THE SUMMER SOLSTICE IS COMING, bringing the longest day of the year, officially marking the beginning of summer, which means it is time to start thinking about starting your Fall and Winter vegetables! I know what you are thinking, we haven’t even begun to warm our bones from that cold winter, and you are talking about summer being over and fall coming? The interesting thing about our fall and winter crops is that they need the warmth of the summer growing season to reach full maturity before we cool back down, because they are usually long-season crops. Think brussels sprouts, cabbage, leeks, broccoli, all the fixings for that Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. These crops will be seeded in a greenhouse and will grow for 30-45 days. After that point, they will be up-potted into a larger container for another 14-30 days. Crops like radicchio, kohlrabi, and parsley can skip the potting up and get planted in the ground around the middle of July. Crops like carrots and beets must be seeded no later than July 15 to be ready for winter storage.Hopefully, you have planned to work some of this space around your crops. Many spring crops will be coming out, and now is a great time to think about your placement for fall crops. If you do not have the space now, never fear. Next month, we might dive into an even colder time: OVER-WINTERING CROPS!
In the meantime, get out in your garden and start working on that tan!
Follow Nikki @urbangnomestead on the socials for local garden growing advice, #farmlife and some hilarious videos. And check out her free monthly garden talks from 1-3 p.m. the final Sunday of each month at Ridgeline Brewing, Bremerton. June focus: Carrots
