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| Fall is no time to quit planting! |
Contents
1 How Sunlight affects plant growth
2 Frost Date
3 Sowing Times: Why you should plant now!
4 What to plant
5 Watering
6 Covers
Earlier this week, I heard it. A whole gaggle of geese flew over my house. Then, in the evening a crowd of black birds filled the sky. Fall is just around the corner, and that means it is time to start the fall garden.
1 How Sunlight Exposure Affects plant growth
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| Mid-Day December Sun |
Both day length and the sun's intensity matter when it comes to winter gardens. The sun's intensity is dependent on the angle of the sun's position in the sky relative to the ground or horizon as viewed from a given location.
These both change drastically each fall as shown in the chart below.
| Change in Day Length and Mid-day Sun Angle During Fall | ||
| Date | Day Length (hr:min) | Sun's angle* |
| June 21st | 14:52 | 75° |
| August 1 | 14:08 | 69° |
| September 1 | 13:00 | 59° |
| October 1 | 11:46 | 48° |
| November 1 | 10:33 | 37° |
| December 1 | 9:40 | 30° |
| December 21 | 9:28 | 28° |
*Angle is relative to the horizon from Missouri location at sun's zenith.
For raising vegetables, crops need at least 10 hours of sunlight to produce significant growth. In Missouri, the day length dips below 10 full hours around November 15. Then by January 23, the day length rises again above that threshold.
Additionally, as the sun's position dips closer to the horizon each day, those rays become less direct, and the sun's intensity weakens. Also shadows lengthen, and parts of the garden may be shaded where there previously was sunlight.
At my latitude, the sun's angular position in the sky is less than 45° by October 15th. The climate significantly cools by that point, coinciding with the first Frost Date.
2 Frost Date
I'll take a little diversion here from the sun discussion (I will discuss its importance for planting in the next section) to discuss frost date.
Our first frost date is October 18th (Click here to view your frost date.) Once frost sets in only cold hardy vegetation can grow without protection. Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, corn, and other warm season crops will not survive freezing temperatures. Any warm season plants need to reach maturity before the frost date, and sowings should be made accordingly.
However, these warm season beds can be put to use even before harvest through the addition of new transplants, especially for new transplants needing protection from August heat. As the old plants finish their harvest, they also shade new transplants placed around them. Once the old plant is removed, new ones now have the space they need to mature.
3 Sowing Times: Why you should plant now!
Understanding sunlight is important because growth slows significantly each week as day length decreases. The maturity dates on the back of your seed package are actually not fixed in the fall. They change drastically as day length and sun intensity weaken.
In his book, The Winter Harvest Handbook, organic market gardener Eliot Coleman charts out these growth changes for greenhouse vegetables in his Maine location. As August sowings commence, days to maturity begin to slowly rise his unheated greenhouse. For mid-September sowings, the vegetables take nearly triple the time to mature.
That is why it is important to begin fall planting in August.
By contrast, for fall plantings intended for winter and early spring harvest, a less mature plant is desired, as it has less foliage that needs protection in winter.
With each passing week, sow seed for hardier crops. As day length shortens, sowing continues, but these plants are intended for late winter and spring crops.
4 What to plant
Beet family: Chard, Spinach, and Beet leaves
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| Winter spinach |
If you have been longing to grow spinach in Missouri, now is the time to plant. If protecting over winter under cover and using the cut-and-come again method, spinach will continue to grow all winter long and into the spring. For both chard and spinach, grow winter-hardy varieties, such as Giant Oleracea Winter Spinach. Cut outer leaves, and leave the heart to continue growing.
Brassicas: Cabbage, mustards, pak choi, arugula, collard greens
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| Collard Greens ready for harvest in late winter. |
For Missouri, cabbages and broccolis are hard to grow because they require a very long, cool season. Choose varieties with earlier maturity dates.
I have really come to appreciate some of the Chinese brassicas such as bok choy and other "choys", totsoi, komatsuma, and others that grow really well from fall plantings. They are very tender greens and can be enjoyed cooked or in salads. Give them a try with this four pack..
Collard greens and arugula overwinter very well and make great spring harvests. Collard greens are spicy in fall, but sweeten up after the frost. I plant the Southern Georgia variety.
Other Salad Greens: lettuces, radicchio, endive, corn salad, and a new favorite sculpit
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| Beautiful Pablo lettuce survived winter under cover. |
Look for curly-leaf or red-colored varieties of lettuce, which are usually more winter hardy, such as this Lolla Red.
Raddiccio and endive are quite bitter until frost kicks in, when the bitterness becomes more mild. I have successfully grown this "Rouge de Verona" variety. It is very pretty in fall, but will not last through the winter without protection.
Corn salad are really tiny, but very hardy winter plants that need to be planted en masse. Plant them after the first week of September once the summer heat wanes.
Sculpit or Stridolo has become a favorite for me. It grows as a perennial, and does not need protection. I have harvested this after a snow melt in February. It has a sweet pea-like flavor that tastes awesome in the midst of winter! Find it here.
Umbellifers: Carrots, Cilantro, Dill and Parsley.
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| Winter cilantro patch |
Carrots may be sown in the fall, but look for early-maturing seeds, such as this 'Napoli' variety.
Dill and Cilantro herbs can also be planted out. Mature parsley grown from spring planting will survive zone 6 winters, but will likely perish as temperatures warm in the spring.
Alliums: Garlic, Egyptian walking onions
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| Growing Egyptian Walking Onion Patch |
October is the best time to plant out the garlic, although it can be planted as early as mid-September and into December. Break up the cloves from the bulb at time of planting. Choose from hard-necked or soft-necked varieties. Hard-necked garlic is milder in flavor.
Egyptian walking onions are a fun perennial onion to grow in fall. After their second year, these onions grow bulblets that fall over, creating the appearance that the onion is "walking."
Scallions, chives, and leeks may be harvested in fall and winter from plantings earlier in the year.
Legumes: Peas
Peas should be sown as early as possible. Look for varieties with early maturity dates. This Cascadia Snap Pea variety matures in as little as 55 days.
Radishes
5 Watering
Plants need about 1 inch of rain per week or about 4.3 inches per month. By this standard, plants get enough rain each year from April through June at my location in Missouri.
Starting in July, however, rain levels drop off to about three inches per month, so it will likely be important to have 1 or more waterings each month, depending on current levels.
By using the Stout mulching method, water is retained, and waterings may not be necessary.
Water can cause real damage to plants under frigid temperatures. Water in winter only when temperatures exceed 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
6 Covers
READ MORE: Get your seeds started the easy way with the Baggie Method.
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