Learn how to extend the spring vegetable garden and grow those cool weather plants that normally die out or turn bitter right through the summer and into fall.
Cool-weather plants, such as lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, and peas, are happiest when planted in the early spring and harvested before the heat of summer sets in.
So does that mean you can’t have fresh lettuce during the summer months?
Of course not!
Simply continue to plant your cool season vegetables every two weeks throughout the summer months, keep them cool and you can harvest into fall or even winter with protection.
Extend The Spring Vegetable Garden Harvest
You can harvest the cool-season crops started during the summer in the fall and even into winter.
The harvest of many of these crops can be extended into winter with the use of a simple cold frame.
Some crops such as kale, Jerusalem artichokes and Brussels sprouts actually taste better after they have been through several light frosts.
The main problem with growing cool-weather plants once the heat of summer arrives is that they tend to bolt, or go to seed.
When a plant bolts, it quickly sends up a tall flower stalk, and once that happens, the flavor of the crop declines.
Create the Right Environment For Those Spring Vegetable Garden Plants
You can extend the season of your cool-weather crops in several ways.
One is to grow these crops in a tunnel house during the fall and winter.
To create the right environment for summer install shade cloth along the length of the tunnel.
Shade cloth is a synthetic fabric manufactured to let a certain percent of sunlight through.
Using shade cloth over plants effectively keeps temperatures down by creating shade.
For additional temperature control inside the tunnel house, raising the sides of the tunnel house will release any built-up warm air.
In a more elaborate set-up, a mist system inside a tunnel house in addition to shade cloth will guarantee that the temperature will stay comfortable for your cool-weather plants.
Shade Is Essential For Spring Vegetable Garden Plants
Another way to achieve success with cool-weather plants in the heat of summer is to use natural or man-made shade.
If you have an area that’s shaded during part of the day, try planting cool-weather crops there.
Try to pick an area that is shaded during the afternoon to help keep the intense afternoon sunlight and heat off your cool-weather crops.
A third way to keep these plants cool is simply to put a roof over them.
Drive four stakes, T-posts, or fence posts into the ground and suspend shade cloth or a lattice across the tops of the posts.
This “roof” will provide filtered shade while still letting rainwater through.
Keep your spring vegetable crops as cool as possible by offering the plants shade, plenty of water and top dressing the soil around your plants with one to three inches of finished compost.
This is the key to successfully growing cool-weather crops in the heat of summer.
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Eat Better, Save Money By Growing A Garden
Learn how you can eat better and save money by growing a garden right in your own backyard or even on your balcony!
Sheri Ann Richerson
Growing organically is important because the produce is healthier and contains more nutrients.
It is better for the environment, insects and birds, plus there is no concern about the potential issues with GMO’s.
It is also environmentally friendly and helps reduce your carbon footprint, not to mention saves money.
Plus there is the holistic perspective of growing an organic garden because from the soil to the food we eat, it is all interconnected.
In this course you will learn:
How to build healthy organic soil
When to plant seeds or established plants as well as when to direct sow
How to simplify garden maintenance
Natural methods of pest control
