Plan now for your Fall Garden
By Margo Dameier, OSU Hood River Extension Central Gorge Master Gardener volunteer
When I was a young girl, I always enjoyed the month of August. There were large family
gatherings every weekend, the fireflies that would hover in front of my eyes at dusk made me
run and giggle as I caught them, and the bounty of fresh produce that was prevalent in
everyone’s garden was prepared into mouth-watering dishes and on our tables. If you\u2019ve been
reading the other articles I\u2019ve penned for this column, then you know that I grew up on a farm in
Northern Illinois where corn, alfalfa, and soy beans were grown to feed black angus cattle on my
family’s feedlot. In addition to the field crops, every farm had an extensive vegetable garden. My
mom, aunts, and neighbors would gather at this time of year to harvest the fresh produce,
prepare them for canning, and put up enough fruits and vegetables to feed everyone in these
families until the next harvest.
The climate in Northern Illinois is not conducive to fall gardening, though. As summer began to
turn to fall, everyone would rush to harvest what wasn\u2019t yet ripe and ripen it indoors. Green
tomatoes would be washed to remove debris that could cause rot, wiped with a clean dish towel
and air dried before being placed in a box lined with newspaper with the stem side down and
not touching any other tomatoes. More newspaper would cover the tomatoes to shield them
from light. These boxes would then be stored in the basement and checked weekly for signs of
decay. We often would have ripe tomatoes as part of our Thanksgiving feast! Potatoes were dug
two weeks after the vines had died off, but before the rains came. This helped to thicken their
skins for storage. They were set out to dry and stored in an open crate in the coolest (40
degrees) part of the basement. Winter squash were harvested before the first frost and stored
on an upper shelf in the basement (50 degrees) away from a window well since they need to be
in a dark and dry environment.
When I became an adult I settled in Southern Wisconsin, started my career, bought a house and
had my own garden where I grew vegetables for canning and winter storage in my basement.
The concept of fall gardening was still unknown to me. I\u2019d moved 70 miles north from where I
was raised and fall came with the same vigor at my new city home as it did on the farm. Then, I
moved to Hood River! I was thrilled to live in an area with mountains in view, and next to a
mighty river. Plus, the Pacific Ocean to the west and high plains desert to the east were an easy
drive for a day\u2019s excursion. All this gave me access to a wide variety of recreation that made me
extremely happy. Toward the end of my first summer here I learned that the local climate
allowed for fall gardening and began to seek out more information right away. I would have
talked to Central Gorge Master Gardeners to learn more about this topic, but there was no
Master Gardener program in Hood River at that time. It would be 15 years before the OSU Hood
River County Extension Service started offering classes through the Central Gorge Master
Gardener program. Still in search of information, I started talking to other gardeners to learn fall
gardening techniques. I got a lot of conflicting information, some really wacky suggestions, and
some good advice. Hmmm, this sounds a lot like going on YouTube these days.
What I figured out was that gardeners need to plant in mid-summer for a fall crop. If you\u2019ve been
planting seeds in succession throughout the summer, this could be your final succession
planting of vegetables like lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, and peas. Since you\u2019ll be harvesting
these vegetables before the first frost comes, you may not need row covers. If you plant later in
the summer or early fall, row covers, cold frames, and cloches may need to be used to warm
the air and protect your plants. If you live at a higher elevation, you know to plan on using these
protective structures. A tip I\u2019ve learned in my Master Gardener training is to plant when the soil<\/p>\n\n\n\n
temperature is still warm enough for the seeds to germinate and there is time for the plants to
become sturdy so they can endure the fall rain. The OSU publication, \u201cFall Gardening in the
Vegetable Patch,\u201d offers a clear and informative view on this topic. Fall Gardening in the
Vegetable Patch
If you\u2019d like to try some cool season crops that are a bit wilder than your usual kale, cabbage,
broccoli, and carrots, check out this video from the OSU Growing Oregon Gardners series on
Unique Winter Vegetables to Grow with OSU Professor of Practice and Director\/Founder of the
Culinary Breeding Network, Lane Selman. It\u2019s a deeper dive into this subject and well worth the
investment of an hour of your time. Growing Unique Winter Vegetables (Level Up Webinar)
With an abundance of great vegetables coming out of your garden, you\u2019re sure to need some
herbs for use in cooking them into tasty recipes. OSU Extension Service has you covered there
too with their publication, \u201cFive cold-hardy herbs to grow at home.\u201d Five Cold Hardy Herbs to
Grow at Home
The OSU Hood River County Extension Service has had a Master Gardener program in place
since 2005 which allows you to learn gardening methods from trained local volunteers. Just in
time for fall planting, Central Gorge Master Gardeners Jen Munroe and Anne Gehrig will be
presenting a Garden Gathering workshop on Planning Your Fall Garden. Topics to be covered
in this workshop include,
\uf0b7 Planning and planting for a fall harvest
\uf0b7 Extending the season and overwintering crops (including cover crops to nourish
your soil over fall and winter)
\uf0b7 Protective measures (row covers, low hoop tunnels, etc.)
Two sessions of the workshop will be held at different times and locations. The same
information will be offered at each session.
\uf0b7 Saturday, August 10, 10 – 11:30 AM Hood River County Extension, 2990
Experiment Station Drive, Hood River, OR
\uf0b7 Tuesday, August 13, 6:00-7:30 PM at the Hood River County Library, 502 State
Street, Hood River, OR
All are welcome to attend the Garden Gathering to learn how to extend the gardening
season and enjoy fresh produce long after most gardens have been put to bed.
No registration is needed for this free workshop.
I hope that this article and the information in it has inspired you to learn how to extend
your growing season in the varying elevations of the Central Gorge so that you can
enjoy fresh vegetables well into the cooler months of fall. Perhaps you\u2019ll be harvesting
fresh vegetables from your fall garden to contribute to your Thanksgiving feast this year!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Central Gorge Master Gardener volunteers provide free beginning gardening classes
and continuing education to home gardeners. For research based information about
specific gardening or pest questions, submit your concern online at
extension.oregonstate.edu\/mg\/hoodriver or by phone at 541-386-3343. Home
gardeners can also drop off plant or pest samples Monday – Thursday between 9 AM<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and 4 PM at the OSU Hood River County Extension Service, 2990 Experiment Station
Drive, Hood River, OR.
The Central Gorge Master Gardener program is a division of the OSU Hood River
County Extension Service. OSU Extension Service prohibits discrimination in all its
programs, services, activities, and materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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