Some of the best vegetables in Oklahoma are harvested in the fall, when warm, sunny days are followed by cool, humid nights. Fall is the perfect season for gardening – no bugs, no watering, no weeds, and no sweat – at least not nearly as much as summer. It’s hard to think about planting a garden when it’s nearly 100 degrees outside, and we haul hoses every day just to keep the plants alive. The dedicated gardeners who defy the heat and create an autumn garden are rewarded when the temperatures cool down and the autumn rains come.
§ The most important part of preparing the autumn garden is soil improvement. Compost increases soil fertility and retains moisture, which also helps cool the soil.
§ Choose seeds that ripen quickly so that they can be harvested before frost. The simplest plants for fall are leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, cabbage, mustard, and lettuce. Also sow beet and radish seeds. If you can grow broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower yourself, or find transplants, they are much better in the fall garden than they are in the spring garden.
§ Mulch the area to be planted to cool the soil. Soil temperatures can reach 140 degrees in the summer sun, and that means a quick death for seeds and seedlings.
§ One way to lower the temperature of the soil is to plant in furrows that are long shallow trenches. Place the seeds in the bottom of the furrow and cover the recommended depth with soil, but do not fill in the furrow. The seedlings are partially shaded in the furrow and kept cooler. Seeds need constant moisture to germinate. When they dry up, they die instantly. Flooding the furrows saves water and keeps the seeds moist so they can germinate.
Another way to give seedlings an edge in the summer heat is to shade them. Shading helps lower the floor temperature and prevents excessive evaporation. One of the best and easiest devices for shading plants is a tent made out of old window bars. Once the seedlings have emerged and established, remove coloring materials. You could do something as simple as put a board over the furrow, or cover it with wet newspaper or straw mulch. Just check regularly and remove the cover as soon as the seedlings start to sprout.
§ Mulch the new plantings. Mulch helps retain moisture, cool the soil, keep weed competition low, and enrich the soil as it digs.
Another helpful practice is soaking the seeds overnight before planting. Seeds need to absorb water in order to germinate and this speeds up the process. It’s best not to soak bean kernels as they can absorb too much moisture and crack, causing poor germination. A better method for bean kernels is to wrap them in a damp paper towel in a plastic bag overnight.
§ Be creative using what is in your garden. Make seed furrows on the east side of any tomato or okra plants to prevent exposure to the hot western sun. Plant turnips, beets, and radishes under okra to take advantage of the shade that cools the soil. A little sweat is now worthwhile when the vegetables ripen in the cooler autumn days, when we can enjoy working in our gardens and appreciate the plentiful autumn harvest.
Home gardening and landscaping
If you are interested in learning more about fall gardening in southern Oklahoma, Betty Sue Tow and I will be teaching Home gardening and landscaping for the fall semester on Mondays from 6-8 a.m. at Southern Tech in Ardmore. You can log in or call 580 223-2070.
Learn what, when, where, and how to plant in Southern Oklahoma, and how to work with what you have to create a beautiful garden that is both beautiful and environmentally friendly. Classes include Organic Horticulture, Landscaping, Xeriscape Horticulture, Native Plants, Vegetable Gardening, Oklahoma Proven Plants, Lasagna Gardening, Raised Beds, Crepe Myrtle, IPM, Pass-Along Plants, Cottage Horticulture (New American Gardening), Soil Preparation, Sowing, plant propagation and much more. Hope to see you in class and have fun gardening!
