Produced by
Patti Moreno
Contributor to:
Square Foot Gardening Tips- August
It’s hot! That’s because it’s August, which means only two things to a gardener: it’s harvest time and time to start new vegetables for a fall harvest. The good thing about this time of year is that although it is another planning season, it’s like the planning you do to prepare for spring, but the other way around. Instead of starting your seeds inside and then having to transplant them, you can plant certain seeds outside now and the natural process of the temperature dropping supports the process without your help.
In August Mel and I both have abundant harvests of Eggplants, Squash, Herbs and Corn. In our vertical gardens there are pole beans, cucumbers, tomatoes and vertically grown squash.
In this video, we are going to get Mel’s thoughts on preparing you and your garden for a fall harvest.
Mel recommends that you select one raised bed that has been cleared out and plant all of your seedlings (for example, Cabbage, Broccoli and Cauliflower, etc…) which need to be planted right now. When it’s appropriate you can then move them into other individual beds. You can also start lettuces and greens from seed that will be ready to be harvested in mid-fall.
My question to Mel is: Why do people stop their gardening after the harvest?
Of course, Mel had the answer…
According to him, most gardeners are used to the old method of single row gardening, which is more time-intensive and exhausting throughout the growing season. So when the last fruit and vegetable have been picked, they stop everything. But those old school methods don’t apply to raised bed gardening, which is the most efficient and continuous way to garden.
When you start a bed again, always add compost, which is the fertilizer that works beautifully to strengthen and enrich your soil, giving life to the beautiful, nutritious vegetables that we love.
Stay tuned for September when we will talk about putting up the harvest and planning for the fall harvest.
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