Fall Planting is Still the Best Planting

You hear it every year. But do you take it to heart? Yet, it is true. Fall is the very best time to plant almost everything in your garden. This is true everywhere, but especially true in Texas.

Why? Because spring in Texas comes and goes very quickly. One day it is a beautiful cool spring day and the next day it is hot as blazes. It is uncomfortable enough for people, but imagine those poor little plants. In the best of all climates, the weather would warm gradually, letting the plants adapt at a reasonable rate, but in Texas, they are trying to send down roots, put on leaves, flower, make seeds and grow taller all at the same time — and all while the weather is putting additional stress on them.

If you plant in the fall, on the other hand, the weather is getting gradually cooler rather than suddenly hotter. There is less stress. Plants often get rainwater from fall showers. The soil is a manageable temperature and the plants don’t have to do a lot of growing, flowering and leafing out right away. They can concentrate their effort during the winter months on establishing a healthy and strong root system. Then, when spring comes, they have the necessary underground support to get busy making leaves, flowers, fruit and seeds.

What? All perennial plants will do best if planted in the fall. That includes shrubs, ornamental and shade trees, roses, herbs, perennial flowers, fruit and nut trees and bushes, grass, artichoke, garlic, spring-flowering bulbs and perennial vines. Early spring and winter blooming annuals also need to be planted in the fall, including Sweetpeas, Onion seed, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Lettuces, Spinach, Calendula, Pansy and others.

Small plants should probably go into the ground in October. Garlic, perennial herbs, roses, and other shrubs will profit from being planted in October before the really cold weather sets in and when there is a good chance of rain. Trees should be planted when they are dormant, in the middle of winter. The rule of thumb is that if your plant is growing in a container, it can be planted almost any time during the growing season, and the fall is the best. If you are planting a bare root plant, wait until the weather is cold and the leaves have all fallen from the trees.

Cool weather veggies can go into the ground beginning in September depending on where you live. Plant seeds or seedlings according to the Extension Service’s chart of planting dates for your area. You can find it at your local Extension office or online. Texas A&M has websites for various areas and counties in the state. Search for yours for a specific list. The further south you are, the later your planting dates will be. In Central Texas, for example, carrots don’t go into the ground until November.

What else? If you haven’t amended your soil since spring, it is definitely time. All that spring and summer growing has probably used up all the nutrients that were in your soil. Not only does growing use up nutrients, but all the rain we had this year will have washed away many minerals and much organic material.

Fall is always a good time to add organic material to the soil because it has a few months of cool weather in which to break down and become incorporated into the soil. A good deep layer of mulch applied to the garden in late summer or early fall will serve several purposes. It will protect the topsoil from runoff in case of rain or wind in case it is dry. It will moderate the temperature of the soil and keep it from getting too cold or too hot. As the mulch lays on top of the soil, it create an ideal environment for earthworms and other soil critters that make our gardens more fertile. The mulch also discourages the growth of weeds around your plants. Weeds, as you know, will gobble up the available nutrients and sunshine, depriving your favorite plants of the elements they need. The mulch won’t let weed seeds get down to the soil where they can sprout and it makes other weeds struggle to get enough sunlight to thrive. The weeds that do make it through the mulch layer are easy to pull out. The layer of mulch next to the soil is also slowly breaking down and becoming plant food as it turns to compost. Just by adding mulch to your garden in the fall, you will have improved your soil dramatically by springtime.

In addition to being an excellent time to add mulch to the garden, fall is a good time to work manure, compost, mineral powders and other organic supplements into the soil. All of these goodies will combine over the winter to provide a perfect planting medium for your spring plants.

When you add plants to your garden in the fall, give them a healthy dose of compost to get them off to a good start, put a good layer of mulch around them and give them several good soakings with a blend of seaweed, fish emulsion, and molasses or a product that combines those ingredients. Those products will help your new plants get off to a good start and protect them from many diseases that can attack young, weak plants. Fish emulsion is a gentle fertilizer that contains nitrogen and other essential nutrients. It is made from whole fish or fish products and is especially good at keeping your plants from suffering from stress as a result of transplanting or extremes in the weather. Fish emulsion provides a slow-release of significant amounts of nitrogen and lesser amounts of potash, phosphorus, calcium and other minerals. All are necessary to healthy plant growth,

Seaweed contains essential trace elements and growth stimulants which keep your plants happy and healthy as they develop strong roots and stems. Molasses feeds the micro-organisms in the soil that are necessary to your plant’s ability to absorb any nutrients that you give them. These three essential ingredients will make a gentle, natural fertilizer that keeps your plants healthy year-round. You can use these products on any plant at any time. You don’t have to worry about burning or polluting or any other bad effect that comes with chemical fertilizers. They are also credited with discouraging insect pests. Seaweed is especially good at preventing spider mites when sprayed on susceptible plants regularly.

You can even use this dandy mix indoors on your houseplants or on the plants you bring in to protect in the winter. Aside from a temporary scent of the ocean (I tell my husband to pretend he’s on vacation), this blend is great for using on every plant you own, indoors or out. Use it more frequently during the growth periods of the year — spring and fall — and cut back to occasional use in high summer and winter.

Then what? If you plant in the fall as recommended and build your soil, you will find that your spring gardening tasks will be much easier to accomplish. Your plants will be happy, healthy and ready to start putting out all those leaves, flowers and fruit you were hoping for when you planted them. You will have fewer weeds, fewer bugs and generally a more self-sustaining garden because of your autumn efforts.