13 Ways to Beat the Heat

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

Whether you use shade screens or not, be sure to remove weeds to reduce competition for limited moisture. Ripening fruits demand huge loads of water and nutrients, so pick thoroughly and often to make it easier for the plants to keep up with the business of staying alive.

When to Plant for Fall Harvesting

Many of the best crops of fall — including salad greens and various cabbage cousins — will refuse to germinate in soil warmer than 85 degrees, so the seeds are best started indoors (on a 90-degree day, surface soil temperatures may actually be 110 degrees or more). The procedure for growing seedlings is the same as in spring (see Seed Starting Basics), but care for transplanted seedlings requires some extra hardware. Insect pressure in late summer is severe, so use homemade or purchased lightweight row covers to exclude critters. (See The No-Spray Way to Protect Plants) It helps to shade each seedling with a light-colored flowerpot, pail or other cover for two to three days after transplanting. Protected from scorching sun, the seedlings can concentrate on growing reliable roots.

To determine your optimum dates for sowing fall crops, add three weeks to the “days to maturity” ratings given on the seed pack to compensate for days that are getting shorter. Then count back from your first frost to find the date you should sow each crop. (To find your average first fall frost date, search for “frost dates” in the box above.) Cool-season plants will continue to grow a little after nights turn chilly, but they will make most of their new growth early on, while the weather is still warm.

Cabbage and broccoli seedlings need to be planted at least eight weeks before the first fall frost, and as long as their roots are kept moist, they seem to benefit from a spell of hot weather as late summer days become shorter. When set out so late that they miss the last warm spells, cabbage cousins tend to stop growing too soon. Whether you’re working with seedlings you grew yourself or bought at a store, get them in the ground as soon as you can.

Improving Germination

You may be able to direct-seed fast-growing kohlrabi and kale only six weeks before your first frost arrives. Leafy greens, such as arugula, spinach, lettuce and Asian mustards, are easy and fast to grow from seeds sown right in the garden. Root crops, such as carrots, beets, radishes and turnips, grow best from seeds tucked into moist garden soil. As the ground cools in September, lettuce can be put back onto the planting list too.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print