Don’t let those spaces go to weeds, put them to use for fall greens! Planting now can give you another crop well into fall, some after several frosts. There are many that actually do better planted late. The very warm weather in June and early July caused some of the spring greens to bolt early and go to seed prematurely.
Prepare the seed bed as you do in the spring. Give it a little till, breaking up any clumps of dirt, and smooth it out as you do in the spring. By this time of year it may need a boost of fertilizer also. If you use bagged fertilizer, spread it on the seed bed and till in lightly. If you use manure, till it in as well, a little deeper so the roots will find it.
The favorites for fall greens are lettuce and spinach. Most of the lettuces do very well planted now and grow quickly so you can have fresh greens up through the first light frosts. Most of the loose-leaf lettuce mixes are very good. If you prefer butterheads, they should make it too. One of the things about the romaine lettuces is that they may not have time to form heads but they can certainly be grown as cut-and-come-again.
Spinach is probably the most frost tolerant of all. I have had years when the first snow could be brushed away and the spinach just kept on until a hard freeze. Some of the spinach has a longer maturity so select those with 40-50 day maturity. If you want, spinach can be harvested until a freeze, covered with mulch and will be the first to green up in the spring. Fleece row covers can extend the season much longer.
Radishes also do very well in the fall. Some varieties have as little as a 30-day maturity while others such as daikons need twice that. Most will germinate very quickly and as long as you keep them watered, they will be ready to eat in as little as a month. They also tolerate a light frost.
Time is probably past for starting crops like kale, chard, broccoli, or Brussels sprouts as they take too long to mature. The exception is Chinese cabbage that can be planted now and harvested very late. Choose a variety like Soloist with a short maturity for us northern gardeners.
If you really want to have fresh greens as late as possible, consider planting in a cloche. We have a raised bed that is four-feet wide and has holes for hoops that hold the plastic up from the bed. It takes a bit of care to open it when the sun comes out. Even on cold days the plants inside can get cooked. Cover when the temperature at night falls below freezing. Adding that layer of fleece row cover can give you additional fresh produce from your own garden. We have eaten greens into December some years using that method of growing.
So don’t give up yet, there is still a lot of growing to do!
These local garden articles will reach you each week throughout the gardening season, but also click on "Yard and Garden” at the University of Minnesota Extension website -- www.extension.umn.edu -- for gardening information, or visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Beltramicountymastergardeners.
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August 05, 2020 at 08:00PM
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MASTER GARDENERS: Lettuce eat greens this fall - Bemidji Pioneer
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