March 2024

 BED PREPARATION MARCH 27-APRIL 2

Prepare the garden bed where you plan to grow this crop so that it is ready to go when the time comes to seed or transplant into it.

• Clean out any vegetation (weeds, grass, old plants).

• Measure and mark out your bed (we like to use 30 inch wide beds and mark them out with string).

• Use a digging fork or broadfork to loosen the soil. Do not flip the soil over or try mixing it with the forks. Simply push the fork into the ground and pull it back lifting and loosening the soil without turning it. Be careful not to work wet soil, especially if it has clay in it. When it dries it will tend to have hard clods, making your gardening more difficult.

• Add compost and/or soil amendments (sprinkle them evenly over the bed and then mix them into the top few inches with a three tooth cultivator or similar tool). 

• Smooth the bed out with a rake 

MONTH: March	BED ONE NEAREST HOUSE ON LEFT, FACING HOUSE: FRUIT TAKES  PHOSPHORUS (NEXT YEAR BED 3)
SOWING INSIDE (Before LFD) March 6-12 (6 weeks) Black Beauty Eggplant California Wonder Pepper Jalapeno Pepper Heirloom Rainbow Blend Tomato Roma Tomato Mortgage Lifter Tomato Cherokee Purple Tomato
TRANSPLANTING (after planting) March 20-26 Lacinato Kale (35 days) Rainbow Swiss Chard (35 days) Lolla Rosa Lettuce (28 days) Parris Island Lettuce (28 days)	BED TWO BED 2: NEAREST HOUSE ON RIGHT, FACING HOUSE: ROOT TAKES POTASSIUM (NEXT YEAR BED ONE) DIRECT SOWING MARCH 20-26 Cylindra Red Beet (4 weeks) Little Finger Carrot (4 weeks) Imperator 58 Carrot (4 weeks) Snowball Turnip (4 weeks) MARCH 27-APRIL 2 Champion Radish (3 weeks)
DIRECT SOWING (Before LFD) DIRECT SOWING (Before LFD) March 20-26 Arugula (4 weeks)  Cylindra Red Beet (4 weeks) Little Finger Carrot (4 weeks) Imperator 58 Carrot (4 weeks) Viroflay Spinach (4 weeks)  Snowball Turnip (4 weeks) Peas (4 weeks) @20-26 March 27-April 2 Champion Radish (3 weeks) @27- APRIL 2	BED THREE BED 3: FARTHEST FROM THE HOUSE ON LEFT, FACING HOUSE: LEGUME LEAVES NITROGEN (NEXT YEAR BED FOUR) CULTIVATING  Peas
HARVEST	BED FOUR BED 4: FARTHEST FROM THE HOUSE ON RIGHT, FACING HOUSE: LEAF TAKES NITROGEN (NEXT YEAR BED TWO) DIRECT SEED MARCH 20-26 Arugula (4 weeks) Viroflay Spinach (4 weeks) TRANSPLANT MARCH 20-26 Lacinato Kale (35 days) Rainbow Swiss Chard (35 days) Lolla Rosa Lettuce (28 days) Parris Island Lettuce (28 days) Golden Acres Cabbage (35 days) ANY BED/N

Snowball Turnip

Seeds can be sown from May → July directly outdoors. Or, can be planted in seed trays to transplant later. You don’t need to press the soil too firmly into each cell, the seedlings will have an easier time pushing down their roots if it’s a little fluffy. Make sure each module is full and there aren’t any air pockets. Sow 3-5 seeds into each module of a seedling tray. Sprinkle a little compost over the seeds, patting down gently and making sure the seeds are covered.
Next, water thoroughly or sit the tray in water to allow the compost to soak up as much water as possible.
Put your label in place so you remember what you have planted.
Turnips germinate quickly, so within a week or two you should see some seedlings poking out the compost. Ensure the seedlings get enough light and don’t become leggy.




By week 6, your seedlings should be looking really healthy and are developing lots of leaves. They’re now ready to be transplanted. Prefers full sun. Turnips prefer a slightly acidic soil pH in the range of 6.0 to 6.5. Make sure the soil is well-draining so the roots don't rot.


Make a two inch deep hole for each cell. Aim for around an inch or two gap. Place each pod into each hole and press down so the top of the cell is flush with the top of the soil. Place your fingers either side of the stem and gently push down. Lastly, give them a good water. Transplanted seedlings can get shocked by being moved and their roots disturbed. We limit this by using a similar soil in both the tray and the pot and by watering the roots in well after moving them.


Checking at the start of week 10 to see how the roots are just about to start growing. Start giving the plant liquid feed once a week which will give the plant enough nutrients to support the growth.


The roots are ready when you can see healthy sized turnips poking out of the ground. Harvesting is straight forward, but with multi-sown roots, you need to be careful not to damage the other plants in the clump. You only need to harvest what you wish to cook and eat and the rest should stay in the ground to continue to grow. Look at each of the clusters and harvest from those which have a large root showing. Take the largest root and twist it out of the cluster. Don’t pull it out or it’ll damage the other plants.

September zone 7

Bed 1							Bed 2
1  ft.			1 ft.				1 ft.	1 ft.
Bok Choy						1	Bok Choy
Leeks						2	Leeks
Beans and Peas				Beets Turnips		3	Kale	Beans and peas Swiss Chard
						4
						5	Tatsoi
						6	Kohlrabi
Bed 3							Bed 4
Scarlet Runner Beans						1	Kohlrabi	Beans and peas, Lettuces
						2	Tatsoi
Henderson Limas						3	Maxibel Harcoit
						4
Radishes				Tomatoes, Spinach		5 Trellis	Tomatoes, Spinach	Carrots, Radishes
						6 Trellis

Overview

Cold-hardy plants can be planted in late August, September and even early October. Cold-hardy vegetables that can withstand heavy frost of air temperatures below 28 include spinach, Walla Walla sweet onion, garlic, leeks, rhubarb, rutabaga, broccoli, kohlrabi, kale, cabbage, chicory, Brussels sprouts, corn salad, arugula, fava beans, radish, mustard, Austrian winter pea and turnip.

Semi-hardy vegetables that can withstand light frost of air temperatures in the range of 28 to 32 degrees include beets, spring market carrots, parsnip, lettuce, chard, pea, Chinese cabbage, endive, radicchio, cauliflower, parsley and celery.

What does the Windowsill look like in September?

What do the garden beds look like in September?

Start Off- Direct Sow

Direct sow (8) Swiss Chard, Rainbow about Sept. 29.

Start Off- Transplant

Transplant (9) Spinach, Bloomsdale on Sept. 10. in Bed 1, section 3
Transplant (8) Lettuce, Buttercrunch Head on Sept. 13 in Bed 1, section 2.

Transplant (9) Spinach, American on Sept. 24 in Bed 2, section 3.

Grow On

(4) Kale, Blue Curled Scotch August 1 

(4) Kale, Red Russian August 1

(18) Turnip, Purple Top White Globe

(9) Leek, American Flag 

(32) Carrots, Scarlet Nantes

(18) Beet, Cylindra

(18) Bean, Maxibel Haricot Green 

(18) Leek, American Flag

(18) Beans, Henderson Lima 

(16) Peas, Dwarf Sugar Snow 

(8) Beans, Scarlet Runner 

(18) Kohlrabi, White and Purple Vienna

(8) Bok Choi 

(16) Radish, Black Spanish .

Harvest

Mortgage Lifter, Cherokee Purple and Purple Bumblebee Tomatoes are growing on in Bed 3, sections 1 and 2, Bed 4, sections 1 and 2 and containers. 

By September the main crop Turnip roots are ready to be taken up.

September 2, 2023

Rainbow Swiss Chard

Although their leaves won’t be as big, Rainbow Swiss Chard can be re-sown in the garden bed for a fall crop. Since this late crop won’t get as large, however, you can plant them closer together. Sow 30-40 seeds to be transplanted in about 4 weeks. Thin out the weaker seedlings by snipping the base of their stems so as not to disturb their roots. You should be left with one healthy seedling in each pot.

September 8, 2023

Cylindra Beets

Direct sow Beets for a fall crop. Beets have large seeds and germinate reliably directly in the garden bed. Around 4-6 hours before sowing, soak your beet seeds in warm water. Each seed is actually a cluster of several seeds and will produce more than one seedling, so sow sparingly, allowing about ½ inch between seeds. Leave about 6 inches between rows to avoid overcrowding. Cover them with about ½ of soil and water well. Water every two days and thin them once they germinate.

September 10, 2023

Bloomsdale Spinach

Spinach can be re-sown for a fall crop. This is a fast growing hardy crop that likes cooler temperatures. You can pick them when young for baby spinach which is great in salads. Two rows should fit in a 1-foot section. You may sow the seeds directly in the bed or in pots on the windowsill to be planted out in 3-4 weeks when there is room. Either way, seeds need to be planted 1 inch deep, about 1 seed every ½ inch. Cover seeds lightly and water thoroughly.

Nantes Carrots

Direct Sow carrots thinly in a shallow trench of about ¼ inch. Drop seeds about ½ inch apart to avoid having to thin later. Gently cover with soil and water with a fine mist to avoid sending seeds everywhere. Germination can take up to three weeks, but continue to keep well watered.

September 13, 2023

Lettuce

Fall brings cooler temperatures and now you can re-sow lettuces until winter temperatures become too much for it. For an early start, lettuce can be started out inside and then hardened off before planting in the fall garden. Plant seedlings about 2-3 inches apart.

Thin lettuce seedlings but it is not necessary because lettuce can grow densely if you harvest from them regularly, thinning in this way. You can remove the outside and weaker leaves and use them in your salads until the plants are thinned to about 6 inches apart.

Lettuce will develop hearts and become ready to pick. You may harvest the outer leaves as a cut-and-come-again crop. The center will continue to produce more leaves.

.

August zone 7

Bed 1							Bed 2
1  ft.			1 ft.				1 ft.	1 ft.
Bok Choy						1	Bok Choy
Leeks						2	Leeks
Beans and Peas				Beets Turnips		3	Kale	Beans and peas
						4
						5	Tatsoi
						6	Kohlrabi
Bed 3							Bed 4
Scarlet Runner Beans						1	Kohlrabi	Beans and peas
						2	Tatsoi
Henderson Limas						3	Maxibel Harcoit
						4
Radishes				Tomatoes		5 Trellis	Tomatoes	Carrots, Radishes
						6 Trellis

Overview

Late-summer and fall offer zone 7 gardeners a second chance to plant. The trick is to wait until the really hot weather has passed, but not wait too long or the plants won't have time to mature before the cold and dark of midwinter. Cold-hardy plants can be planted in late August, September and even early October. Cold-hardy vegetables that can withstand heavy frost of air temperatures below 28 include spinach, Walla Walla sweet onion, garlic, leeks, rhubarb, rutabaga, broccoli, kohlrabi, kale, cabbage, chicory, Brussels sprouts, arugula, fava beans, radish, mustard, Austrian winter pea and turnip.

Semi-hardy vegetables that can withstand light frost of air temperatures in the range of 28 to 32 degrees include beets, spring market carrots, parsnip, lettuce, chard, pea, Chinese cabbage, endive, radicchio, cauliflower, parsley and celery.

What does the Windowsill look like in August?

Sow on windowsill (9) Spinach, Bloomsdale on August 10.
Sow on windowsill (8) Lettuce, Buttercrunch Head on August 13.

Sow on windowsill (9) Spinach, American on August 24.

Jerusalem Artichokes

What do the garden beds look like in August?

Start Off- Direct Sow

Direct sow Kale, Blue Curled Scotch August 1 .

Direct sow (4) Kale, Red Russian August 1 

Direct sow (18) Turnip, Purple Top White Globe  about August 2. 

Direct sow (16) Peas, Dwarf Sugar Snow.

Direct sow (32) Carrots, Scarlet Nantes  about August 11.

Direct sow (16) Radish, Black Spanish  about August 14.

Direct sow (18) Beans, Henderson Lima  about mid-August.

Direct sow (18) Bean, Maxibel Haricot Green 

Direct sow (16) Peas, Dwarf Sugar Snow 

Grow On

(18) Leek, American Flag

Mortgage Lifter, Cherokee Purple and Purple Bumblebee Tomatoes

(8) Beans, Scarlet Runner 

(18) Kohlrabi, White and Purple Vienna

(8) Bok Choi 

(18) Beet, Cylindra 

Harvest

Mortgage Lifter, Cherokee Purple and Purple Bumblebee Tomatoes 

By August Turnip greens are ready to harvest. You can harvest greens when turnips are small; the leaves taste best when young and tender. Cut leaves 2 inches above the base; they may grow back. Harvest jut a few at a time, if also growing for roots.

August 1, 2023

Blue Curly Leaf Kale and Red Russian Kale

Direct sow fall crop of Kales.

August 7.2023

Peas

Direct sow fall crop of Dwarf Sugar Peas.

August 14, 2023

Radish

Direct sow fall crop of Black Spanish Radish.

August 20,2023

Purple and White Vienna Kohlrabi

Direct sow Purple and White Vienna Kohlrabi.

August 28, 2023

Red Russian Kale

Transplant Red Russian Kale into the garden bed.

Nantes Carrots

Direct sow fall crop of Nantes Carrots.