Don’t Fall Behind: Sow Autumn Crops

You might want to drag your shoe box or canning jar full of seed packets out from the back of the refrigerator and sow another batch.

Planting seeds in midsummer, the second-to-last sowing for this season, is a relaxed affair compared with the feverishness of spring sowings.

Typically, the average date of the first fall frost determines which vegetables to sow now. But most fall vegetables can take any cold Southern California might get--El Nino notwithstanding. Still, plant growth will slow as temperatures cool and hours of daylight become precious.

Vegetables that need a couple of months to mature and for which there is still time to sow include carrots, beets, heading lettuces and any of the many types of Chinese cabbages.

Don’t forget about less common vegetables such as daikon radishes and chop suey greens.

Peas are one vegetable with which most gardeners have little success as a fall crop. Pea plants grow poorly during midsummer heat; then, when the weather turns cool, they grow too slowly or are killed by frost.

Instead of buying potted perennial and biennial flower plants next year, why not sow seeds of these flowers now? A single foxglove or delphinium does not amount to much, but plant 10 of each--a fraction of what you could get from a single seed packet--and you get a bold splash of color.

Sow biennial and perennial flower seeds in a small, sunny patch of weed-free ground, which serves as a nursery bed for this season. In late summer or late winter, move the plants to their permanent locations.

The major problem with these midsummer sowings of flower and vegetable seeds is dry soil. Seeds lie dormant in dry soil, waiting to be awakened by water. One way to get seeds to sprout quickly in midsummer is to first open up a furrow, then sprinkle water right into the furrow. After that, sow seeds, cover them with soil, and firm the soil over the seeds with the back of a rake to snug them against the wet soil. Sprinkle the row again with water. Finally, lay a temporary covering over the row. This cover can be burlap, straw or even wooden boards--anything that can be taken off as soon as the seedlings poke through the ground.

If you are planting in ground that grew spring crops, the soil may need pepping up first. Sprinkle fertilizer over the ground, per directions on the bag.

For a real treat for your plants, cover the soil before planting with a 1-inch layer of sifted, ripe compost.