Late garden

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Do you think I could get a decent garden if I put it in in July in southern Oklahoma. This whole move is really messing up my gardening year. I had about half my garden done here, when the landlord announced the place wasd for sale. Now we have that job offer and I know I have only about four more weeks with my garden. I am harvesting turnip greens, radishes, mustard greens, lettuce, chard, green onions, spinach, radishes, and baby carrots. how frustrating this is.

Little Bit farm

-- Little bit Farm (littlebit@calinet.com), May 13, 2000

Answers

I know what you are going through, as I'm still trying to decide how much of a garden to put in here in case we move. I probably should let some of the folks from Oklahoma reply, as I don't know when your new area will get it's first frost, but I would guess that, if you've got water and can protect young plants from the sun, you could still get a few things in for a fall crop. You may be struggling with a new garden and soil that needs building up, though -- fall and early winter are good times to be getting the garden ready for next spring - - maybe you could get garlic in for next years crop!!

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), May 13, 2000.

Sure, if you've got a good garden spot. Biggest problems will be watering and shade. Due to the heat and dryness of that time of year in most of OK, that will take a bit of effort to overcome. Most important thing will be to buy your seeds now while there's a selection if you don't have a supply already on hand. After the spring planting season, seeds go back to the supplier for the most part.

Emphasis on short season crops. Anything you'd eat very young or salad type things. So certain carrots, peas, greens, maybe green onions, radishes, kohlrabi, maybe summer squash, many herbs, maybe some of the extremely short season tomatoes, lettuces, other greens, greenbeans. It might even be worth trying some corn, given the central US has been having fairly mild falls for a few years.

It is possible to transport plants and cuttings. That would give you a head start on your new garden, but you risk importing pests and diseases, especially with anything that has soil on it. People do it all the time and don't get caught. The ones who do get caught get in varying amounts of trouble. Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), May 13, 2000.


A fall garden seems in order. Talk to your new neighbors for advice or wait for a reply from some Okies. Having driven truck across the US never saw OK to restrict plants or animals coming into their state. Ca,AZ,FL, DEFINETLY. Don't do it if its restricted, its resticted for a reason, usuallly a good one.

-- Margaret (gjensenii@hotmail.com), May 13, 2000.

Yes, you can still have a garden in July. You can plant corn (short season 90 days), beans, beets and in Sept. you can plant the cool weather stuff like lettuce,spinach, radishes, etc. First frost in southern OK is probably not till Oct. 30. The only requirement is you will have to water alot in July-Aug.

-- Vaughn (vdcjm5@juno.com), May 14, 2000.

We have 3 rasied beds that are in mostly shade, they have filtered light during the mornings which does a good job of drying the dew, more full sun during noon, and then full shade in the evenings, where in Texas the heat is the worst. We have great luck with these, though those who visit the farm are always telling me that you have to garden in full sun! Oh! Well! Soaker hoses, lots of mulch and shade, is our trick. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), May 15, 2000.


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