I have friends who have been gardening a long time and it seems like they all look forward to starting their fall vegetable garden. In fact, they are already starting their seeds even though it’s just July. Is this right? DD

Yes, even though we recently crossed over into summer, it it time to start getting our fall gardens ready since mid July is the suggested time to start a variety of fall garden vegetables. The reality is that sometimes fall gardens are just easier. Easier that is if you can coax your plants through late July and August but once things cool down a bit in September, these vegetables tend to thrive. 

Some veggies respond better when started indoors while others can be started by seed outdoors with some extra planning and care. 

The following fall garden vegetables can be started indoors and then transplanted; cucumber, eggplant, pepper, and tomatoes. Those that would be appropriate to start from seed outdoors would include bush beans, pole beans, lima beans, corn, pumpkins, and squash. 

To start your plants indoors you will need some seeds. This is a good time to put your left over seeds from the spring to work or to try something different than what you planted in the spring. If you tried a particular variety of tomato in the spring, try a different one for your fall garden. You may even end up finding a new favorite. My new one for the fall is going to be a Chinese String Eggplant. I gotta love a long, thin, purple eggplant…or at least I hope we love it. Either way, fall is a good time to experiment.

After you get your seeds, you will need some sort of container to grow your seeds to transplant status. Garden centers have a variety of seeding trays. Some of them have peat pots that you just plant in the ground when your plants are ready. Or, you can use old yogurt containers, butter tubs, or paper cups. Most anything will work. 

Next you’ll need some seed starting soil. Seed starting soil works well because it is a very light mixture that enables those tiny little roots to start to grow. 

Seed starting heating mats can help shorten the germination time but definitely are not a requirement. After starting your seeds, they should be ready to plant in about a month or so. But, be sure to harden your transplants off before planting outside.

Hardening off involves introducing your plants to outdoor life gradually. This is especially important when planting in July and August. To harden off your plants, place them outdoors in the morning in a place that doesn’t get full sun. Part-sun or part-shade would be perfect. Depending on the weather conditions, you should start this exposure for only a few hours at a time. You can gradually increase their exposure to the direct sun after a few days. Ultimately, you just want to introduce them to the sun incrementally. What you don’t want to do is take them directly from their nice home with indirect light and air-conditioning to your garden and that August sun. Doing this will almost guarantee failure as they are not prepared and who can blame them. August in Oklahoma is still a shock to my system and I’ve lived here all my life.

Once your hardened transplants are in the ground, plan on giving them lots of water. Remember, water deeply to encourage their roots to grow down as they are establishing themselves in their new home. 

Starting seeds directly in your garden can be tricky due to the heat. Exposed garden soil can reach 140 degree an inch deep and heat like that is not good for germinating seeds. Since most seeds need to be planted no more that 3 or 4 times deeper than the length of the seed, they will definitely be in that hot zone. 

To attempt to work around this, you can cover your seeds with mulch and possibly add shade cloth to protect them while they germinate, all the time making sure they have adequate moisture. There is also a technique where you can dig a slight trench so you can plant your seeds deeper than usual. If you do this, don’t fill in the trench. Instead, add soil a little at a time as the seedling grows. 

When planting your fall garden vegetables, pay attention to the days from planting to harvest. For example, for bush beans, the days from planting to harvest is about 50 to 60 days for most beans while corn requires 80 to 100 days. So, your hard end date for most fall garden vegetables will be the first freeze of the fall/winter. In Oklahoma, that date is November 15^th. So, if you are wanting to grow a crop that needs 60 days to reach harvest, Early September should be your last planting date. Cooler temps will probably affect this so maybe mid August might be a better date, but you get the idea.  We have all this information on our website (www.tulsamastergardeners.org) under vegetables in our Lawn and Garden Help Section. 

Another reason to consider a fall vegetable garden is that the pest load is typically lower in the fall. This is because life cycles on a variety of garden pests have already happened so there won’t be as many insects out there trying to consume your garden plants.

Either way, a fall garden is a great way for a fresh start in the garden. And, we for sure won’t mind those cooler temps when weeding and watering. See you in the garden!

You can get answers to all your gardening questions by calling the Tulsa Master Gardeners Help Line at 918-746-3701, dropping by our Diagnostic Center at 4116 E. 15th Street, or by emailing us at mg@tulsamastergardeners.org.