EHT-056 5/14 Fall Vegetable Gardening Guide Larry Stein and Joe Masabni* ost gardeners plant their vegetables in the After removing the grass, shovel the garden area Mspring to harvest in late spring to early sum- to a depth of 10 to 12 inches. Rototillers will not pen- mer. In most areas of Texas, it is possible to have a etrate adequately, but they can be used to loosen and fall vegetable garden also, but it will need to be man- mix shoveled areas. aged somewhat differently than a spring garden. Spread 1 to 2 inches of coarse, washed sand and 2 to 3 inches of organic matter on the garden surface Locating the garden and till it into the soil to improve the soil’s physical If your spring garden was successful, the same quality. The soil will need to be improved over time location should work well in the fall. When planning rather than in just a season or two. If you are build- a new garden, keep in mind that vegetable crops ing a raised bed garden, don’t skimp on the soil. Use must have at least 8 hours of direct sun each day and weed-free loam or sandy loam soil. should be planted where the soil drains well. Adding fertilizer is the next step. You have two options: Preparing the soil ■ Apply 1 pound of ammonium sulfate (21- 0-0) per 100 square feet (10 feet by 10 feet) If you’re using an established garden area, pull before planting. Then sprinkle 1 tablespoon of out all plant material—the remains of your spring ammonium sulfate around each plant every 3 crop and any weeds that have grown up in the gar- weeks and water it in. den. Don’t put plant residue from a spring garden Or, apply 2 to 3 pounds of a slow-release into your compost bin because it is likely to be con- ■ fertilizer (19-5-9, 21-7-14, or 25-5-10) per 100 taminated with insects and disease pathogens. square feet of garden area. Apply 1 tablespoon For a new garden site, remove all the grass. Just of ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) around each tilling it into the soil will not eliminate all the grass plant every 3 weeks and water it in. This sec- sprigs; they will continue to grow and interfere with ond method should produce a more abundant the garden. Likewise, for a raised garden, remove all harvest, especially with hybrid tomatoes and turf before building the frame and filling it with soil. peppers. Grass and weeds can be killed with an herbicide Do not add too much ammonium sulfate, and that contains glyphosate. Several products are avail- do not put it too close to the plants. It can seriously able, including Roundup® and Kleenup®. damage them. *Professor and Extension Horticulturist, and Assistant Profes- Horse or cattle manure may be substituted for sor and Extension Horticulturist–Vegetables; The Texas A&M commercial fertilizer at a rate of 60 to 80 pounds per University System 100 square feet of garden area. Never use poultry Planting manure on a fall garden. Fall crops generally do better when started from After adding fertilizer, mix the soil thoroughly and transplants than from seed. Transplants should always prepare beds on which to plant rows of vegetables. be used for growing tomatoes and peppers. These beds should be 30 to 36 inches apart so you can move easily through the garden area when the plants The trick to establishing healthy transplants dur- grow larger. Pile and firm the planting beds. ing late summer is to make sure they have plenty of water. Transplants in peat pots or cell packs with Then water the entire garden with a sprinkler restricted root zones require at least 2 weeks for their for at least 2 hours. Allow the area to dry for several root systems to enlarge enough to support active plant days, and it will be ready to plant. Table 1. Average planting dates for fall vegetables in various growing regions of Texas. Vegetables Region I Region II Region III Region IV Region V Beans, snap bush Jul 15 Aug 1 Sep 1 Sep 10 Oct 1 Beans, Lima bush Jul 15 Jul 25 Aug 20 Sep 1 Sep 15 Beets Aug 15 Sep 1 Oct 15 Nov 1 Dec 15 Broccoli Jul 15 Aug 1 Sep 1 Oct 1 Nov 1 Brussels sprouts Jul 15 Aug 1 Sep 1 Oct 1 Nov 1 Cabbage Jul 15 Aug 1 Sep 1 Oct 1 Nov 1 Carrots Jul 15 Aug 15 Nov 10 Nov20 Dec 15 Cauliflower Jul 15 Aug 1 Sep 1 Oct 1 Nov 1 Chard, Swiss Aug 1 Aug 15 Oct 1 Oct 20 Dec 15 Collards Aug 1 Aug 15 Oct 10 Oct 20 Dec 15 Corn, sweet Jul 1 Aug 10 Aug 20 Sep 10 Sep 20 Cucumber Jul 15 Aug 1 Sep 1 Sep 10 Oct 1 Eggplant Jul 1 Jun 15 Jul 1 Jul 10 Aug 1 Garlic (cloves) Jul Aug Oct Nov Dec Kohlrabi Aug 15 Sep 1 Sep 10 Oct 1 Nov 1 Lettuce, leaf Sep 1 Sep 15 Oct 10 Nov 1 Dec 1 Mustard Sep 1 Oct 1 Nov 1 Dec 1 Dec 15 Onion (seed) Not Not Nov 1 Dec 1 Dec 15 recommended recommended Parsley Sep 15 Oct 1 Oct 10 Nov 1 Dec 1 Peas, southern Jun 15 Jul 1 Aug 1 Aug 15 Sep 1 Pepper Jun 1 Jun 15 Jul 1 Jul 15 Aug 1 Potato Not Aug 1 Sep 1 Oct 1 Not recommended recommended Pumpkin Jun 1 Jul 1 Aug 1 Aug 10 Sep 1 Radish Sep 1 Oct 1 Nov 25 Dec 1 Dec 15 Spinach Aug 15 Sep 1 Nov 15 Dec 1 Dec 15 Squash, summer Aug 1 Aug 15 Sep 10 Oct 1 Oct 10 Squash, winter Jun 15 Jul 1 Aug 10 Sep 1 Sep 10 Tomato Jun 1 Jun 15 Jul 1 Jul 10 Aug 1 Turnip Sep 1 Oct 15 Nov 1 Dec 1 Dec 15 2 Table 2. Last optimum dates for seeding or transplanting. Vegetable Region I Region II Region III Region IV Region V Eggplant, peppers, tomato Jun 25 Jul 10 Jul 25 Aug 10 Sep 1 Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Aug 1 Aug 20 Sep 20 Oct 20 Nov 20 cabbage, cauliflower growth. Until that time, they may need to be watered Table 3. Average minimum temperatures for every day or the plants will be stunted or even die. Texas gardening zones. However, too much water is just as harmful as not Texas USDA Average enough. Soaking-wet soil will cause root rotting and gardening Hardiness minimum subsequent stunting or death. So check the soil mois- zone Zone temperature ture by feeling the soil before applying water. If the soil Zone I Zone 6 -10–0°F balls together, it still has enough water; if not, apply Zone II Zone 7 0–10°F water. Buy the largest transplants possible. Even though Zone III Zone 8 10–20°F larger transplants cost more, their root systems will Zone IV Zone 9A 20–25°F spread faster and the plants will produce more fruit Zone V Zone 9B 25–30°F sooner. Or, grow your own larger transplants by plant- ing small ones in potting soil and evenly mixing in slow-release fertilizer pellets such as Osmocote®. Add a water-soluble fertilizer to the irrigation water and place the plants in full sun (with shade after 3 p.m.). Keep the transplants moist, but don’t over-water them. Plant shade-tolerant crops between taller grow- ing vegetables such as tomatoes. Planting at the proper time is probably the most important factor in successful fall gardening. Table 1 lists average planting dates for each region. When making planting decisions, compare the temperature extremes in the USDA Hardiness Zone Map at http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/wildseed/ info/hardiness.jpeg in your area to those of the Texas zones. With these dates in mind, determine which frost-susceptible vegetables to plant, when to plant, and whether to use transplants or seeds. Figure 1. Gardening regions of Texas. Season Frost-susceptible crops Frost-tolerant crops (will be killed or injured by (can withstand temperatures temperatures below 32°F) below 32°F) Early-season vegetables: Bush bean, summer squash Beet, leaf lettuce, mustard, radish, 30 to 60 days to harvest spinach, turnip, turnip green Mid-season vegetables: Cucumber, sweet corn, lima bean, Broccoli, carrots, Chinese cabbage, 60 to 80 days to harvest okra, pepper, cherry tomato green onion, kohlrabi, parsley Late-season vegetables: Cantaloupe, eggplant, Irish potato, Brussels sprouts, bulb onion, cabbage, 80+ days to harvest pumpkin, sweet potato, tomato, cauliflower, garlic watermelon, winter squash 3 Fall vegetable crops are categorized as long-term pea, peppers, Irish potato, sweet potato, squash, and short-term crops. The duration of these crops tomato, and watermelon. depends on the date of the first killing frost and the cold tolerance of the vegetables. Search for these Group the plants according to their frost toler- ance. Plant long-term, frost-tolerant vegetables Texas varieties together. Frost-tolerant vegetables include beet, broc- Although many varieties of garden vegetables coli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, are available, only three or four varieties of any one chard, collard, garlic, kale, lettuce, mustard, onion, vegetable are well suited or adapted to a particular parsley, spinach and turnip. area of Texas. Choose the varieties that are proven to Also, plant short-term, frost-susceptible vegeta- do well in your area of the state.