For people who want to grow more food with less work. 🌱 This is my weekly newsletter loved by 38,000+ subscribers—here's what one of them had to say: "These are not the regular run-of-the-mill garden-based emails. You actually touch on more unusual tidbits that encourage me to keep growing and learning."
what to plant now for an epic fall harvest
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This week I just sowed another round of seeds in my garden (arugula, fava beans, bush beans, and carrots) and tomorrow I'll be starting a few winter-hardy varieties of lettuce, spinach, and kale in my garage to transplant outside in a few weeks. When my garlic crop is harvested in another week or so, I'll sow watermelon radish and black Spanish radish in its place. (These two are winter radish types, so they take a little longer to mature and are meant to be harvested in fall.) This is all going in my fall garden, and I know, it sounds kind of weird—to start a fall garden in summer—but now is the best time to do so! Don't wait until it's too late and daylight hours are waning. You probably have a few tired plants left over from spring (looking at you, peas) and there's now (or soon to be) an empty bed after pulling up your garlic, spinach, and other cool-season crops. Instead of leaving that soil bare or sticking it out with plants that are obviously struggling, replace them! There are many things you can direct sow in the garden in July and even August (in fact, an early frost can improve the flavor of commonly spring-grown vegetables by making them sweeter). So take advantage of the cooler weather ahead...
(I recommend these carrot seeds if your weather is especially hot right now; Nantes types are heat-resistant and grow well through the end of summer when other varieties tend to become stunted.) Holiday sale alert! Peaceful Valley is offering 20% off sitewide through July 6! Take advantage of the deals and stock up on seeds for fall planting. Seasonal tipsFun factThe United States celebrates its semiquincentennial today 🇺🇸 (which is a new word I recently learned), but did you know America's legendary highway, Route 66, celebrates its centennial this year? If you want to experience an all-American road trip this summer that just oozes nostalgia, the National Park Service site has a section dedicated to Route 66 attractions that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. I also wrote a book that honors 100 years of food history on the historic road, from iconic restaurants that predate Route 66 to newer eateries that have built a loyal following among Mother Road enthusiasts. (Several of my featured restaurants are registered as Historic Places!) You can preview it here and read more about my journey writing the book here. Maybe it'll inspire your next adventure! P.S. Midsummer is the ideal time to start your fall garden. This is what I plant every July. P.P.S. Plan your fall garden, log your daily highs and lows, and track what you sowed and when you harvested with my Ultimate Garden Diary. This downloadable and printable mix-and-match garden planner, journal, and recordkeeper helps you stay organized and become a better gardener! (Bonus: no refill pages needed!) |
Garden Betty
For people who want to grow more food with less work. 🌱 This is my weekly newsletter loved by 38,000+ subscribers—here's what one of them had to say: "These are not the regular run-of-the-mill garden-based emails. You actually touch on more unusual tidbits that encourage me to keep growing and learning."