Fall Planting, 2010

Plants That Produce

Get Ready For Fall Planting!

By Richard Frost

In a word, the weather this year in San Diego County has been “mild”. If that trend continues then the coming months should provide excellent weather for Fall and Winter garden crops. If you are thinking about what soil to use, then consider last months’ column on “Soils”. Feed your leafy veggies a liquid or water-soluble fertilizer with significant nitrogen for growth, potassium for structure, and make sure it is relatively low on phosphate (the middle number). Keep in mind that the most common cause of “bolting” in vegetables and herbs is the use of animal manures as a soil supplement.

Chard is a good choice for planting in September while it is still warm. Rainbow chard is very popular but don’t ignore the unique individual flavors of red or gold leaf. The traditional Italian Silver Rib is my personal favorite.

The leafy Brassicas grow well during mild Fall weather and over-winter very well in the coastal areas. These include Kale, Mustard Greens (Rapeseed), Cabbages, Bok Choy, and Mizu-Na (Mizuna). A few Brassica herbs are also worth planting at this time, including perennial Arugula (aka Wild Arugula, Sylvetta Arugula) Diplotaxis tenuifolia.

Lettuces truly thrive on cool daytime weather with colder (50-degree) night time temperatures. They do well in modest size pots, troughs, and garden beds. In terms of taxonomy, there are over 50 unique species of lettuce in the Genus Lactuca, and among them a few thousand hybrids. Don’t be shy about leaving room for lettuce or trying a seemingly “new” variety.

Mâche is a broadleaf member of the Valerian family with a very mild taste. It is easy to grow in the fall and early spring. Mâche is popular in salads for children but I also recommend it for sandwiches.

Parsley and other members of the Carrot family (Apiaceae) can do well in cool weather – especially the perennials such as Lovage. Carrots themselves can be a fast crop if you choose the smaller varieties. I encourage to be daring and grow some round carrots this year!

Don’t forget to plant peas late in the fall for a crop early next spring. I know all you ornamental gardeners enjoy the flowers of non-edible sweet peas – but this year try something different and plant one of the colorful fruiting varieties such as Painted Lady. I like to grow peas on my tomato lattices – that is, as the tomato plants are fading I plant the peas and get year-round use from the supports.

Asparagus is another great vegetable to plant if you haven’t already. Keep in mind that it has invasive rhizomes much like Bermuda grass or bamboo. I grow it in pots for this reason and many people use a small dedicated raised bed. Cut it back early and often so that the rhizomes are constantly sending up new, larger shoots. Alternately let the shoots develop foliage vs. harvesting the new shoots.

Alas, there are many garden herbs such as oregano and thyme that are uncomfortable in cold weather. They are shallow rooted plants that over-extend themselves during the warmth of the summer and cannot cope during winter. Cut them back about two thirds but make sure the plant still has a significant amount of leaves for photosynthesis. Take your cuttings indoors and dry them for flavor treats all winter long.

SDHS member Richard Frost is a certified edible gardening nut. For copies of past articles and more information, please see www.PlantsThatProduce.com.

Reprinted with permission from September 2010 "Let's Talk Plants," the newsletter of the San Diego Horticultural Society, www.sdhortsoc.org