We have a small patch of ground that we want to start a fall garden
with. It gets sun in the afternoon, not for long. What would be a
good thing to plant? My kids are excited about starting a garden
and showing them that we can grow something is more important than
what we grow, to keep their excitement up. We live in west LA
Thanks
In My Garden Blog
Southern California Coastal & Inland Valleys
August 27, 2009
By
Yvonne Savio,
Pasadena, CA
Cheesecloth stretched above seeding bed allows air circulation while providing shade so soil doesn't crust over.
Planning the Fall and Winter Garden
August's garden bounty can be too much, just enough, or too little; but it's always a starting point in determining what to plant -- or what not to plant -- next time around. Now you know from experience that the whole packet of zucchini seeds -- or even all six plants from the pony pack -- produces just too many squash. (The refrigerator and freezer are filled with casseroles and breads, and your neighbors hide when you approach with your basketful of 4-inch-thick zukes.) Next time, you'll make do with just one or two plants, even though they're so cute when they're tiny.
You'll have a winter gold mine in your garden if you start seeds for overwintering crops this and next month. Yes, it's too hot to think about doing anything now but harvest and water and escape the heat, but think ahead to winter vegetable prices -- and start sowing!
Sow beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, endive, escarole, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, thick-leafed and heading lettuces, onions, parsley, peas, white potatoes, radishes, shallots, and spinach. Savoy-leafed types of cabbage and spinach will resist frosts better than the more tender flat-leaf varieties. Last sowings of summer-maturing crops can also be made now -- bush beans, cucumbers, oakleaf lettuce, white seed potatoes, New Zealand spinach, and squash.
Keep seed beds or flats moist and shaded during the hottest portion of the day until the seeds germinate. A light mulch helps keep the soil surface from crusting, especially over tiny seeds that take a while to germinate, like carrots and parsley. Boards laid over the seed bed also help to keep it from drying out. Prop them up or remove them when more than half of the seeds germinate.
When you plan the layout of your fall and winter gardens, consider which new crops should follow those just removed. Follow "heavy feeders" with "light feeders," and vice versa. Heavy feeders include beets, broccoli, cabbage, celery, collards, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, endive, escarole, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, okra, parsley, pumpkins, radishes, rhubarb, spinach, squash, and tomatoes. Light feeders include carrots, chard, garlic, leeks, mustard, onions, parsnips, peppers, potatoes, rutabaga, shallots, sweet potatoes, and turnips.
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Comments on Planning the Fall and Winter Garden
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We welcome your questions and comments about this column. If you have gardening questions unrelated to the column, please ask them on our message boards.
morgan Sackett
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LMP
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I just started home vegetable gardening here in L.A. this past
Winter and Summer after not having a garden since my own childhood.
I'm learning by trial and error and I think I can give you a couple
tips.
First, make sure your garden area is situated in an area of your
yard that gets lots of sun. Then make sure your soil is prepared
and augmented if necessary. You should have nice deep (18" at
least) loose soil that is rich in compost. You can buy large bags
of compost (organic is best) to mix in at your local garden center.
Also, get an inexpensive home soil testing kit and make sure that
your soil is pH balanced and has adequate levels of Nitrogen (N),
Phosphorous (P) and Potassium (K). Adjusting these levels and
making sure your soil bed is deep and full of composted organic
material will help insure you have a nice crop in the months ahead.
It's MUCH easier to start with the right soil than to try and figure
out what's wrong when your plants don't grow or start having other
problems.
I have found one book particularly straight forward and helpful. It
is titled "The Vegetable Gardener's Bible" by Edward Smith. His
family garden is very large and is located in New England, however,
I found the book a very useful guide for the beginner (me) small
scale gardener with lots of information that can be applied to any
garden large or small. It's available on Amazon.
Regarding what to plant going into the Fall/Winter season. This
National Gardening Association Regional web page has lots of great
suggestions for our region. Around this time last year I planted
Romaine Lettuce, Pak Choi, Fava Beans, Beets, Swiss Chard and
Mesclun Mix. All of these selections did really well and were easy
to grow. The Fava Bean bushes needed a bit of staking up when they
grew up over a couple feet. I would say the Mesclun (mixed greens)
is super easy as you can broadcast the seeds in an area, cover with
a very thin layer of soil or mulch and water. They grow fast and
even regrow when you scissor off the tops for a salad. Swiss Chard
is very nutritional, easy to grow and prepare and can be adapted to
any recipe that uses spinach or other popular greens ( i happen to
think it tastes better than most others too!). Also super easy and
fast growing...radishes!
Hope this helps! Good luck. I have great memories from helping in
our small family garden as a child. I think the experience is a
great gift to give your kids!
lp
LMP
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Oops! just noticed your comment about your yard not getting a lot
of sun. A good gardening book will tell you about a certain plant's
needs re: water, sun/shade, soil type, etc. I know that the mesclun
mix and Chard should do fine with partial shade. Hopefully someone
else will comment. I guess the best way to really know is to try!
lp
Yvonne Savio
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Hi, Morgan --
Congratulations on starting a garden with the kids! Nothing is
quite as magical as scattering seeds, checking daily, and then
seeing some green shoots wend their way into the world! Radishes and
lettuce are great starters, since they'll come up within 3 days of
sowing. Beets are nice because they're a world apart from the blobs
in the cans....and the greens are plentiful and worth munching when
tiny. Carrots are fun because kids notice the frilly tops and then
discover the orange globes or sticks (depending on variety) under
the soil surface. Cabbages and cauliflower are regular-looking
green plants until they form their center globes. Broccoli produce
plentifully and are more immediately discernable as immature
flowers. "Dinosaur" kale (lacinata) is one among many plants with
animal names. Potatoes thrive in compost piles and yield underground
treasure. Plant something your family already enjoys, and the kids
will be introduced to literally where their food comes from. Then,
try something new to see if you'll like it!
Yvonne Savio
Hi, Again, Both Morgan and LMP --
The general ranges for amount of daily direct sun are 6-8 hours for
plants that set fruit (mostly summer ones like tomatoes, squash,
cucumbers, etc.). For less daily direct sun, you'll have success
with plants that you eat the foliage -- like lettuce, beets, etc.