August is a great time to start sowing seeds of cool season crops. Gardeners refer to this planting time as the second season. Now is when you want to plant vegetables that do well in the shorter sunlight hours and cooler temperatures. These typically are plants from which we harvest the leaf tissue, roots or flowers. Some of the favorites are lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, beets, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, scallions and radishes. In fall, gardeners will plant garlic and onions for spring harvests.
The nice part about root crops such as carrots, radishes and beets is that they can be stored where they are grown. With our cool winter months, cold storage areas do not have to be created indoors. To help plants make it through deep freezes colder than 25 degrees Fahrenheit, cover them with straw or a breathable mulch.
August is a great time to start sowing seeds of cool season crops. Gardeners refer to this planting time as the second season. Now is when you want to plant vegetables that do well in the shorter sunlight hours and cooler temperatures. These typically are plants from which we harvest the leaf tissue, roots or flowers. Some of the favorites are lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, beets, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, scallions and radishes. In fall, gardeners will plant garlic and onions for spring harvests.
The nice part about root crops such as carrots, radishes and beets is that they can be stored where they are grown. With our cool winter months, cold storage areas do not have to be created indoors. To help plants make it through deep freezes colder than 25 degrees Fahrenheit, cover them with straw or a breathable mulch.