Fall Planting
Sep 29, 2009
2 Comments
This weekend, after feeling under the weather for a few days, I decided to start my fall planting. I had been thinking about it for a while, and then I decided to just get off the sofa and do it. It was sad in a way--I yanked out a bunch of tomato plants . . . I hated to see them go, but they really weren't producing much, and I had a feeling they were getting some kind of mildew . . . so I hacked them away and started all over. The vines had also aged and what little yield left just was not ripening quite as well.With the exception of some more salad greens and chives, I went for all root crops. I've never done a fall garden before, and psychologically I did not want to buy seedlings . . . I know there are varieties of tomatoes that do well in the fall, but if the garden will not succeed, I want it because the seeds don't sprout . . . not because some plants I sowed died off.
The process was fairly easy. On Saturday, after pulling the old plants, I hoed and tilled the earth . . . added some organic fertilizer, and then added heaps of mulch that I fetched from one LA's Bureau of Sanitation stations where residents can take all the mulch they want for free. The location I visited was at 3000 Gilroy Street, but there's also a large mulching station at Griffith Park. I mixed in the free mulch I had scored into the soil, waited over night, and then started planting away Sunday morning.I got some "microgreens" . . . yes, they are all the rage, but when you grow them on your own, they are fresh and full of flavor. Next was some more baby salad greens . . . we have not bought salad greens since early May, and I intend to keep that streak going. I'm also taking a chance with bulb fennel: the variety I had planted for the summer was well . . . more decorative . . . I hope it works. Slices of fresh fennel, drizzled in olive oil, with a little salt and pepper, are one of the best appetizers before a meal. Finally, radishes round out this garden. After sprinkling all the seeds with a thin layer of soil, I covered the area with some garden mesh: we have way too many critters living in our urban jungle, and I'd rather my garden not become a squirrel or skunk buffet.
There's something incredible about growing vegetables from seed. It reminds you how long so much of what surrounds us took to develop and form over time . . . I think we have lost that sense in a culture of instant response and gratification. A couple random seeds from last spring's salad green seed packet are now frisee plants that are now two and three feet tall . . . it's not the tastiest green (actually the texture is the issue--it's like eating pieces of your window screen), but the shape is so graceful, with the occasional purple blossom poking out from the wavy green leaves. I love watching the fledgling sprouts grow a few inches tall, then become lush, and most importantly, end up on my dinner plate.What are you planting this fall? Have you got any tips? Send them to the Parkman Triangle Gardener's page on Facebook!
Wow–haven’t bought salad since May! Congrats on a productive garden!!
I’m looking forward to them. They really are so easy to grow–I never want to buy a bag from Trader Joe’s again! GGP