Fall Gardening Brings Refreshed Gardens and Hope

 Emmie Sherry

 Herb and Vegetable Specialist

       Growing vegetables this summer has certainly been a challenge for local gardeners. The excessive heat and lack of rain has taken its toll on my garden this year. Even with daily watering, some of my tomatoes and squash are still showing signs of stress. That means it's time to think about fall gardening! "Fall Gardening" is simply planting new, fresh plants or seeds sometime between mid-July and mid-August for fall harvests of warm season veggies. Cool season vegetable like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts and lettuce can be planted after August 1st.

       There are many vegetables that can be successfully grown in the fall. In fact, many plants thrive and produce more because our fall temperatures are milder. Choosing fast-producing varieties can ensure that you get plenty to harvest before the first fall frost. In the Tulsa area, that usually happens in late October or early November. Cool season vegetables can continue to be harvested even after several frosts. That means veggies planted in mid-late July still have 90 days to produce!

       So hang in there, keep watering, and prune any dead or dying foliage on existing plants. Or, rip out those old and tired things and replace them with some fresh new stuff! We already have yellow squash, cucumber and zucchini at Southwood and next week (July 17th) we will have tomatoes and peppers. The rest of the cool season veggies will follow.

Past Articles:

Indoor Herb Garden

Time to Reflect

Bed Preparation and Soil Amendments

Cool Season Veggies

Vegetable Companion Plants

Gardening in Small Spaces

Tips for First Time Gardeners

Staff Favorites from 2009

Is it Time to Plant or What?

A Little About Tomatoes

Veggie Garden Maintenance

Extending Your Growing Season

Things to Consider When Planting Tomatoes