Now is the time to start planting many things for fall, as you want the cold-tender ones to mature before our first frost. My first frost usually falls around the first week of Oct. Sometiems we get lucky and it doesn't occur until the 2nd or 3rd week, but you can plan on Oct 1-7.

Plant now: Bush beans, carrots, bunching onions. Peas are tricky, because you'd be planting in the heat of the summer, which they don't like, and hoping they mature before frost. I don't know if we'd have enough time for English peas, but you can try an early-maturing and/or dwarf sugar snap or snow pea. I am thinking of trying some peas myself for fall, as this summer has been cooler than usual and they might do well.

Lettuce and many other salad greens can also go in now, but we have predictions for temps in the 80s for the next week at least, and lettuce doesn't germinate well when it's over 80. There's plenty of time for lettuce, and I will probably wait til Aug. 1 to sow some more. Lettuce can take the frost and keep growing well into Oct. without any protection. You can keep it going even longer with some row covers or a cold frame.

Spinach can also go in around Aug. 1, and is also even more cold-hardy than lettuce. Sometimes we can keep spinach going well into the winter.

There are many other greens that you can sow for fall or even winter between now and late August. Check out the book "Four Season Harvest" by Eliot Coleman. He's a Maine grower that has researched what will do well into the cold season, some with little or no protection.

If I had some early-maturing seed potatoes, I would plant them now and hope the plants mature before frost. If things were getting risky, I would cover the potato plants with row covers or plastic to ward off the first few frosts.

There are other things you can try in the cabbage family, such as early-maturing broccoli and cabbage. Baby bok choy has grown beautifully for me when sown in August, but the cabbage worms decimate it.

Definitely the easiest are bush beans and carrots. I just put in my bush bean seeds yesterday, may succession-sow another row or two next week. Carrots germinate much quicker now than they do in early spring, and they aren't bothered at all by frost. Sometimes we keep our carrots in the ground right through Christmas by covering the bed with about 8" of shredded leaves so the ground doesn't freeze.

I'm sure some other Maine veggie gardeners will have even more ideas.

Fall is an awesome time to get a head start for next year too. I love to get perennials that have gone by because they're usually on sale so I can get more for the money and they'll bloom next year. That might not interest you as a veggie man, but fall is also a good time to get some kinds of berries and fruit trees in. Some nurseries suggest preparing the soil one or two years before planting certain fruit trees, so there's lots for us to do in fall.

Veilchen,

Thanks for the abundant information. You have contributed greatly to my fall garden. I printed out your message for ready reference. I will keep an eye out for the "Four Season Harvest" book. It's good to know we have a week or so to go on the lettuce. Our carrots failed last year, so we didn't plant any this spring, but thanks to your encouragement I will try an experimental fall garden planting this year. Thanks for taking the time to share so much information.

MM

Other things to plant in early August: beets, kohlrabi, swiss chard, radishes.

Veilchen, did you direct-seed the baby bok choy? That sounds like something I'd like to try. Now that the peas are gone, I have a huge space to fill.

Kathy,

Thanks for the tips on perennials, berries and fruit trees. I don't have any immediate plans in those areas, but your tip that some nurseries suggest preparing the soil one or two years before planting certain fruit trees is of interest.

MM

LMD,

"Other things to plant in early August: beets, kohlrabi, swiss chard, radishes."

Thanks for those additions. As it happens, I planted kohlrabi a few days ago and it's just coming up but I will probably make one or more successive plantings because I really like kohlrabi sliced raw with Ranch dressing. Also planted a row of Sparkler radishes yesterday between the rows of kohlrabi. Our spring planted beets and swiss chard didn't do well last year, but I may experiment with them for our Fall garden. I think we still have some seed left over from last year. Thanks again. There is so much to learn about Maine gardening.

MM

Luvmyducks, I did direct-seed bok choy. It grew much better in the fall, whenever I've tried it in the spring it bolted too quick. But the cabbage worms and other unidentified caterpillars really went after it that time of year.

Maine Man, you can actually plant lettuce into the later parts of August, even early Sept. Try succession sowing, because the ones you plant in early August may be mature before the weather really cools down.

Veilchen,

Thanks for the tip about successive sowings of lettuce. I plan to do it.

MM

Garlic, Garlic, Garlic!

I've just harvested my garlic that I planted last fall. Yum yum.

I have planted purple top turnips the second week in August. By the time I pulled them they were 2" across and there was no wire worm tunnels.

westbeck35...how did that happen in less than 20 days? I want to know what you use in your garden! I planted turnips and beets a few weeks back and the seedlings are just getting their second set of leaves on them now.

Did you use seedlings?

Any other ideas this late in the season as to what I can grow.

I cut back all my pansies which I danced like crazy all season to keep deadheaded. I guess we had a few weeks of summer and now I cut them back hoping for a Fall return!