This episode is all about fall! We’ll learn how to harvest your garlic and brussels sprouts and how to best protect your plants from cabbage worms. We’ll also cover the best time to start your fall planting - hint, it’s good to know when the first frost date is in your region!
This episode is all about fall! We’ll learn how to harvest your garlic and brussels sprouts and how to best protect your plants from cabbage worms. We’ll also cover the best time to start your fall planting - hint, it’s good to know when the first frost date is in your region!
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Find episode transcript here: https://dig-it.simplecast.com/episodes/fall-planting-garlic-brussels-sprouts-kale-broccoli
[MUSIC PLAYING] KELLY SMITH-TRIMBLE: Hi, this is Dig It! I'm Kelly Smith-Trimble. I'm a master gardener and the author of Vegetable Gardening Wisdom. I'm also the senior editorial director at HGTV.com. In this episode, it's all about fall. And first up, a question about garlic. Wendy says, I planted garlic in early spring, and I see shoots. Can I expect fully developed garlic this summer? So if you planted in spring, and you're starting to see shoots, I definitely think it's going well. And you'll be able to harvest this summer. Just keep them really well watered and mulched, and you should be good to go.
I usually plant my garlic in the fall. That's typically the best time to plant. And it starts coming up before winter. And then in spring, it really starts growing a lot. And it's going well. I usually harvest around mid-summer. I recently harvested my garlic. And I braided it for storage. It's a really fun craft, and pretty easy, once you get the hang of it. And it looks really cool. This garlic can hang in storage for up to six months. And I'll just cut bulbs off when I need to use them. But I'll save some of the largest bulbs for replanting in the fall.
In my climate in Zone 7, we plant garlic in the late fall, and then harvest in early summer. I planted a few different varieties last year. And some of them are ready to harvest. I can tell they're ready because the bottom two to three leaves have turned brown and the tops are starting to flop over. To harvest, you just gently pry out the bulb, and lightly brush off some of the loose soil. The garlic needs to cure in the sun for two to three weeks. At night, or if there's rain in the forecast, I'll cover it or bring it inside. Your garlic really needs to be good and dry before you cut off the tops or braid them for storage.
Sylvia said, I live in Maryland. When is the best time to plant garlic. And when is it harvested? Generally, you should plant garlic in the fall, around your first frost date or a little bit later. So for example, I plan on planting mine in early November. And you should grow from garlic that you get from a reputable seed company or from a local nursery. Or, you can use garlic that you've saved from last year's harvest. You're going to grow your garlic through winter and spring, and harvest it in mid-summer.
Now, we have a question from my friend and coworker, Hannah.
SPEAKER 2: Hi, Kelly. It is really hot. And the peas are gone. But I've heard that I can go ahead and start planning stuff for fall right now. So what can I actually plant that won't burn up?
KELLY SMITH-TRIMBLE: So, you can start a few things in your garden right now. Root crops, like beets, carrots, turnips, parsnips, those can be sown from seed. And you can also sow greens, like kale and collards.
Jane asked some questions about brussels sprouts. This is my first time growing brussels sprouts. How do I harvest them? I read to pick the ones from the bottom up. But how do you get them off of the stem? Do you cut the whole stem, or do you cut off a sprout at a time? Brussels sprouts grow along a tall stem. And each sprout grows right above where a leaf attaches to that stem. So to harvest the sprouts, you first cut off the leaf, and then you harvest the sprout right above it. You can do that by cutting it off or, sometimes, by snapping it off.
Brussels sprouts grow best in cool climates, planted in spring and then harvested through summer. But in warm climates like mine, you can try planting them in fall, growing through winter, and harvesting through spring. I'm actually going to try that this year.
As we get into the fall, sometimes, you'll see holes all over the leaves of some of your plants. Those of you who've grown kale, cabbage, and broccoli know what I'm talking about. Those holes are most likely from cabbage worms. And they are literally the devil for your fall garden. You start seeing them when you start seeing white moths flying around your garden. That's a cabbage moth. And it will lay eggs on your cabbage family plants, including cabbage, kale, broccoli, brussels sprouts, lots of things for your fall garden.
So you want to look on the underside of the leaves of those plants, and try to find those little worms. A lot of times, they're the exact same color as the leaf. So you'll need to look really closely. Pick those off and squish them. And then, I like to also spray an organic insecticide. I use Bt. Just spray that according to the package directions, and that should help.
Here's a question from Anita. She said, my lacinato kale won't sprout. Is it too late to sow some seed again? So, kale is a great thing to grow in fall. It'll grow all through the winter and a lot of zones. And lacinato is one of my favorites. It's also called Tuscan or dinosaur kale. So I'm sad to hear that Anita's isn't growing well. But kale will germinate at degrees as low as 45 degrees Fahrenheit. So you can sow it later in the season. I definitely recommend trying again and seeing what happens.
Now, we have a question from Anita Corsini of Flip or Flop Atlanta.
ANITA CORSINI: I'm a newbie when it comes to fall gardening. I love a summer garden. But my summer garden is winding down. But it's still hot. So, in preparing for a fall garden, I wasn't sure when to put the seeds and seedlings in the ground. Because it's so hot, will it hurt those cool weather crops to get them started now? So do I plant them now or do I wait until it's actually cold weather to get those in the ground?
KELLY SMITH-TRIMBLE: You can start by knowing your first frost date. In the southeast, where Anita and I live, it's in late October. But it may be earlier or later for you, depending on where you live. From there, you can find info on how many weeks before the first frost you should plant certain crops. Crops like broccoli and cabbage and brussels sprouts, you usually plant 10 to 12 weeks before your first frost, which for Anita and I, would be mid-August.
And then, for some leafy greens, like spinach and kale, and root crops, like beets or carrots, you plant six to eight weeks before the first frost, which for us, is mid-September. If you want to grow your fall plants from seed, you can sow them directly outdoors, or you can start them indoors in seed trays with grow lights. I hope that helps, Anita.
Now, I want to show you a little problem in my garden. Brussels sprouts are a bit of an experiment for me. In my warmer zone, in Zone 7, you should be able to plant them in fall and keep them alive through the winter, and then have them produce in late winter or early spring. So I've been using row cover on cold nights and keeping them alive. But they're not really thriving.
I've just spotted aphids on the sprouts of a few of the plants. That's a sign that they're not super healthy. But I'm not going to pull them up just yet. I'm going to knock the aphids off, the best I can, with some water, and also spray with neem oil and organic insecticide. Then, I'm going to fertilize and water the plants to see if they can bounce back. I may get brussels sprouts or I may not. But I'll definitely learn something.
Jane asked some questions about brussels sprouts. This is my first time growing brussels sprouts. How do I harvest them? I read to pick the ones from the bottom up. But how do you get them off of the stem? Do you cut the whole stem, or do you cut off a sprout at a time? Brussels sprouts grow along a tall stem. And each sprout grows right above where a leaf attaches to that stem.
So to harvest the sprouts, you first cut off the leaf, and then you harvest the sprout right above it. You can do that by cutting it off or, sometimes, by snapping it off. Brussels sprouts grow best in cool climates, planted in spring, and then harvested through summer. But in warm climates like mine, you can try planting them in fall, growing through winter, and harvesting through spring. I'm actually going to try that this year.
Last up is a question about broccoli, which brings us right back to where we started with this episode. What do you do when those fall pests turn your leaves into skeletons? Broccoli can be a little bit tricky to grow, mostly because of temperature and timing. I live in Zone 7. And I have had the best luck with broccoli in the spring. Broccoli really needs to stay within the temperatures of about 40 degrees or 70 to 75 degrees. If it gets a lot lower, a lot higher than that, that's where you have a lot of problems.
Like most plants in the cabbage family, broccoli can have a lot of issues with insect pests, especially cabbage worms. You can help deter cabbage moths that become cabbage worms, by planting fragrant herbs, like thyme and chamomile near your broccoli. If you still have issues, you can use an organic insecticide, called Bt, that focuses on worms and caterpillars. It's very safe. It's effective, just make sure you apply according to the package directions.
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For more gardening info, tips, and hacks, check out hgtv.com/dig-it. I'm Kelly Smith-Trimble, happy gardening.