Prepare soil for your fall vegetable garden by mixing in lots of organics. Then you'll be ready to plant Swiss chard, husk tomatoes and all manner of herbs.
By PAM BROWN and CAROL SUGGS
Published July 29, 2006
August is a good time to prepare for your fall vegetable garden. Successful vegetable gardens are not accidental. They're the result of planning, constant care and the will to make things grow.
Most Florida soils benefit from applications of various forms of organic material such as manure, rotted leaves, compost and cover crops. Now is the best time to thoroughly mix liberal amounts of organics in the soil well in advance of September planting.
Spread 25 to 100 pounds of compost or manure per 100 square feet if you do not expect to use inorganic fertilizer.
Well-composted organics may be applied at planting time. Due to inconsistent levels of nutrients in compost, applying a balanced inorganic fertilizer can be beneficial.
As you consider what to plant, you may want to try growing minor vegetables in your garden plot.
Swiss chard is commonly found in gardens throughout Florida both as a winter vegetable, since it is a cool season crop, and as a summer cooking green, since it also tolerates heat very well.
Chard may be seeded directly in the garden or transplanted as seedlings. Seedlings come in shades of yellow, orange, pink and red. Plants are spaced about 6 to 12 inches apart.
Most gardeners find chard easy to grow. Some grow it as a border plant around buildings because of its attractive foliage. One variety, called Bright Lights, has ribs in shades of yellow, orange, pink and red that are a colorful addition to flower beds. In plots where beet tops are almost destroyed by chewing insects, chard is only lightly attacked. However, root-knot nematodes can be a problem.
The succulent, glossy, dark green leaves, which are usually slightly crinkled, are eaten as cooked greens. Sometimes the fleshy white leaf midribs are separated from the leaf blade and prepared much like celery or asparagus. Chard is ready to eat 50 to 60 days from seeding.
The husk tomato, which is also called ground cherry, strawberry tomato, Chinese lantern, bladder cherry and Cape gooseberry, is a member of the Solanaceae family. It is similar to but smaller than the tomatillo.
Upright and trailing varieties are available. One variety is an exotic, super-hardy 2-foot perennial with tomato-shaped leaves. Its small white flowers, which form in the spring, are followed by large, dense clusters of 1- to 2-inch brilliant, orange-scarlet, lantern-shaped fruits in the fall. Each fruit is smooth-skinned and enclosed in a thin, papery husk, which is loose and easily removed. Each tomatolike fruit contains many small, inconspicuous seeds.
The whole fruit with the husk removed is used in preserves. Pies may be made from fruits that have matured and dropped on the ground.
Husk tomatoes are seldom grown in Florida, but do well in home gardens. Plants are annuals in the North, but some forms are perennial in the South. Seeds are often advertised in mail order catalogs. Plant seeds about the time of year that you would normally grow tomatoes.
Kohlrabi is grown in gardens throughout the United States for the globelike, swollen stem just above ground level. Cabbagelike leaves on long stems arise from the top and sides of the round, rootlike stem. The globe is tender and succulent, if rapidly grown and harvested, but becomes tough and fibrous with age.
Before kohlrabi is eaten, the peel is removed and the interior is diced and boiled. The swollen stem also may be eaten raw, and leaves are edible. Propagation and time of planting are similar to cabbage, but plant spacing is about 4 inches. Kohlrabi matures in about 60 days when started from seeds, and 40 days started from transplants. Green varieties are most common, but red varieties are popular in many gardens.
The leek is a biennial that is grown as an annual for its long, blanched or unbalanced stems. It forms a thick, fleshy structure like a large green onion plant without a bulb. With its silvery base and green top, it looks attractive.
The leaves of some varieties are blue-green; other are yellow-green. The leaves are flat, in contrast to the round ones of the onion, and are arranged in a fanlike manner. The thick leaf bases and slightly developed bulb are eaten as a cooked vegetable or raw with or without attached leaves. The green leaves may be eaten and have a pungent odor and acrid taste. They are used more for flavoring in salads and cooked dishes. A favorite dish for many gardeners is leek soup.
Many herbs are grown for the special flavor and aroma of their various parts. Because of similarity of their growth habits and cultural requirements, herbs are included with vegetables in the garden.
Occasionally, an herb is eaten both as a vegetable and as an herb, such as cilantro, a form of coriander.
Most of the common savory herbs can be grown seasonally in Florida in sufficient quantities for home use.
Since just a few plants of each herb are required for family use, only a small section of the vegetable garden is needed. Some of the herbs live from year to year (perennials), so they should be grouped together to one side of the garden where they will not interfere with the preparation of the rest of the garden. The annuals also may be grouped together, away from the vegetables. That allows gardeners to spray the vegetables only for pest control.
The majority of herbs will grow satisfactorily under the same conditions of sunlight and soil and with cultural techniques similar to those used for vegetables.
Special consideration should be given to the location and care of a few of the herbs that are sensitive to soil moisture conditions. Sage, rosemary and thyme require a well-drained, slightly moist soil. Parsley, chervil and mint give best results in soils retaining considerable moisture.
Older plants of chive and tarragon can be multiplied by dividing the crown clumps into separate parts. These subdivisions can be set as individual plants.
Mint spreads rapidly by means of surface or underground runners that may grow several feet from the parent plant. You may want to consider planting mints in pots that do not allow rooting into the ground to keep it contained, since it tends to be invasive.
The annuals and biennials ordinarily are grown from seed sown directly in place. Perennials generally are best started in plant beds or boxes using seed or cuttings, and then are transplanted into the garden or growing containers.
A few plants, such as sage, lemon balm and rosemary, can be propagated best by cutting. Stems from new growth make the best cuttings for easiest rooting. Cut the stems into 3- to 4-inch sections, each containing a set of leaves or leaf buds near the upper end, place in pots with sterile potting soil and keep moist until roots are formed.
White flies are usually around in August. Check your citrus trees and, should you find heavy populations of flying adults, wait 10 days, then spray with horticultural oil or malathion. By waiting to spray, the flies will have laid their eggs and the new larvae, which does the damage, can be killed. Follow label directions carefully for application rates.
Ever wonder how seedless hybrid fruit is developed? The seedless watermelon was produced by crossing a normal watermelon with one that was genetically changed. The seeds from this cross produce seedless plants that, when pollinated with pollen from normal plants, will produce seedless melons.
Compiled by Pam Brown and Carol Suggs of the Pinellas County Extension Center/Florida Botanical Gardens. Questions? Call them at (727) 582-2100.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Eco Gardening Conference, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 5, Pinellas County Extension Office, 12520 Ulmerton Road, Largo. How to grow a beautiful land- scape that is environmentally friendly. $20 in advance, $25 at the door, space permitting. The cost includes lunch, door prizes, materials and snacks. Call (727) 582-2673 to register.
