By: Larry Stein and Joe Masabni*
Most gardeners plant their vegetables in the spring to
harvest in late spring to early summer. In most areas
of Texas, it is possible to have a fall vegetable garden
also, but it will need to be managed somewhat differently
than a spring garden.
Locating the garden
If your spring garden was successful, the same location
should work well in the fall. When planning a
new garden, keep in mind that vegetable crops must
have at least 8 hours of direct sun each day and
should be planted where the soil drains well.
Preparing the soil
If you’re using an established garden area, pull out
all plant material—the remains of your spring crop
and any weeds that have grown up in the garden.
Don’t put plant residue from a spring garden into your
compost bin because it is likely to be contaminated
with insects and disease pathogens.
For a new garden site, remove all the grass. Just
tilling it into the soil will not eliminate all the grass
sprigs; they will continue to grow and interfere with
the garden. Likewise, for a raised garden, remove all
turf before building the frame and filling it with soil.
Grass and weeds can be killed with an herbicide
that contains glyphosate. Several products are available,
including Roundup® and Kleenup®.
After removing the grass, shovel the garden area
to a depth of 10 to 12 inches. Rototillers will not penetrate
adequately, but they can be used to loosen and
mix shoveled areas.
Spread 1 to 2 inches of coarse, washed sand and
2 to 3 inches of organic matter on the garden surface
and till it into the soil to improve the soil’s physical
quality. The soil will need to be improved over time
rather than in just a season or two. If you are building
a raised bed garden, don’t skimp on the soil. Use
weed-free loam or sandy loam soil.
Adding fertilizer is the next step. You have two options:
● Apply 1 pound of ammonium sulfate (21- 0-0)
per 100 square feet (10 feet by 10 feet) before planting.
Then sprinkle 1 tablespoon of ammonium sulfate
around each plant every 3 weeks and water it in.
● Or, apply 2 to 3 pounds of a slow-release fertilizer
(19-5-9, 21-7-14, or 25-5-10) per 100 square feet of
garden area. Apply 1 tablespoon of ammonium sulfate
(21-0-0) around each plant every 3 weeks and
water it in. This second method should produce a
more abundant harvest, especially with hybrid tomatoes
and peppers.
Do not add too much ammonium sulfate, and do
not put it too close to the plants. It can seriously damage
them.
Horse or cattle manure may be substituted for commercial
fertilizer at a rate of 60 to 80 pounds per 100
square feet of garden area. Never use poultry manure
on a fall garden.
After adding fertilizer, mix the soil thoroughly and
prepare beds on which to plant rows of vegetables.
These beds should be 30 to 36 inches apart so you
can move easily through the garden area when the
plants grow larger. Pile and firm the planting beds.
Then water the entire garden with a sprinkler for at
least 2 hours. Allow the area to dry for several days,
and it will be ready to plant.
Planting
Fall crops generally do better when started from
transplants than from seed. Transplants should always
be used for growing tomatoes and peppers.
The trick to establishing healthy transplants during
late summer is to make sure they have plenty of water.
Transplants in peat pots or cell packs with restricted
root zones require at least 2 weeks for their root
systems to enlarge enough to support active plant
growth. Until that time, they may need to be watered
every day or the plants will be stunted or even die.
However, too much water is just as harmful as not
enough. Soaking-wet soil will cause root rotting and
subsequent stunting or death. So check the soil moisture
by feeling the soil before applying water. If the
soil balls together, it still has enough water; if not, apply
water.
Buy the largest transplants possible. Even though
larger transplants cost more, their root systems will
spread faster and the plants will produce more fruit
sooner.
Or, grow your own larger transplants by planting
small ones in potting soil and evenly mixing in slow release
fertilizer pellets such as Osmocote®. Add a
water-soluble fertilizer to the irrigation water and place
the plants in full sun (with shade after 3 p.m.). Keep
the transplants moist, but don’t over-water them.
Plant shade-tolerant crops between taller growing
vegetables such as tomatoes. Planting at the proper
time is probably the most important factor in successful
fall gardening. Table 1 lists average planting dates
for each region.
When making planting decisions, compare the
temperature extremes in the USDA Hardiness Zone
Map at http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/wildseed/
info/hardiness.jpeg in your area to those of the Texas zones.
With these dates in mind, determine which frost-susceptible
vegetables to plant, when to plant, and whether to use transplants or
seeds.
