John Thannisch has so many greens growing in his garden that, if the rows were laid end to end, they would total about 200 yards long. He planted Mustard greens, Collard greens, and Turnip greens for an early fall crop back as early as August 15.
The cool-season vegetables that we enjoy originated in temperate climates and have their favorable growth period during the cool parts of the year. Cool-season crops grow poorly (if at all) in our summer heat. Though cool-season crops continue to grow well past the earliest freeze in the fall, they should be started early enough to mature before hard freezes are expected.
Greens, such as arugula, spinach, collards, lettuce, Swiss chard, mustard, and kale are great cool season crops. Collards a staple of home-grown Southern cuisine. They are more nutritious than the often bragged about broccoli and spinach.
Thannisch says his crops are about knee high and doing well despite dry conditions. I asked him if he had irrigated and he said he hadn’t recently. Just the other day he pulled up a plant and found moist soil near the bottom of a tap root. His soils have just enough clay content deep enough to seem to hold water on his garden.
Thannisch gardens on about two acres at his place south of Lufkin. His garden is on a newer site that was reclaimed from an overgrown brush and woodland area.
Looking ahead on my weather forecast, I don’t see anything lower than 50 degrees in the next 15 days. Rainfall is looking bleak as well. But for frost protection (though there’s no indication in the forecast) can be achieved with several options, one of which is a row cover. Made of an extremely light-weight woven or sun-bonded synthetic material, it allows light and water to penetrate, row covers are available in rolls five to six feet wide and in various lengths up to 100 yards long. The material is reusable for several years if handled carefully to prevent tears.
Row covers can be used to trap the sun’s heat and warming the soil an extra 1 to 3 degrees. Crops, such as radishes, lettuce, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, peas, Chinese cabbage, beets, carrots, turnips, and parsnips, can be seeded directly into the garden and covered at planting time, leaving enough slack in the row cover to allow for growth.
The material is so light it literally floats on top of the plants as they grow. Secure the edges with soil; hold them down with two-by- four lumber or anchor them with U-shaped pins (made from coat hangers). Securing the edges prevents the entry of troublesome flying pests, such as cabbage worms, cabbage loopers and leaf miners, as well as birds and squirrels.
Thannisch biggest concern right now is aphids. These piercing/sucking insects are abounding in ornamental landscapes as well as vegetable gardens. Aphids can be controlled with numerous products so long as you treat under the leaves as well as over the top of plants.
As for myself, I just planted a patch of kale, lettuce, cabbage, and other fall vegetables yesterday. A little late maybe, but with frost protection planned, I’m betting on fresh produce from my garden in December.
