It's that point in August when the days are getting noticeably shorter, and fast! Day length is a limiting factor for plant growth -- if the days are too short (about less than 10 hours), the plants don't grow anymore, even if they do like the cooler and wetter weather of autumn. So now is the time to get the last few crops planted and seeded. We are planting our last round of lettuce this week and seeding the last radish. Spinach, mixed greens and mache we'll still sow next week. But that's it!
From now, the garden season is all about tidying up and prepping for next year. So we'll also be seeding some cover crops this week. I like a mix of oats, peas, fava beans and daikon radish. This mix helps feed the soil food web and fosters a healthier soil for next year. And all the plants in this mix will die over the winter, so that in spring we have a nice mulch left on the beds, but are otherwise ready to plant.
But spring is still a long way off! For now, I hope you are enjoying the tomatoes and cucumbers!
