Fall Vegetable Gardening

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Fall Vegetable Gardening

• Presented by Kent Phillips
• Howard Co MG
• kent.a.phillips_at_gmail.com

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College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
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Maryland Master GardenersMission

• Our mission is to educate Maryland residents
  about safe, effective and sustainable
  horticultural practices that build healthy
  gardens, landscapes, and communities.

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• www.extension.umd.edu/growit
• Grow Your Own Food
• We Can Show You How
• Click on Classes Tab
• And Scroll down to
• Howard County

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• A version of this PowerPoint
• can be found at
• https//extension.umd.edu/mg/giei-howard-county-pr
  esentations

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What Do We Mean By Fall Gardening?

• Planting crops for harvest prior to frost or a
  hard freeze

NORTH-CENTRAL MARYLAND NORTH-CENTRAL MARYLAND NORTH-CENTRAL MARYLAND NORTH-CENTRAL MARYLAND NORTH-CENTRAL MARYLAND NORTH-CENTRAL MARYLAND
Station 101 yr. in 10 331 yr. in 3 501 yr. in 2 672 yrs. in 3 909 yrs. in 10
Balt. Airport Oct. 17 Oct. 23 Oct. 28 Nov. 02 Nov. 08
Baltimore City Oct. 30 Nov. 08 Nov. 13 Nov. 18 Nov. 28
Bel Air Sep. 28 Oct. 10 Oct. 16 Oct. 22 Nov. 03
Frederick Oct. 07 Oct. 17 Oct. 22 Oct. 27 Nov. 06
Westminster Oct. 06 Oct. 15 Oct. 20 Oct. 25 Nov. 03
Woodstock Sep. 28 Oct. 07 Oct. 12 Oct. 17 Oct. 26
Rockville Oct. 01 Oct. 12 Oct. 18 Oct. 24 Nov. 04

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What Do We Mean By Fall Gardening?

• Planting crops for harvest prior to frost or a
  hard freeze

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What Do We Mean By Fall Gardening?

• Planting crops that can be overwintered for
  winter or spring harvest.

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What Do We Mean By Fall Gardening?

• Planting cover crops on unused beds to increase
  soil fertility and minimize winter weeds

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What Do We Mean By Fall Gardening?

• Extending the season by using a cold frame,
  greenhouse or low tunnel.

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Preparing the Site

• Remove waste from previous crop.
• If ground is dry, give it a thorough soaking.
• Work compost into top few inches of soil.
• Add recommended amount of Nitrogen (.20/100 sq.
  ft. of garden.

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Nitrogen Calculation

• Soybean meal 7-3-1
• .2/.07 2.85 /100
• Organic Nitrogen is less effective in cool/cold
  weather since soil microorganisms are less active
• Blood Meal 15-0-0
• .2/.15 1.3 /100
• Blood meal contains 50 water soluble nitrogen so
  it is effective in cool weather
• 10-10-10
• .2/.1 2 /100
• all water soluble nitrogen

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Fall Days Cooler Temps

• Cool nights slow plant growth but you can speed
  up growth using row cover or plastic.
• Vegetables take longer to mature. Days grow
  shorter, less sunlight energy for plants. Add 14
  days to maturity time for so called short day
  factor
• These environmental conditions add sugar to cole
  crops.
• Lettuce and spinach will not bolt.

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Cover Crops

• Check out GIEI website for info on cover crops
• GE006_CoverCrop2.pdf
• Different cover crops do different things
• Break up clay soil (forage radish)
• Deep root systems to capture nutrients (winter
  rye)
• Add nitrogen to the soil (legumes)
• Plant a legume and cereal together to get
  additional benefit.
• Cover crops can be planted in any unused beds at
  anytime of year but no later than mid-October.

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Winterizing the Garden

• September
• Pull up and compost undiseased spent plants
• Plant spinach and kale for spring harvest
• October
• Pull up and compost undiseased spent plants.
• Cover pepper and tomato plants to prolong
  production.
• Remove and store stakes and cages.
• Plant cover crop in empty areas. Till in organic
  matter.
• November
• Cover empty beds with shredded leaves to stop
  winter weed growth.
• Mulch overwintering carrots, leeks, winter
  onions, strawberries, radishes and parsnips with
  clean straw.
• December Get soil sample for spring planting

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Compost and Leaves Covering Beds
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Rake Take Program

• Leaves are available through the Howard County
  Rake and Take Program or you can just pick them
  up from your neighbors.
• Register with Pat Hooker, Howard County MG
• E-mail phooker9440_at_gmail.com
• 410-489-4314
• Leaves may require shredding.
• Takers pick up bags curb-side.

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Resources

• Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC)
• 800-342-2507
• www.extension.umd.edu/hgic
• Grow-It-Eat-It website
• www.extension.umd.edu/giei
• Master Gardener state website
• www.extension.umd.edu/mg

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This program was brought to you by Maryland
Master Gardener Program Howard County University
of Maryland Extension
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