It’s a good feeling to finally finish your spring garden planting. The beds are all prepared, the seeds are in the ground and the seedlings are transferred from pots to soil. Now you can just forget about the planting phase and move on to the rest of the growing season, right?
Sure, but by the time July rolls around, you may find yourself right back in the planting phase! This is because your short-season crops — your lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes and more — have by now run their course.
The pea vines are turning brown, the radishes are all eaten, and what little lettuce remains is starting to bolt. While that may be sad news for your salad, it can be a time of revitalization for the garden and the start of a second chance. Pulling out the spent crops gives you plenty of room for fresh options: new things to grow and a second helping of your favorites.
But by now the season is getting along and you have only perhaps half of the growing season left — so you have a few decisions to make. What crops should you select for this midsummer planting? What steps do you need to take before reusing a garden bed? And what’s the best way to make sure those crops reach maturity before the end of the season? Let’s answer some of those questions now.
TIMEFRAME FUNCTIONS
It may feel like there is plenty of time left in the second half of the growing season, but you do need to keep an eye on that critical date of your average first freeze. Using that date as a starting point and counting backward can help you make decisions.
Denne historien er fra July - August 2024-utgaven av Hobby Farms.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra July - August 2024-utgaven av Hobby Farms.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
The RISE of Opportunist WEEDS
Be prepared to see increasing changes in weeds we fight, such as poison hemlock and poison ivy, and in the crops we grow.
LIVESTOCK Health
Prepare yourself for how to spot symptoms of illness in your farm animals so that you can get them help before it's too late.
CUT FLOWER Farming
If you're considering growing flowers for sale, brush up on these five key things to know before diving in.
WINTER Survival
Keep your land, animals and yourself in good shape this winter with this helpful advice.
COVERAGE CONCERNS
Avoid common insurance mistakes for rural and hobby farm businesses.
FARMER'S GUIDE Berries
Set the stage for tasty strawberries, blueberries and brambles with these soil-boosting garden tips.
Preconditioning CALVES
Follow our step-by-step guide to get more money for your calves.
Soil Conservation
Often, outside of having a specific problem that needs to be addressed, soil conservation isn't something every farmer readily thinks about. Yet conserving the soil should be at or near the top of every farmer owner or manager's list of concerns because absent the prevention of soil erosion, we have the opportunity for another dust bowl.
Year-Round Lettuce & Salad Mixes
It's easy to think of salad greens as just a spring- or fall-garden crop, but it's possible to enjoy freshly harvested lettuces, mustards and more from your own garden year-round.
Barn Improvements
Days are never long enough for a farmer. From dawn to well into the night, tasks arise that often require immediate action. Having to search for tools or equipment is an enormous time waster and incredibly frustrating when you can't find what you need, especially when you know you have it.
