Tip of the Week — 9/2/08
Posted in Gardening Tips on September 2 2008, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
Extending Your Harvest
Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education at The New York Botanical Garden.
As September rolls in your tomatoes will start looking tired and your summer squashes will be looking the worse for wear. While it is time to pull some things out, the season is far from over. Extending your harvest is fairly simple.
Timing is important. Read the seed packet for the days to maturity and count backward from the first frost date in your area. Remember that the fall is cooler so everything grows more slowly. Your vegetables will be smaller—but small also means tender.
What are some good candidates for planting? Loose-leaf lettuces are ideal for a fall sowing. They love the cool weather and are a fast-growing crop. Wait until the middle or end of August and start sowing them in the garden.
Turnips and beets make superb late-season crops. They are tender when young. Young beet greens are delicious in a salad or steamed.
“Cole crops” (cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, and broccoli) can withstand a light frost. They grow well in the fall and can be planted as a second crop either from seed or transplant in mid-July to late August. By the time these vegetables are maturing, it is nice and cool.
Summer squash and bush beans are prolific. With a single sowing they easily exhaust themselves by mid-summer, so why not try growing more in two separate sowings? Plant a second crop in mid- to late-July for a late-season treat.