It ain’t over yet… late season vegetable options
by Gail Cocker, Master Gardener
As the growing season winds down and the days are getting shorter and cooler, do you have a sense of relief in knowing that your garden labour is nearly over? Or are you yearning to keep the harvest going right into October? For the energetic few who are into extending the growing season, take heart. Late summer is an ideal time to plant a second harvest.
The simplest way to extend your harvest is to plant another crop of cool season veggies. In our garden zone, if you plant by mid August you should have seven weeks of growing before our first frost (generally the first week of October). With a little planning and some inexpensive materials, gardeners can keep harvesting and growing fresh, delicious vegetables from fall through to October.
Direct seed carrots, beets, lettuce and radish by mid August for a fall vegetable garden. Beets and carrots tolerate a little frost and near freezing temperatures. Lettuce and many other greens grow best in cool weather but will need cover to survive frost. Many lettuce varieties have been bred to withstand cold temperatures. Names such as ‘Arctic King’ and ‘North Pole’ and ‘Rouge d’Hiver’ or ‘Winter Destiny’ give a clue to their cool season attributes. Other cool season greens include kale and arugula. French sorrel is another hardy winter green which will survive in pickable form with only minimal mulch protecting its roots. Smooth-leaf spinach, curly leaf parsley and Italian flat leaf parsley also grow contentedly as the temperatures drop. Asian Greens or mustard greens will tolerate poor soil, freezing and snow. Best direct sown in August, use the thinnings in salads or stir-fries. Misuna, TahTsai, Giant red Mustard, contain calcium, iron and beauty in a single package. You can still direct sow seeds for these salad plants in late August, so that the young greens become established before the weather cools.
Mache is the classic cold-weather salad green and can be used like lettuce as the major ingredient of a salad. Mache germinates and grows best in cool soils and can be slow to germinate if the soil is warm. If it is hot in August, cover the rows with boards and keep them moist to create cool, shady conditions, Check everyday and remove the boards as soon as the plants appear.
In mid September once the weather has cooled, create a small greenhouse-like structure over your later sown veggies. Cover with wire hoops and row cover fabric, (note not insect netting, row cover fabric is heavy duty and can protect plants to temperatures as low as 5 ̊C). Row cover fabric is made of spun- bonded polypropylene sold under trade names such as “Agribon” or “Agrofabric” or “garden blanket” and is available at most nurseries.
In early September, sow spinach for a spring harvest once the soil is below 21 ̊C. Spinach will grow throughout the winter if protected with a thick five-inch mulch (or cold frame). Remember to remove the mulch in spring once temps rise above 10 ̊C.
Plant garlic and shallots in mid-late October for next year’s crop. Choose a sunny, well-drained location and dig in compost or composted manure before planting. Like onions, shallots and garlic appreciate loose, rich, weed-free soil. Separate shallot bulbs and plant individual sections with the points up about one inch deep so that the tips just peek through the soil (garlic buds around 2-3 inches deep), and 4-6 inches apart. Water after planting to help the soil settle around the bulbs. Mulch with a 3-4-inch layer of straw or leaves to keep them cozy for the winter months and to prevent weeds from competing next spring. Pull the mulch back in early spring once the ground thaws to encourage growth.
Shallots need about 120 days to grow and mature and are one of the easier members of the onion family, being relatively trouble free and easy to grow. They should be ready to dig up in early summer. Garlic will be ready to harvest in July once you see the tips of the leaf sheaths turning brown.
Consider this: Plant a fall cover crop such as oats or crimson clover (August) annual rye, vetch, or winter wheat (September) as your vegetable crops mature and your garden beds empty. Your garden will thank you with improved yields next year.
This series of gardening articles are brought to you by the Simcoe County Master Gardeners, members of the Master Gardeners of Ontario. For more information, visit www.simcoecountymg.ca.
