Fall Garden Notes -- September 16, 2016

I might as well move on to the Fall garden since the only thing we're still picking from the summer garden is peppers, and fall starts next week!

We've been busy putting in the fall garden for the past week, and as of last night, we're done! Just watering and waiting for it to grow now.  I will be spending some time mulching around the plants as they emerge, and I want to get some cloth cover for the cabbages to protect them from insects, but that's about it.

Let's see -- here's what's in the garden:

• Green Shanghai Choy - Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
• Extra Dwarf Pak Choy - Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
• Bak Choy - SeedsNow.com

I put these all on paper napkins with Elmer's glue to keep them spaced properly. I think this step really helps me when it's time to put them out with these tiny seeds. (And, face it, it's so much easier to sit in the air conditioning in the house to do this, then to kneel down and put these tiny seeds in the ground out in the heat.)

• Georgia Southern Collards - Seedsnow.com
• Bolthardy Beets - Seedsnow.com
• Early Wonder Beets - Seedsnow.com
• Detroit Dark Red Beets - Ferry Morse Seeds (don't buy these - I have since found that they are owned by Monsanto, so I'll not buy their seeds again.)

• Kuroda Carrots - Seedsnow.com
• Chantenay Red Core Carrots - Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
• Rainbow Carrots - Johnny's Selected Seeds

And here's something new to us this year - we've never grown shelling peas before, but anxious to see how they do!

• Strike Shelling Peas - Johnny's Selected Seeds
• Little Marvel Peas - Seedsnow.com

Seeds going into the rows

The peas went in over a week ago, and are already up and growing.  I was a little worried that it might be too warm yet for them, but they seem quite happy.

• Gonzales Cabbage F1 - Johnny's Selected Seeds

I had planted these along with several other types in Jiffy pots to assure their germination and had a lot of frustration with all of them. The Gonzales were the only ones I had any success with. Not sure if it was the medium I used or what, but I was happy to get about 12 of these to transplant out into the garden.

• Nero Di'Toscana Kale - Territorial Seeds
• Lacinato Kale - Seedsnow.com
• Tronchuda Kale - Johnny's Selected Seeds
• Vates Kale - Seedsnow.com
• Siberian Dwarf Kale - some older seeds I had (?)
• Red Russian Kale - same, older seeds (?)

These were all started in Jiffy pots, too, and all germinated well, even my old seeds. The starts have all been planted out in the garden now.

• Red Kitten Spinach - Territorial Seeds
• Palco Spinach - Territorial Seeds
• Regiment Spinach - Territorial Seeds
• Matador Viking Spinach - Seedsnow.com
• Winter Giant Spinach - Seedsnow.com

These were all direct seeded and are up and growing already.  I have nothing but trouble with spinach in the spring garden, but the fall garden may be a better time for them.  I sure hope so!

• Winter Density Lettuce - Seedsnow.com
• Monte Carlo Lettuce - Johnny's Selected Seeds
• Crisphead Lettuce - Seedsnow.com
• Valmaine Lettuce - Territorial Seeds
• Dark Green Romaine Lettuce - Seedsnow.com
• Ridgeline Lettuce - Johnny's Selected Seeds 

These were glued to my seed mats earlier and then direct seeded to the garden.  They are all up and growing already!

And finally the broccoli and cauliflowers.  I pre-germinated these in jiffy pots, too, since many of these were pretty old seeds.  They mostly did fine, so I've also planted these out in the garden.  Fingers crossed!

Rapini Broccoli - Seedsnow.com
Green Goliath Broccoli - old seeds
Igloo Cauliflower - old seeds
All Year Cauliflower - Dollar store seeds! ha! they actually sprouted!
Veronica Cauliflower - old seeds

As soon as these tiny plants get a little bigger, I'll be mulching around all of them with hay. The automatic watering system is all in (thanks, John!) so now it's just watch, weed, and wait! Now, on to planting the potted garden.

 Bed C

 Peas!

Bed A

 The peppers are still chugging along

Tomatoes coming back for a final show