Fall vegetable gardening in North Florida

The hot weather may not indicate it but it's time to begin a fall vegetable garden.

Cool-season vegetables that can be planted this time of year include leafy-green vegetables such as cabbage, collards and spinach. Other cool-season vegetables that you can enjoy include radish, beets and carrots.  

Broccoli is an excellent crop for the home garden. General cultural practices are about the same as for cabbage. September is a good time to plant broccoli and cabbage.

Collards will withstand wide ranges of temperatures if properly conditioned. They may be direct seeded and thinned to cabbage spacing or plants may be set. Collards may be harvested by cutting the whole plant or by "cropping" individual leaves. Plant collards during August through November.

Onions are generally grown from sets or plants. Sets and plants will require about six to eight weeks to reach eating size. Bulbing onions will not be ready to harvest until spring. Plant onions September through December.

Radish is fun to grow and it is fast. It should be ready to harvest 25 to 30 days after planting. Plant radish seed September through mid-October.

Other cool season vegetables to try include: Beets, plant Aug. 1-Sept. 20; carrots, plant Aug. 20-Sept. 15; cauliflower, plant Aug. 15-Oct. 15; kale, plant Aug. 15-Oct. 15; lettuce, plant Sept. 1-Oct. 1; mustard, plant Aug. 20-Sept. 10; spinach, plant October-November; turnips plant Aug. 10-Oct. 1.

If you did not prepare a garden earlier this year, you can prepare a garden spot for cool season vegetables. The preparation for a fall-season garden is the same as for an earlier garden.

Choose a sunny location. Most vegetables perform poorly in shade. An area that receives at least eight hours of sunlight per day is best. Some vegetables such as broccoli, collards and spinach will tolerate partial shade.

Avoid locating your garden near hedges or trees. They not only create too much shade but also compete with the garden for moisture and nutrients.

Locating the garden near the house will make it easier to periodically check the garden for insect pests and disease. And, it is easier to keep an eye on the garden for larger pests such as birds, squirrels and rabbits. Closeness to the house will make it convenient in tending to the garden chores or harvesting the fruit.

Locate the garden near a water supply so it can be watered as needed. You’ll get only moderate results if you try to grow a garden without watering it as needed. Mulches and high soil organic matter will improve the soil's ability to hold onto water and reduce evaporation.

Originally published Aug., 2007