Get It Planted Now

Get It Planted NOW

By Joseph Parish

Most people think that when August and September rolls around in Delaware, it is too late to start planting any crops however nothing can be further from the truth. Delaware is in zone 7, so here in Southern Delaware we don’t usually feel the extreme effects of winter and even then, it is usually mild. This means fresh garden produce towards the end of most states crowing season.

Our summer days may be getting shorter, but that doesn’t have to command the end of our gardening fun. You may be seeing the final pickings of your fresh garden tomatoes, however, there are plenty of other vegetables waiting to be grown in our neck of the woods. By planting a fall garden, you are able to successfully extend your gardening activities for several more months. If you have the capabilities you can even extend it further with a greenhouse or cold frames.

Among the usual vegetables available for your fall planting are broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots and cauliflower. Most people who plant lettuce and spinach in the summertime face the possibility of these crops bolting thus the cool fall temperatures are ideal for the crops. I have listed a few crops that you can still get in while the weather is good. I provide this as a guideline only so use the information wisely. Exact data depends upon the last frost date and other information which could vary from 7 days to as much as 10.

To figure your proper planting times determine the possible arrival date for the first killing frost in the fall. Now start counting backwards from that date using your seed maturity time as a guide. Usually the crops take from 90 to 100 days to reach maturity where they can be harvested. This places most vegetables around sometime in July. As an example, Brussels sprouts will take 90-100 days to mature, therefore, they can be planted prior to July 15. Carrots on the other hand mature and can be harvested in 85-95 days. Rutabagas can be planted now and harvested by August 1. Now Beets will take 55-60 days to mature, so you have until the middle of August to pick them. Broccoli varieties mature between 70 and 80 days putting this crop available until around August 15. Varieties of collard greens that mature within 60-100 days can be planted at this time too. Cabbage varieties are able to be planted from the beginning of August to August 15, as are cucumbers, Kohlrabi, turnips, lettuces, mustard, and spinach. Kale and radishes are able to be planted until the middle of September. Onion's take 60 to 80 days for maturity which gives you until September 15 to plant.

In our area October might be cooling down, but it is still relatively frost free therefore some of the crops mentioned can even be started a bit later than suggested. Vegetables such as beets, Swiss chard, kale and kohlrabi can be started in early September. If you were ahead of the game and have some Collards and Cabbage transplants ready to be put in the ground you can do this at this time. During the beginning of September, you can sow Chinese cabbage, parsley, peas and turnips. Leaf lettuce is able to be sown until the beginning of October along with mustard greens and radishes.

To successfully grow your crops during these later dates, you should be prepared to cover your vegetable beds with row cover of some sort or if you are growing individual plants you can use milk jugs. If a hard freeze is predicted, heavily mulch around any root crops.

So, as you can readily see you are not at the mercy of Mother Nature so get out there and sow your seeds NOW.

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