Fall Pre-Planting

Get a head start for next year’s garden by prepping and seeding your garden in the fall!

If you are like me, you have greater ambitions than you have time for, I take on too much and get overwhelmed.

I was planting my garlic about 5 years ago along with some fall onions planning on them to be ready for easter and I started thinking about my carrot crop not producing like I thought it should. In the spring when I usually plant my carrot seeds. Once the seeds are planted they need to be constantly moist. In our Colorado spring climate comes a lot of wind which dries things out quickly especially seeds that are planted ¼ inch deep. I tried mulching with various materials which worked to some extent but I wanted to improve.

Spring being the busiest time at the garden shop, I felt that I didn’t have the time it took to water them correctly or when they needed it. I started thinking how Mother Nature took care of things and the natural time for a plant to go to seed was in the fall. The seeds drop to the ground, the wind blows and covers the seed and the seed lies dormant there until spring when we get spring moisture and the soil warms up. This is how Mother Nature also feeds the birds, mice, and other animals.

I always have a few volunteers come up every spring in the garden from some lost seed dropped in the fall so I thought I would give it a shot since I was prepping my garden for spring anyways and was planting my garlic, which needs the cold winter for a better production. I figured to pick a small bed, plant a small crop of a variety seeds to see which ones worked the best and if it didn’t turn out then I could re-seed in the spring. Nothing lost but a few seeds and a little time.

The following spring came with much anticipation and everything came up as planned. Everything had a better head start with less babysitting than if I had planted in the spring. Each year I expand my fall pre-seeding to see what varieties works best.

The best ones that worked were Beets, Radishes, Carrots, Chard, Lettuce, Arugula, Beans, Spinach, Kale, and Peas. My peas this last year worked well but the squirrels got them as they were coming up and I had to replant. Tomatoes did come up but with the long growing season they require I didn’t have enough time for them to produce like they should. I changed my tomatoes to sowing them outside in a wall-o-water and transplanting them to where their final home would be and peppers, I start in January inside until I put them out the first of June. Potatoes wouldn’t work because they would end up freezing and rotting. I have yet to try any squash, cucumbers, corn, or melons.

I think that certain flowers would work also like marigolds, calendula, columbine, cosmos, and bachelor buttons. I have done Petunias, Amaranth, Poppies and Portulaca and had good success.

How to Plant:

1. Clean out your beds from this year’s plants.

2. Prep your soil like you would in the spring.

3. Plant your seeds according to the seed package.

4. Water and to keep the cold and moisture in add a little mulch on top.

Mulch is a covering on the soil and could be anything from bark to straw. I mulched mine with a little compost. Throughout the winter when I winter water, I also give them a good soaking. The ground is cold and you won’t have to worry about the seeds germinating. Mother Nature will let them know when to wake up.

I would encourage anyone to give it a try. I do mine in November just before the ground freezes. The chance of success is great. It gives me a chance to garden in the fall and gives me more time in the spring instead of rushing through spring planting waiting for that perfect window. That perfect window and nice weather was back in November. Earlier germination and less stress on me and the plants makes it more fun and more successful.

My garden planted so far this November for next spring is planted with garlic, onions, lettuce, mustard, chard, peas, beans, carrots, radishes and beets. No kale…I don’t have enough bacon to make it taste good. I also have done some flowers. It feels good to be ahead of the curve.