Fall Gardening
By John Cappadonna, Permian Basin Master Gardener
September 22nd at 7:05 PM is the Fall Equinox! Even though summer seems to hang on. Look for cooler nights in the latter half of September. Nothing drastic, but you should wake to temperatures in the low 70s rather than near 80˚F. Afternoons will still be hot, but the cooler mornings will last longer.
I look forward to fall gardening every year after being so weary of the dog day heat! The cooler weather is a relief to plants as well as people. A fall garden takes less water; it’s a great time to plant native perennials in your landscape, and vegetables and herbs in your garden. Vegetables are things like greens and root crops that we eat the plant rather than fruits like tomatoes and squash. Popular fall crops include Swiss chard, lettuce, collards, kale, broccoli, and bok choy. These plants all transplant very well, so keep an eye out for them at your local nurseries, garden centers, and grocery stores. The Permian Basin Master Gardeners will have a fall plant sale on Saturday, September 12, from 9:00AM to 2:00 PM, at 3011 North County Road 1160 (Todd Road), Midland, TX. The master Gardeners will have a great selection of native perennials and fall vegetable starts all at the perfect time to plant!
Vegetables like kale, collards, broccoli, and Swiss chard seeds germinate best in warm soil of 85˚F or more, so if you are planting from seed, now is the time; if you are planting from transplants, mid-September is just right. As it continues to cool in late September, it is a good time to plant carrots, turnips, and green onion seeds when the soil is about 77˚F. When October arrives and the soil cools to 68˚F it is time to plant spinach, cilantro, and most culinary herbs like parsley, sage, chives, oregano, thyme, and dill. Often, we can find herb plants, and I recommend using transplants if you can find the starts. Thyme and oregano seeds are tiny and harder to germinate, so transplants work best.
Using shade cloth is a good idea to help moderate the late-summer, early-fall sun. It will reduce soil temperatures enough to encourage cool-soil plants like spinach, cilantro, and other herbs. Even more important is keeping birds from eating your tender seedlings. Birds seem to really develop a taste for seedlings at that time of year, and they will ruin your garden if you don’t take precautions!
As fall turns to winter, you can use row cover to protect those vegetables when temperatures drop to 20˚F. Some of these vegetables and herbs are very cold hardy, but since we want the leaves, row cover will keep them in good shape.
With a little planning and work, you can still have great vegetables during the cool months!
If you have questions, call the AgriLife office in Odessa at 432-498-4071 or Midland at 432-686-4700. Additional information and our blog, with access to past articles, are available at westtexasgardening.org. Click on “Resources.”
