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By Terry Kelley
University of
Georgia
The dog days of summer are beginning to give way to crisper
fall air. But this doesn't mean the gardening season is over.
It's still possible to grow crops well into the fall and even
through the winter in much of Georgia.
Frost will eventually reap the last of the heat-loving crops
like squash, tomatoes and okra. But crops like cabbage,
turnips, mustard, radishes, beets, broccoli, carrots and even
English peas can enjoy the cool days of autumn and early
winter. Many of these can take a fairly stout frost and be
OK.
Cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower and
kohlrabi are all good crops for fall gardens. They're best
started from transplants but can be direct-seeded, too. If you
seed them directly into the soil, keep the ground moist while
it's still hot to give them a good start.
Keep them well watered if you transplant, too. The later you
start, the smarter it becomes to transplant to cut the time to
maturity. Establishing plants after late September may not
yield good results. Most of these crops take from 70 to 80 days
to mature in the fall.
Most leafy greens can fit this pattern. Turnips and mustard are
less tolerant to frosts and freezes than collards and kale.
Don't wait too late to plant them. They're short-season crops
and will mature in 45-60 days.
All of these crops except cabbage and kohlrabi lend themselves
to multiple harvests. You may be able to get several cuttings
on one crop.
English peas can't stand a hard freeze. But there's time to get
in a crop before harsh weather. Sugar snap peas or edible pod
peas will fit into this category, too. They usually require
about 70 days to maturity in the fall.
Radishes will mature in about four weeks. Beets and Swiss
chard, both hardy crops, mature in about 60 days. Plant these
in time to harvest before hard freezes.
Carrots and onions grow well in south Georgia during the
winter. Neither can take severe temperatures, but light freezes
and frosts do them no harm. Carrots can be seeded in September
through October for harvest in the spring. Onions are usually
transplanted in November for harvest in April and May.
It will soon be time to clean off the remains of the summer
garden. But get ready now for fall and winter. It can be a lot
more fun to garden in the crisp fall air than in the gnat-
infested heat.
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