Grow Your Garden Radio

 Grow Your Garden Radio: Late Summer Planting in the Northeast

Hello everybody and welcome to today’s episode of grow your garden radio where it’s easy to be green.

Today   we’ll explore the exciting world of late summer planting up here in the Northeast.  Gardening is a great way to engage children, fun for beginners, and promote food security by growing your own food. Let’s dive into the best late season crops, and some special considerations for late season planting.

Late summer planting offers a unique opportunity to enjoy fresh produce as we transition into cooler weather. Here are some top crops to consider:

 Leafy Greens

– Spinach: Quick-growing and tolerant of cooler temperatures.

– Lettuce: Choose varieties like Romaine or Butterhead for a quick harvest.

– Kale and Swiss Chard: Both can withstand light frosts and produce well into the fall.

 Root Vegetables

– Radishes: Fast-maturing and perfect for children to observe quick growth.

– Carrots: Opt for shorter varieties that mature faster, such as Nantes.

– Beets: They thrive in cooler weather and add vibrant color to your garden.

 Brassicas

– Broccoli and Cauliflower: Plant early maturing varieties for a fall harvest.

– Brussels Sprouts: These can be left in the ground until after the first frost for a sweeter taste.

 Legumes

– Peas: Plant cool-season varieties that will flourish in the fall.

– Bush Beans: Choose quick-maturing types for a late harvest.

Why are these vegetables best suited for late season planting?

There’s a few reasons why these particular suggestions work really well:

– Growth Rates: These crops have relatively fast growth rates, allowing them to mature before the first frost. Just look on the envelope that your seeds come in. There you will find the Average days to maturity for that seed. Choose the crop most likely to reach maturity before the expected frost date in your particular region.

Two terrific resources for this are the USDA government website and farmers Almanac website. Search for USDA dot Gov and look for hardness zones or  go to the farmers Almanac website and look for frost dates.

Links to these can be found on the growyourgardenradio.com website in the show notes for this  episode.

Now searching by my zip code it shows that the 1st expected frost date for the area of the hill towns that I live in is in fairly early September. So, this year, it would be quite difficult to expect a large crop since it’s mid August already. However, if you have an extra packet of Carrot seeds like I do, I’m gonna give it a try.

So it’s really a win-win proposition:

 maybe I’ll have some nice late  season carrots and maybe I’ll just be feeding the birds and composting the seeds.

Everybody wins regardless of the outcome.

In previous years when I’ve been able to plan better, I got some really nice baby carrots and some buttery smooth leaf spinach. It was truly extraordinary maybe even better than my summer crops.

Another reason why these crops are suggested for late season is that they can withstand cooler temperatures and light frosts which can actually improve their flavor.

 One of the very first late season and winter gardening gurus is Elliot Coleman of Four Seasons farms in Maine. There, in maine, he grows all winter long without heated greenhouses. His most popular winter crops are the various colored carrots and also potatoes.

He has reported that the flavors become more intense because of the occasional light freezing that those crops undergo during their growing cycle. He does have them covered with a basic mostly transparent cloth to help keep the days heat energy in close to the bed. This protects the crop from hard freezing.

He also reports that the wide variety of colors that carrots can come in, are popular with children. Parents actually seek out his baby carrots with the different colors varities because their children are so enthusiastic about the flavors and the colors that there’s virtually no struggle to get them to eat those vegetables!

Elliot has produced a few books and has quite a few resources available on the web showing and teaching  his processes. Search for Elliot coleman four season farm. His daughter Clara Coleman has a very large presence on the web where she teaches four season farming also. Search for Clara Coleman 4 season.

Or, Go to the grow your gardenradio.com website for links to these resources and more.

By the way, I don’t get paid by these people for promoting them. I believe in the work they’re doing as far as sustainability and outreach 2 gardeners.  They are also proponents of minimal to zero use of pesticides even in a commercial setting. Read about their results and the quality of their harvest using these organic and, economically beneficial techniques.

I think they’re performing a tremendous service to the public.

So, see what you think.

And finally for today’s episode but not even close to the end of this topic is the idea that pests are greatly reduced as the temperature starts getting colder.

Many common garden pests such as aphids caterpillars and beetles have life cycles that are synchronized with warmer temperatures and peak during the summer.  by late summer and early fall these pests often are in decline or have completed their life cycle

 in other words most or your gardens enemies are dead.

But an added benefit is that predatory insects and beneficial organisms that feed on garden pests often remain active into the late season

this natural predation can help keep pest populations in check.

Another consideration is that many birds that feed on insects are still active during the late summer and early fall and so they’re going to be providing you with a little bit more free non-toxic pest   control.

You do have to be aware that many foraging animals such as deer are doing their winter shopping. They’re stocking up for the winter and trying to pack in the calories, they may enjoy some of your crop a little bit more than in the summer where there are quite a few choices for them to choose rather than your garden.

Late summer planting can offer unique opportunities for fresh produce as the weather cools. careful crop selection and a natural, seasonal, pesticide free reduction in pest activity can benefit all with a fun and useful harvest.

As always thank you so much for your time and your interest in this show. I appreciate the wonderful comments and suggestions I’ve gotten so far. I look forward to hearing more about topics that impact you, that you would like to know more about. Go to growyourgardenradio.com to listen to past episodes, to access free show notes and other resources for further exploration. Thank you for listening to grow yourradio.com where it’s easy to be green.