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kawaiineko_gardener

problems with fall plantings

The great lakes state I live is Michigan, and I live in the upper part of the lower peninsula.

I know that if you want to get a harvest late in the fall, now is the time that you should plant your fall crops.

When I say fall crops I mean any leafy green thing, cole crops (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.) and root veggies.

Unfortunately the weather is still way too hot to grow any of this stuff; the high temperatures are great because it results in quick germination. However if I try to grow any cool weather thing now, then it will either bolt or with root veggies, the hot weather will cause them not to bulb.

Planting stuff like spinach and and lettuce isn't even an option at this point, because they won't even germinate due the high temperatures.

What should I do? I'd plant stuff now, but unfortunately the temperatures are still in the mid to high 80's. I expected them to drop and be cooler by now, unfortunately no such luck.

Comments (2)

  • zuni
    12 years ago

    Loosen the reigns a bit and do some experimenting. I planted beets in early August, and carrots, broccoli and lettuce since then. They have needed some extra water (from the rain barrel) to get started, but all seem to be doing fine. Plants don't demand perfect conditions... just tolerable ones.

  • linda_schreiber
    12 years ago

    The high temps on Sep 1, where you are, are very short term. Since I'm a little late with my note, this has probably already changed.

    But you also have some confusions here....

    For fall greens like lettuces, spinach, maybe a late crop of peapods, all those things that germinate and grow pretty quickly, you probably wanted to get those seeds in the ground in or around mid to late August. If the weather cooperates, and the freezes hold off well this year, you might be able to plant them now, and get some yield, at least for the lettuces and spinach.

    For some of the other things you mentioned [cabbage, cauliflower], these are long-growing-season things. They are, in several ways, a fall *harvest*, but need to be planted in late spring, or early summer at the latest.

    "Root vegetables" is very broad. In the northern LP, beets could have been planted a few weeks ago, or now if the weather holds, for the top-greens for salads. Won't have the time to get true beets. Carrots a few weeks ago, if your soil is excellent and the weather holds, and all you want is little fingerlings. Other root crops are long-season. Need to be planted spring-early summer.

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