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Now Is Time To Get Ready For That Fall Garden

This year, many gardeners celebrated spring by planting a vegetable garden and were rewarded with a bountiful harvest. Others were disappointed with a smaller than expected harvest and too many problems to count. Both groups of gardeners should rejoice! The hot weather may not indicate it, but it’s time to begin a fall vegetable garden.

But before we enjoy a fall harvest, there’s work to be done preparing the fall vegetable garden. Gardeners must take action now–drastic action. Some of those plants that have been nurtured from “babies” in the spring to monsters now must be pulled out. It is recommended that most plants, but especially weeds, be removed. Leave the okra, cherry tomatoes and beans if the foliage is healthy and they are still producing.

Large-fruited tomatoes may have some small ones still hanging on, but, unless you have at least 10-20 good-sized fruit, pull them out. The largest, best tomatoes you had this spring were the first ones produced. The tomato plant has gotten old, diseased, and damaged by insects; it will never produce an abundance again. Pull the old plants up and discard them.

The next step is to decide if your garden is in the right location. The major consideration for garden placement is sunlight. All vegetables require some sunlight; the most popular vegetables require full sun. “Full” sun means at least eight hours of intense, direct exposure. If such exposure is not received by crops such as tomatoes, peppers and squash (vegetables that contain seed), the plants grow spindly, they have weak stems, drop blooms and are generally nonproductive.

Some leafy vegetables such as broccoli, collards, spinach, and lettuce tolerate shadier conditions than other vegetables, but if your garden does not receive at least six hours of sunlight daily, you will not be successful growing vegetables.

Another key to a successful harvest is proper soil preparation. In Northwest Florida, most soils are less than perfect for vegetable production. So we must improve our soil through the addition of organic amendments.

Adding liberal amounts of organic matter to all types of garden soils is a highly recommended practice. Compost, rotten grass clippings, or leaves applied to the garden surface two to four inches deep and tilled or worked into the soil, greatly improve sands or clays.

After adding organic amendments, its best to wait several weeks before planting. Extremely fresh organic material, when introduced to the native soil, causes a rapid increase in the numbers of soil microorganisms. These soil microbes reach tremendous numbers as they help to decompose or break down the organic materials to a more usable form. If young plants or seeds are planted while these microbes are highly active, there is a good chance that they will experience nitrogen deficiency, root rot or seedling blights.

A small amount of fertilizer can also be applied during soil preparation. This may be helpful if the organic amendments are too fresh. A little extra nitrogen will help speed up microbial activity.

Some gardeners will also amend the soil with lime during bed preparation. While lime may be necessary in some situations, don’t add it until you’ve had a pH test run by a reliable lab. Too much lime in the soil may be just as bad as too little. A high pH, caused by excessive lime, can cause many problems such as making some nutrients unavailable to plants. So, keep in mind the old adage, “Don’t guess, soil test!”

So, even though the temperatures are unbearable, it’s time to prepare for the fall garden. Stay tuned for future articles on vegetable gardens in Northwest Florida.

Theresa Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County