We Are Planting THESE Essential Fall Crops in September

Summary

In this informative gardening video, the host transitions from summer to fall gardening, highlighting the optimal weather for cold-weather crops. They discuss removing spent tomato plants and replacing them with fall crops like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and lettuce. The video emphasizes the benefits of leaving plant stumps and roots in the ground for soil health. The host also shares tips on planting cucumbers, dill, and zucchini, and stresses the importance of considering the first frost date when planning fall plantings. The video concludes with advice on starting seedlings indoors for a successful fall harvest.

Takeaways

• 🍅 Transitioning from summer to fall gardening involves removing tomato plants and preparing the garden for cooler weather crops.
• 🌡 The current weather is in the low 60s, which is ideal for growing cold-tolerant crops.
• 🌱 The '10 fingers of Naples' tomato variety is highly productive but needs to be composted as the plants start to die off.
• 🥬 The first crops to be planted in the fall include brassicas like cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower.
• 🌿 Leaving the stumps and roots of previous crops in the ground enriches the soil and maintains its structure.
• 🥦 Succession planting of lettuce is done to ensure a continuous harvest throughout the season.
• 🥒 Pickling cucumbers are planted in the fall to be harvested before the first frost, paired with dill for pickling.
• 🥬 Leafy greens like mustard greens and cilantro are planted for their cool-weather tolerance and flavor.
• 🌱 Seedlings for fall crops like zucchini should be started indoors to ensure they have enough time to mature before the first frost.
• 🍃 Controlling powdery mildew is crucial for successful fall gardening, especially for cucurbit crops like zucchini.
• 🗓 Planting decisions should be based on the first frost date and the number of days to maturity and germination for each crop.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video script?

The main focus of the video script is transitioning a garden from summer to fall, discussing the weather changes, removing summer crops like tomatoes, and preparing to plant fall crops such as brassicas and leafy greens.

Why are the tomatoes being removed from the garden?

The tomatoes are being removed because as the weather gets colder, the flavor of the tomatoes starts to degrade, becoming more acidic and losing their full body flavor.

What is the name of the tomato variety mentioned in the script?

The tomato variety mentioned is '10 fingers of Naples'.

Why is leaving the stumps and roots of the previous crop in the ground beneficial?

Leaving the stumps and roots in the ground is beneficial because they decompose and add nutrients back to the soil, improving its structure and reducing the need for additional compost or fertilizers.

What are 'brasicas' and why are they being planted in the fall?

Brassicas are a group of vegetables that include cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and others. They are being planted in the fall because they are cold-tolerant and can thrive as the weather cools down.

What is the significance of the first frost date in planning a fall garden?

The first frost date is significant because it determines how much time is left to plant crops before the weather becomes too cold for them to grow. It helps gardeners decide which crops to plant based on their days to maturity and germination.

Why are cucumbers being planted in the fall, and what type of cucumbers are they?

Cucumbers are being planted in the fall because they can handle cool weather and mature quickly. The type of cucumbers mentioned are pickling cucumbers, which are intended for making pickles.

What is the purpose of using Bootstrap Farmer Cell Packs as mentioned in the script?

Bootstrap Farmer Cell Packs are used for starting seedlings indoors before transplanting them into the garden. They are praised for their quality, affordability, and root-pruning features that prevent roots from coiling and promote healthy root growth.

What are some of the leafy greens being planted in the fall garden?

Some of the leafy greens being planted include cabbage, kale, lettuce, Mauna mustard greens, and cilantro.

Why is zucchini considered a good crop for fall planting?

Zucchini is considered a good crop for fall planting because it matures quickly, taking only 45 to 50 days, and is a high producer of fruit, making it a valuable addition to a fall garden.

What is powdery mildew and why is it a concern for fall gardening?

Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that affects plants, causing a white powdery substance on leaves and stems. It is a concern for fall gardening because cool, damp conditions common in fall can promote its growth, especially on cucurbit crops like zucchini.

Outlines

00:00

🍅 Transitioning to Fall Gardening

The speaker discusses the shift from summer to fall gardening, noting the change in weather and its impact on tomato plants. They mention that as the weather cools, the flavor of the tomatoes diminishes, becoming more acidic, prompting the decision to remove the plants. The focus then shifts to planting fall crops, specifically '10 fingers of Naples' tomatoes, which are praised for their productivity. The speaker also talks about planting brassicas like cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower, explaining the advantage of planting them in the fall to avoid the challenges of spring planting. They emphasize the importance of leaving the roots and stumps of previous crops in the ground to enrich the soil and maintain its structure.

05:01

🥬 Planting for Fall and Succession Sowing

The video script continues with the speaker discussing their fall planting plans, including lettuce, cucumbers, and dill. They mention succession sowing as a method to extend the harvest season and avoid overharvesting. The speaker also addresses the question of what to plant in the fall, explaining that it depends on the first frost date and the days to maturity and germination of the plants. They mention starting some plants indoors for a head start and discuss using cell packs for planting. The script highlights the planting of leafy greens like Mauna mustard greens and cilantro, which are suitable for cool weather. The speaker also talks about planting zucchini, which is a successful fall crop despite the common misconception that it's a summer vegetable, and the importance of managing powdery mildew in fall gardens.

10:03

🌱 Final Fall Planting Tips

In the final paragraph, the speaker shares additional fall planting tips, including the planting of peas and garlic. They mention that peas are a great fall crop and that garlic should be planted 30 to 40 days before the first frost date. The speaker also discusses the success they've had with planting zucchini in the fall, despite it being an unexpected choice. They provide a tip on starting zucchini seedlings indoors and the importance of managing powdery mildew, which is common in cool, damp conditions. The speaker concludes by encouraging viewers to continue gardening into the fall and to learn from their experiences, promising a future video on powdery mildew control methods.

Keywords

💡Fall gardening

Fall gardening refers to the practice of planting and nurturing crops as seasons transition from summer to fall. In the video, the host discusses transitioning out of summer crops like tomatoes and into fall crops that thrive in cooler weather. This concept is central to the video's theme of adapting gardening practices to different seasons.

💡Cold weather crops

Cold weather crops are plants that can withstand and often thrive in cooler temperatures. The video emphasizes planting these types of crops in fall, such as cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower, which are mentioned as examples. These crops are highlighted as they can tolerate the cooler fall weather and are part of the shift in gardening strategy.

💡Tomato composting

Tomato composting is the process of using the remains of tomato plants as compost to enrich soil. The script mentions composting unripe tomatoes and leaving the stumps and roots of tomato plants in the ground to decompose and improve soil quality, illustrating a sustainable gardening practice.

💡Brassicas

Brassicas are a group of vegetables, including cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and kale, that are often planted in cooler seasons. The video discusses planting brassicas in the fall because they are cold-tolerant and can handle the fluctuating temperatures that occur during this time of year.

💡Succession planting

Succession planting is a gardening technique where different crops are planted at intervals to provide continuous harvests. The video mentions succession planting of lettuce to avoid having all the crop mature at once, ensuring a steady supply throughout the growing season.

💡Determinate plants

Determinate plants are those that grow to a certain size and then stop, as opposed to indeterminate plants that continue to grow. The video describes a tomato variety, '10 fingers of Naples,' as a determinant plant that has been highly productive, showcasing the value of understanding plant growth patterns.

💡Root pruning

Root pruning is a technique used to train plant roots to grow outwards rather than circling. The video praises cell packs with slits that encourage root expansion, which can lead to healthier plants. This concept is important for the video's theme of optimizing plant growth.

💡First frost date

The first frost date is the expected date of the first frost in a region, which is crucial for determining what and when to plant. The script advises gardeners to calculate backward from their first frost date to determine which crops to plant, ensuring they have enough time to mature before the cold weather arrives.

💡Zucchini

Zucchini is a type of summer squash that the video suggests can be successfully grown in the fall. Despite being a warm-weather crop, zucchini can be planted in early fall due to its short maturation period of 45-50 days, making it a surprising but viable fall crop.

💡Powdery mildew

Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that affects plants, often becoming more prevalent in damp, cool conditions. The video warns of the increased risk of powdery mildew in fall gardens and teases an upcoming video comparing different control methods, highlighting the importance of disease management in fall gardening.

Highlights

Transitioning from summer to fall gardening due to weather changes.

Removing tomato plants as they lose flavor and productivity.

Planting '10 fingers of Naples', a highly productive paste tomato variety.

Composting green tomatoes that won't ripen in time.

Transitioning to fall crops like cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower.

Advantage of planting brasicas in fall due to their cold tolerance.

Leaving stumps and roots in the ground to enrich soil and maintain structure.

Planting in blocks for organization and ease of management.

Succession planting of lettuce to extend the harvest season.

Planting pickling cucumbers for making pickles in the fall.

Dill is a fast-maturing crop suitable for pairing with cucumbers.

Using cell packs for efficient and high-quality plant starts.

Planting leafy greens like mustard greens and cilantro for fall salads.

Timing planting based on the first frost date and days to maturity.

Starting zucchini indoors for a successful fall harvest.

Managing powdery mildew with different control methods.

Planting garlic in late September to early October.

Peas are a great fall crop to plant about a week before the ideal planting time.

Zucchini is a favorite fall crop due to its short maturation time and high yield.

Transcripts

what's going on everyone in today's

episode we are transitioning out of

Summer and into fall we're officially

into fall gardening as you can tell

weather's gotten colder and uh we're

we're in low 60 weather right now which

is perfect weather for growing a lot of

cold weather crops so we're taking out

the rest of our Tomatoes we're just

basically coming through here and even

though there's a little bit of life left

on these plants ultimately the reward

just will not be there to keep them

around and the flavor of the tomatoes as

your plants start to die starts to

really kind of weighing it get they get

a little more acidic they don't have as

much full body flavor so we're just

taking out all the tomatoes and we're

going to transition into some fall crops

because I'm going to talk about

everything that we're planting in

September all right let's

go so this variety is known as the 10

fingers of Naples and I'll tell you what

it is absolutely one of the most

productive paste tomatoes I've ever seen

this plant is just

loaded now it's a determinant but it has

vined and bushed and trailed all over

our garden and it has produced I mean

this one plant the amount of green

tomato still on this that unfortunately

are just going to get composted we're

not going to we have so many tomatoes I

canned about 30 quarts of pizza sauce

the the uh other week so we do not need

anymore we've put up so much so I'm just

going to compulse the rest here but each

plant probably has I mean I would say a

minimum of 400 to 500 Tomatoes it's

just just unbelievable so the first crop

that we're actually going to transition

into is some brasas we're going to

actually going to put quite a few

cabbage broccoli cauliflower in this bed

right here because one of the things

that we struggle with in the spring is

growing our brasas because it gets so

warm so fast that often times they go to

seed and if you've experienced this a

lot of people just assume well maybe

growing broccoli is not for me or

growing something like a spring Rini or

like a like a sprouting broccoli is more

for you and that's true that's more of a

spring broccoli for us rarely do we

actually get nice full heads in the

spring when it comes to our broccoli

just because of how warm it gets but

because it's gradually getting cooler

we're going to transition out a lot of

our broccoli cabbages and cauliflowers

into this bed rid here so before we get

planting I want to make a quick note

here that's going to help you out with

not only reducing your work but also

kind of helping you in the long run and

that's making sure that you leave the

stumps and the roots from the previous

crop in the ground this is really

important it's something we've been

doing for the past few years and I've

noticed massive results from it you see

if you were to take this old tomato

plant and pull it up you're going to be

removing a lot of soil and a lot of

biomass that otherwise would just rot

away and deteriorate and add back to the

soil and so a lot of times farmers will

implement this with things like corn but

I've seen a lot of H gardeners starting

to implement this as well with their

other crops and so regardless of what we

do like when we when we harvested our

broccoli from the spring we just left

the bottoms right in the right in the

soil they've broken down you can't even

tell that they were there they've

completely been broken down by the worms

and soil microbes and so we're going to

do the same thing with our tomatoes and

that way it's just going to give back to

our soil that much more and also help to

keep the structure of our soil because

when you pull out a lot of roots it can

tend to deflate the soil structure over

time and so because we're trying to keep

this nice fluffy beautiful structure

that kind of helps to do that so now now

that the bed is fairly cleaned we're

going to get to planting all right so

we're going to start planting here some

cabbage now for the sake of saving time

I want to keep this video pretty short

and sweet and because if you can't tell

I'm kind of getting getting over a cold

so I know that you guys really want to

just get the information to take it out

into your garden to grow bigger with and

so we're going to just kind of rifle

through a lot of the things that we're

planting because all these things are

things that we're going to be planting

in our fall Garden so I've got cabbage

here I'm going to plant out a little

block of our cabbage spacing them out

about 10 in apart then just over in

front of them I'm going to plant out

another another block of broccoli for

broccoli plants and then I'm going to

plant out in the block next to that I'm

going to plant out a block of kabi and

then I'm going to plant out a block of

kale so this is going to be all

basically brasas in this bed now brasas

do make up the large majority of the

crops that we grow in the fall just

because they're super cold tolerant they

can handle some warmth that you get

periodically like next week it's going

to be in the mid 80s but then it's going

to drop right back down I saw into the

low 60s again so you know you get those

es and flows but they can tolerate that

then I'm also going to plant some

lettuce now we uh sewed lettuce here

this lettuce was our first succession we

succession sew lettuce so we don't get

everything all at once this was our very

first planting and then about another

week we're going to plant some more

lettuce in a following subsequent

until we get about three or four rows of

lettuce planted just because I don't

like to get it all at once it's just

it's hard to consume at all and also not

only that but when it kind of starts to

to be over harvested and starts to go

bitter I like to have kind of a nice

nice progression of a harvest throughout

the growing season um and then also we

have some cucumbers now this one is

pretty crazy a lot of you guys have

asked me oh my gosh you're planting

cucumbers in the fall by the way look at

those roots look at those roots those

are crazy so these are pickling

cucumbers the reason why we're doing

pickling cucumbers we want to grow them

for pickles to pair with that we're

going to be growing them up at trus

we're going to be pairing that with dill

Dill is a wonderful fall crop it's fast

maturing and basically a lot of these

crops are crops that can handle some

cool weather but they also mature fairly

fast now one thing that I will mention

is that a lot of you ask well Luke what

can I plant is this an exhaust of Li

list of everything that I can plant the

answer is no it's not what you have to

do is you have to look at your first

frost date your first frost date is

going to vary based on where you live

for us it's October 20th and from

October 20th we're counting back to

today's date and seeing what we can

plant now that's based on the the days

to maturity and the days to germination

we add both those numbers up and if you

have enough days you can grow it it's

pretty simple but we what we did was is

because we're growing some stuff that

takes a little longer we end up starting

them indoors so we started like our well

all these all these things we started

indoors because it's a little more

climate controlled and you can uh you

can get a little bit more of a head

start so um we're going to get those

planted up and then uh we're going to

talk about some more things so we're

going to plant up our lettuce here and

really quick I wanted to plug these cell

packs these are absolutely amazing I've

simply fallen in love with them these

are the bootstrap farmer cell packs now

we carry them over at at my gardener

I would highly recommend checking them

out they're very affordable and they are

super super high quality by far some of

the most highquality materials uh when

it comes to you know just build quality

that you're going to find anywhere they

are made in the USA which is awesome but

on top of that these suckers I mean not

that you have to stand on them but I've

actually done a video Where I Stood on

these and they hold up great and what's

awesome is they're also dishwasher safe

and they're root pruning they have these

little slits on the side so your roots

actually are trained to expand out

rather than coil around and around and

around which can happen with traditional

cell packs so aside from the lettuce in

this bed like I said we're also going to

plant some other leafy greens I like to

kind of plant out my beds kind of

according to the a theme I just kind of

find that's a little easier for me and

my my ADD but we're going to plan a lot

of this out with leafy greens so I've

got some Mauna Mauna mustard mustard

greens are awesome for the fall they

just have this wonderful peppery crisp

flavor to them that is awesome in salads

very nutritious but uh a lot of times in

the spring it just gets too warm too

fast for them we also have something

that a lot of people make the mistake of

planting in the summer but it's actually

more of a cool weather crop and that is

cilantro cilantro is a crop we always

add to our fall Garden as well as our

Spring Garden just because it is a

really great flavor but it does not like

anything over about 70 75° or so so

we're th uh so we're throwing it in our

beds right here and that way we can make

you know we can make tacos with it but

we can also throw it in salads throw in

some peanuts and make like a peanut

sauce and throw in some green onions and

some red bell pepper that's still coming

from the garden make kind of like a Thai

inspired salad that is awesome one of

our more favorite salads throwing some

edamame in there toss it up with some

cucumber oh it's so so good so tie that

into the Cucumbers that we're growing in

the fall but then also we're going to be

planting a lot of other things later in

September that we don't yet really want

to plant right now it's just too warm

for it so things like spinach peas a lot

of your you know radishes your very fast

maturing but really you know really heat

sensitive stuff spinach does not like

anything over about 60 65° so we're

throwing that in probably in the next 2

to 3 weeks at the very tail end of

September that's going to go in the

ground we want the nighttime

temperatures to be dipping into about

low to mid-40s and then we want the the

daytime temperatures to not be exceeding

about 65° so that's going to be

happening later in September also in

late September you know we're not doing

this right now but we're going to start

talking about planting garlic if you

haven't yet got garlic go ahead over to

migardener.com and join the weight list

that is usually something that you start

thinking about right around late

September to early October you want to

get that in the ground you want it you

want it in the ground about 30 to 40

days before your first frost date that's

the ideal time so go check out Mig

gardner.com join the weight list if it's

in stock great you're watching it post

but we don't have it in stock yet

because it's still in the curing process

from our Farmers so that's another crop

that is wonderful for September just not

right now and then also things like peas

peas make a wonderful fall crop those

are going to go in the ground in about a

week from now so it's still too warm

obviously for those as well but those

are just some I you know some ideas of

crops that we're planting in the fall

the final crop that I know you guys are

going to think is abs crazy but one that

we have so much success with is zucchini

zucchini is one of my favorite crops to

grow in the fall it's probably one of my

favorites just simply because I don't

know any other crop that takes only 45

to 50 days to mature which you have

plenty of time in early September you've

got 45 to 50 days for sure before your

first frost date and on top of that it

is such an incredible producer I just

don't know anything that takes 45 days

yet produces as much volume as zucchini

does so we have these seedlings here

that we started obviously really

important to start them indoors if

you're 45 50 days before your first

frost date get them started right now

you may not get a harvest it may be too

close but where is it's going to happen

is you're going to learn and you're

going to start them a little sooner next

year but definitely give them a shot but

we have here some zucchinis that we

started from seed just about two two and

a half weeks ago and check out how

beautiful these are these things are

absolutely huge they're just starting to

flour they're not going to put on fruit

for probably another I would say week

and a half to two weeks or so but

they're just starting to kind of flower

meaning they're getting ready and it's

such a great fall crop it's such an

amazing fall crop that most people don't

ever think of the only thing I'll give

you a tip of is make sure you know how

to combat powdery mildew we're going to

do a video coming up if this video gets

at least a th000 likes we're going to do

a video comparing different powdery

mildew control methods we're going to

spray one down with milk we're going to

spray one down with baking soda and

we're going to spray one down with a

copper fungicide to compare how

effective each is at controlling powdery

mildew all can be fairly effective but

you're going to want to control powdery

mildew in the fall that's the only thing

you're going to be up against is powdery

mildew because of the cold damp nights

and uh zucchinis cuc uh cucur crops are

more uh susceptible to powdery mildew

but there's everything that we are

planting in the fall I hope you guys

enjoyed I hope you all learned something

new this is Again by no means an

exhaustive list there are probably a

1002 200 other crops you could

potentially plant in the fall depending

on how many days you have until your

first frost date where you're at in the

world and uh yeah you know this is just

something that we're doing and I want to

give you guys some tips and pointers to

get you out in the garden and continue

your garden even into the fall so I hope

you guys enjoyed I hope you all learned

something new as always this is Luke

from the Mi Gardner Channel reminding

you to grow bigger take care bye hey

thank you so much for watching today's

video I really appreciate it if you

enjoyed consider checking this one out

you'll probably enjoy it just as much I

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you guys in the garden bye