Late season vegetable gardens

Melanie Mathieson
The Gardening Guru

Have you been disappointed so far this summer with some of your vegetable crops? Many gardeners find that they are disappointed with some of their crops like radishes, lettuce and other greens, beets and peas this season. Because of the hot and dry conditions that we have been experiencing, many of these crops have either produced poorly or were producing nicely and then quickly went to seed. If you have been disappointed year after year in the poor results from your “salad crops” then you may want to consider planting a second rotation in August.
Year after year I find that my radishes turn to ‘wood’ and go to seed, the mesculin mix has turned to a patch of bitter yellow greens and my beets and beet greens have very small leaves and look like a weed instead of something you are supposed to eat. All the hard work of planting these crops and the joy of consuming a bountiful harvest is destroyed once the hot and dry conditions of July hit our region. These tender crops have a hard time weathering the ongoing above average temperature days with the night remaining hot and the complete lack of rain. But thankfully the end is in sight as we enter into the month of August. Mankind usually finds August the most pleasant summer month of all. We still have very warm days but with cooler nights. August is usually the month that we see the most precipitation in this region. Not only does this make for a happier person but these are ideal growing conditions the group I will refer to as the “salad crops”.
August can be a great time to plant the crops that tend to fade quickly in the heat of the summer. By planting in August you sow seed into warm soil, there is plenty of sunshine and usually adequate moisture from Mother Nature. Hopefully you have some seed leftover from your spring planting, if not you may be able to still find some where you usually purchase your seeds. If you don’t have any seed then you may want to keep this in mind for next year and plan your seed purchases accordingly. Just like spring you want to plant your seeds in a prepared seedbed. I stir up the soil thoroughly and construct a new raised bed. I add a granular fertilizer, with a high phosphorus (high middle number) and mix it thoroughly in the upper layer of the soil in the raised bed. You can also use a powered fertilizer like bone meal for this. Sprinkle the seeds of choice and then water lightly. Make sure you are using a seed variety with a short growing season. Crops that you can plant in this second rotation and will benefit most from the growing conditions are: leaf type lettuces (not the head producing types), mesculin, radishes, beets to be used for beet greens, Swiss chard, spinach (actually the best time to plant spinach in our area) green and yellow beans and even some types of peas ( varieties with a low ‘days to maturity’ requirements) and any other type of greens or vegetable hybrid variety with a low ‘days to maturity’ requirement.
You should see your new crop sprouting within a week. The tamer weather conditions will allow your crops to grow at a steady rate without, the effects of the intense summer heat, producing some of the tastiest ‘salad crops’ that you have ever had in mid- to late September. What better way to enjoy the ‘dog days of summer’ than with a fresh salad right from the garden?