Preparation for fall planting begins now!

Fall planting season is almost here! I know, it feels like eternal Hades outside, but the heat will end and the Fall season will arrive with all the excitement and relief we are anticipating.

July is the prep month for our Fall Vegetable gardens. If there was a silver lining to the drought and dry soil, it is that it is much easier to till and add additives in dry soil versus wet. Now is the time to add the inch of compost or humus to add nutrients back into the soil. It is also the time to treat with gypsum, if there is a heavy clay content in the garden area you have chosen. Soil additives come in several forms and can be confusing to even the seasoned gardener.

The following descriptions may help:

Top soil in southeast Texas is a sandy, light greyish- tan loam, of equal parts river sand and the top inch of dirt. Topsoil is used as filler to install lawns and to bring landscapes to grade. In large raised containers, it is the bottom and middle filler with the top 6” in humus, manure, or compost. Topsoil is not a black, rich, dirt, nor does it resemble potting soil.

Humus is a fully decomposed product (soil) that is the result of a compost pile that may consist of leaves, manure, clippings, or other organic materials. Compost is the name giving to a material that is in the “act” of decomposing…….like manure, leaf mold, etc. It takes 1 -3 years to make humus, if left naturally to decompose. Both of these products are excellent for improving your soils nutrition, ability to hold moisture, and structure and have very low NPK (fertilizer content) and veggies are heavy feeder and need to be feed every 30 days for good harvest.

Manure, I think everyone has a good grasp on that content! Remember, different manures have higher nitrogen contents and all should be aged before use. What does that mean? July is a great time to bring in a load of mushroom compost and cover with a black tarp for 3-4 weeks. The high heat will decompose the nitrogen content in half the time for addition to the Fall garden in late August. Fresh manure is never advised to be added in high heat and only add 1/16 th to your other additives. There are several products on the market, that are basically a “ready made” vegetable bed.

Mulch can also be confusing. There are so many different varieties and you need to know what PH you need to maintain for your specific plants. Use Pine bark mulch if your landscape consist of azaleas, camellias, fern, redbuds, hollies, roses and other acid lovers. Hardwood mulches, such as black mulch, red mulch, cedar and cypress promote alkalinity (sweeter ) in the soil. Hardwood mulch is a great for palms, tropicals, indian Hawthorne, cacti, and other plants that grow well in alkaline environments.

If in doubt, inexpensive test kits for PH, Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium can be purchased at independent garden center and a test should be each season to check all balances before planting a garden or adding elements. The ensures you do not add the wrong element and have a balanced ratio for your desired plants. Unfortunately weeds are not particular and thrive in any ph.

July 1st is the earliest planting date for growing your own pumpkins and corn. Most varieties need 100-120 to harvest, so getting your seed planted now is imperative to meet the first frost date and Halloween. The following is a chart from Texas A & M Agrilife that may be of use for planning your fall seed planting. Walker county is Region III. The chart is for starter plants, but you can subtract 3-4 weeks from the recommended date for seed planting.

Happy gardening! - Kim