One of the benefits of living in a climate that never freezes and stays below 90 (sometimes well below) most of the year is that I have a really, really long growing season. My garden buddies on the East Coast have pretty much packed it in until Spring 2015, and I’m still getting tomatoes, eggplant, green beans, and sweet peppers.

eggplant still growing strong!

Which sort of poses a problem, because I cultivate in posts and raised beds so I limited amounts of space. So I’m keeping the high producing and healthier veggies in one, central raised bed and tore out the old stuff for the compost bin and made room for my fall veggies.

broccoli 

Fall Crop List for My Garden

Peas
onions
cabbage
broccoli
collards
carrots
spinach
mixed baby salad greens
shard
celery
kale
beets

I’m doing things a little different from how I did last year, and instead of planting everything from seed, I’m mixing it up with starter plants at the garden center. I buy the items that require 3-4 months to mature as starters so I have veggies ripe for picking a lot sooner. I recommend buying seedling starters for broccoli, shard, collards, beets, and onions. I plan on growing these plants from seed in plastic containers, and I’ll transfer them to pots or beds once the first batch is used up. This way, I have a steady stream of crops all winter long.

cabbage

But some things you just need to start from seed–like carrots, peas, and salad greens. Carrots don’t transplant well. Peas germinate and grow quickly, and salad greens are ready to eat in just four weeks.

My main goal during fall transition planting was to be sure that I started with really rich soil. Good, well cultivated soil helps plants reach their full potential and helps to prevent disease. I buy organic garden soil that nutrient dense, and also supplement with azomite clay, green sand, and E.B. Stone Tomato and Vegetable food.

Greens need nitrogen!

About twice a week I feed the plants a water-soluble, organic fertilizer called Pure Protein. I can not say enough good things about it! Green leafy vegetables love nitrogen, and my plants are getting super big already.

collard greens

Back to seeds…I’m LOVING this seed tape…such a simple invention. Seeds come perfectly spaced in biodegradable paper so all you have to do is bury, water, and wait for the sprouts. It’s great for me because I absolutely suck at measuring.

So how about you all? Any doing fall planting?