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Published on 07/14/99

Stagger Planting to Extend Fall Veggie Supplies

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Fall gardening is great, because it's getting cooler and you can spend more time in the garden. Just remember that now is the time to get ready for fall production.

One of the main quests for fall gardeners is a consistent supply of produce through the fall and winter. This usually is accomplished by staggering plantings of vegetables on a seven- to 28-day schedule.

These early plantings during hot weather are a gamble. But it's not a bad gamble. It's sort of like "pay your money and take your chances."

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Use the shorter planting interval for early plantings. Many of the fall vegetable crops planted in the summer to early fall will mature much faster than those planted in late fall, due to the higher temperatures.

Carrots, spinach and beets don't germinate well during hot weather, so it's easier to get a stand with these crops when the weather cools off in late September and early October.

Here are the planting dates and intervals for the fall vegetable crops adapted to staggered plantings.

Fall Veggie Table

Crop

Planting Period
Days Between Planting
Beets Mid-September - October 21
Broccoli D* Mid-July - early October 14-21
Broccoli T** August - early November 14-21
Cabbage D* Mid-July - October 21
Cabbage T** August - October 21
Carrots Mid-August - mid-October 21
Cauliflower D* Mid-July - September 14-21
Cauliflower T** August - September 14-21
Chinese cabbage D* Mid-August - mid-October 21-28
Chinese cabbage T** September - October 21
Collards D* Mid-July - November 21
Collards T** August - November 21
Mustard greens D* Mid-July - November 21
Radishes D* September - October 7-14
Spinach D* Late August - early October 21
Turnips D* Mid-July - November 21
*D - Direct-seeded, **T - Transplants.
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Wayne McLaurin is a professor emeritus of horticulture with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.