July might seem a little early to plan a fall garden, but the timing is just about right.
July is an ideal time to plan your fall desert garden. During hot afternoons, you can relax in your favorite place with paper and pencil, make out a list of plants that are planted in the fall, do a rough draft of where you want them, and a planting calendar of when you will put them in the ground.
First, decide what plants you want.
Vegetables for the fall garden.
- Cabbage. This is one of the oldest vegetables in existence, or at least on record. Although cabbage can be grown as a warm weather crop, colder weather causes the head to be sweeter and more pleasing to the taste. Direct seed in July so it will mature in the fall.
- Broccoli, Brussel sprouts and cauliflower. Since Brussel sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli are members of the cabbage family, they taste best when grown the same way as cabbage: seeded in midsummer and harvested in the fall.
- Collard and kale. Again the best taste occurs in fall, so seed in midsummer.
- Spinach. This can also be a late fall crop. Seed now.
- Beets, radishes, carrots, turnips and parsnips. Sow in late summer for a fall crop.
Perennials.
- Tulips, narcissus, daffodils and hyacinths. Fall (before the ground freezes) is the time to plant the bulbs of these gorgeous plants. You can plan what colors you want, where you want them and how you want them to look. Try to plant them in natural-looking drifts instead of in straight lines or as borders. These plants will be the first to greet you in early spring.
- Lilies. Plan to divide lilies in the early fall. Decide now where you want to place your divided plants.
- Bluebells and lupine seeds should be planted between October and December, before the ground freezes. Decide on what plants you want to sow and where you want them. You don’t have to order or buy the seeds now, but deciding what you want will save time and energy later.
- Penstemmon, daisies, coreopsis, phlox, rudbeckia, and a number of spring and early summer blooming plants should be seeded in early-to-mid fall.
Planning
You’re also going to want to decide where you want too plant your seeds or transplants, how you’re going to prepare the soil and, if you’re buying new seed, where are you going to get it, how long will it take from ordering to receiving, whether or not you need to amend the soil (particularly for vegetables) and, if you do need to amend, how are you going to do that.
Related articles:
- How to Start Seeds
- Transplant Shock
- When to Plant Desert Garden Seeds
- Planning Next Year’s Desert Garden
The copyright of the article Plan a Fall Desert Garden Now in Desert Gardens is owned by Robert Dailey. Permission to republish Plan a Fall Desert Garden Now in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
