premature heads to form so planning the right time is important. You can grow this for a seed, but I have a cat who keeps eating all my seedlings the second they sprout so I use a sprouted plants. If you are planting seeds plant them ½ to ¾ inches deep in a row 3 to 6 inches apart. As with all plants when starting with a seed I do not advice more than eight seeds per 1 foot in a row. If you are like me and planting a plant then plant them at least 36 inches apart. When watering water every 5 to 7 day make sure to do it at the base, and try ot to overwater this can cause the plant to stress out. You will know when your cauliflower is ready to harvest when the heads have matured to become white, compact and about 6 inches in diameter. Cut the cauliflower head from the plant with a large knife, make sure to leave at least one set of leaves to protect the head. Once you cut the main head you can still harvest little florets after the first big harvest. The next part of our garden is swiss chard which is a beautiful addition that is very easy to grow. Like cauliflower takes 6 weeks, but can also take less than even as less than 4 weeks. They can be planted at any time as long as it is not winter. It is a hardy crop that can last for an entire year sometimes even through a light frost in some areas they can also be perineal. Try to plant your garden in an area for full sun not Florida full sun, but normal full sun. Swiss chard seeds need to be at least ½ to 1 inch deep, and about 2 to 6 inches apart, in rows 18 to 24 inches apart. Again only 8 seeds so that you are not overcrowding. When watering this plant remember that it does dry out which causes the plant to turn bitter so make sure you water it a lot. Putting mulch around the plants will help to keep moisture in the plant. You can harvest the leaves at any point in time, size does not matter just harvest from the outer leaves. The last plant in our fall garden is cabbage it is another cold weather crop. Like the above plants you can either plant after the first frost or just as the weather begins to cool. If you are going the seed route start the seeds 12 to 14 weeks before your intended planting date. Then transplant the seedlings to the garden when they are 4 to 6 weeks old planting them 12 inches deep and 18 to 24 inches apart. Just like with the above plants you can add mulch around the plant to keep the moisture in the plant. Just make sure you do not over water them to prevent splitting in the leaves. Stop watering the cabbages one week before you are ready to harvest them. The huge difference between the above plants and cabbage is it takes any where between 3-24 weeks till it is time to harvest. You start harvesting the cabbage when the main head feel firm and is usually a hand big. Like cauliflower it will continue to produce smaller heads after the main head has been harvested. “The master of the garden is the one who waters it, trims the branches, plants the seeds, and pulls the weeds. If you merely stroll through the garden, you are but an acolyte.”
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Our GardenJoin us on our gardening journey. We are trying to grow our own food. Archives
November 2023
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