In this area of North Texas, it’s important to know when to plant fall gardens. Even though the thermometer still says summer, it’s time to get your fall garden started. Onions and garlic should be here around mid-September. Their arrival will be posted on Facebook. A lot of our customers ask me when to plant specific crops. Onions and garlic can be planted as soon as they are available. It can be a little risky but you can plant tomatoes and peppers in September. Choose tomato varieties with less than 65 days to maturity labels and keep a good eye on the weather.
For planting fall/winter crops I tend to be on the late side of the planting guides. I have found it easier to protect plants from the cold than the hot and dry. Towards the end of September, I plant lettuce, spinach, radish, beets, mustard and turnips, kale, chard, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, and Brussel sprouts. Actually, I never plant Brussel sprouts. I hope you get the idea if I forgot to mention a specific favorite vegetable.
If it is still hot when you are planting these cool-season seeds, here are a couple of tricks. Furrow (trench) the row and soak the inside of the furrow with water. Sow the seeds and cover with dry dirt, to the correct depth, as you normally would. You can also cover the rows with water-soaked burlap bags. The burlap bag works very well but you need to check the row daily. Once a seed breaks the top of the row remove the burlap.