Planting for Fall

I hadn't been out much since it was so dang hot. But with the front that came through on Wednesday, the weather has broken. With high 70s to mid 80s in the forecast for the next week, I'm a pretty happy person. What you see above is the bed that had brassicas and Asian greens. They had been pulled out ages ago. It was finally time to seed the carrots. I'm thinking it is cool enough by now. I put in 11 rows lengthwise, each 4" apart. They are covered with burlap to help them keep moist and cool. Half are planted in Mokum and half in SugarSnax. As soon as they germinate I'm going to put a row cover over them to keep the carrot flies out. Last fall they were terrible and damaged 90% of the carrots. I still had a good harvest as the damage was mostly skin deep, but I'd rather not have to deal with them.

The trellis is for beans. I decided to plant some more Kentucky Wonder beans. Usually my summer beans die early from diseases before the fall really hits. New bean plants will give me an extended harvest I'm hoping. Either that or I'm too late for it and I won't get anything. But I won't know until I try.

This bed used to have my carrots and peas. I harvested all the pitiful carrots earlier this week. It seemed obvious that the peas wouldn't produce anymore so I ripped them out too. So the pea experiment was a bust. The later planted peas didn't extend my harvest much at all. They did help with the wave issue in peas. Usually I get three waves of peas. And I'm inundated for the first wave. Then there is a lull. then I get a decent crop in the second wave with another lull. The third wave is usually pretty small then I rip up the plants. Well with the later planted peas, I had peas all during the lull. I'm not sure it is worth it though. The peas keep pretty well. And I can store the other ones through that lull. So I'm thinking it just isn't worth it to plant successions of peas in the spring. Or then again it could have just been the really hot summer that shut the later planted ones down earlier than otherwise.

Anyway with the peas and carrots out I looked over the bed. I noticed the beets seemed to have sized up so I pulled them all. Then I ripped out all but one of the marjoram plants. I have enough dried already. The one will give me enough if I want fresh. The plan is to plant lettuce at the end near the fence. I'm a bit worried though. This bed is riddled with nematodes. Maybe I should interplant mustard in with the lettuce?

The part that is totally cleared has peas planted at the end. I'd better get that trellis up now before they germinate. The rest of the bed will get a row cover and will be planted in baby Asian greens. Well if I have enough seed that is. But I'll toss whatever seed I have in there. Along with radishes and turnips.