Early Fall Orchard & Veggie Calendar
Plant seed: at all elevations, cold frames recommended at upper elevations. Cool season crops include beets, chard, lettuce, onions, radishes, peas, spinach. Lettuces can take temperatures down to 25 degrees F with protection such as floating row covers. Plant cover crops to enrich the soil, examples include clover, Fava beans, mustard or vetch.
Set out plants at all elevations: artichokes, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, chives, garlic, lettuce, parsley, sugar peas and turnips.
Fertilize: new veggie plantings benefit from side dressings of slow-release fertilizers, blood or bone meal. Fruit trees should be fertilized before leaf drop with 16-20-0 or 16-16-16.
Spray and garden control for: powdery mildew, if necessary; diseases such as brown rot, peach blight (on apricots, peaches and nectarines), leaf and cane spot on berries, and pear rust mites.
Maintenance jobs include: cutting back herbs (dry some for winter use!), raking fallen leaves and fruit mummies from underneath fruit trees, clean up and/or compost tired veggies to prevent overwintering pests. Keep compost piles moist and add nitrogen fertilizer every 1-1/2 feet.
Green tomatoes can be rolled in newspaper and stored in a warm spot to slowly ripen.
