Planting

August 10, 2026

I blogged several weeks ago about tearing the last of the plants out of my raised beds to prepare them for fall planting.  I purchased the seeds after cleaning the beds but was hesitant to plant them in the ground with the searing 100’s+F (37.8+C) heat.  Yesterday I decided to move ahead.  Like most things I do, the beginning of one project cannot happen until others get done.  The raised beds use the hügelkultur (logs and brush) and while I do not have any collapsed holes, the beds all sank since I refilled them in April.  That meant I needed to get a load of potting mix from the mulch yard.  By the time I got ready it was too hot to work on Saturday, and the yard is closed on Sunday.  The onion sets (Allium cepa) were starting to go bad, and I did not want to wait another week.  I calculated what it would cost for a half cubic yard (third cubic m) and found it would not be much more to purchase 40-pound (18 kg) bags of mix.  I knuckled down and bought 15 bags to refill the beds, and the six new potato grow bags.  I needed to know when I should be planting the various seeds.

When I went online, I found The Farmer’s Almanac provides a Fall planting calendar for my zone (7b).   The 9th and 10th were the most favorable days for planting beets (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris), onions, turnips (Brassica rapa subsp. rapa), and other root crops so I was good there.  I am also planting radishes but with their short growing period (30 days) I decided to wait and try to harvest everything together.  The 18th and 19th were recommended for my peas (Pisum sativum), so I guess I jumped the gun on those.  The broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) recommended I plant seed starters and replant them in 2 weeks.  I instead planted them directly in the ground now (we will see how that goes).  The 25th to 27th are barren days, and a good time for killing plant pests.  If the squash vine borer (Melittia cucurbitae) comes back, I will be ready.  The 28th and 29th are excellent for any vine crops like my squash.  Again, I already planted zucchini and straightneck squash (both Cucurbita pepo).  Hopefully, this will work intuitively rather than by the Almanac (it could happen).

When I was clearing my beds for planting, I mentioned I had five (really) small heads of cabbage (Brassica oleracea) that I cleaned and put in the vegetable bin.  All I needed was inspiration for what to do with them.  With my other crops in the ground, I decided to try another batch of sauerkraut.  I made one quart (0.9 l) a month ago and it is fermenting well on the pantry shelf.  I sliced the cabbage last night, then got distracted.  I had put salt on the sliced cabbage, and it sat on the cabinet all day yesterday.  I was too tired to deal with it last night, so I placed it in the refrigerator.  That proved to be a mistake.  When I took it out this morning the cut leaves needed to be kneaded for 5 or 6 minutes to break them down and bring the water out.  While I could have let it raise to room temperature, I had already procrastinated enough, and I moved ahead.  The cold nearly froze my fingers.

THOUGHTS: I seem to treat planting the same way I do cooking.  There are recipes out there, but what is the fun of that?  There are planting guides out there, but what could it hurt?  Both the recipes and planting guides follow proven methods.  While chefs often improvise for new tastes and cuisines, unless you are trying for a new cultivar, gardeners rarely do.  There is also wiggle room built into the planting suggestions.  If my unorthodox schedule works, there will be plenty of vegetables for the food bank.  If it does not, we already support them monetarily.  You always need a backup plan.  In graduate school I was frowned upon because I did not support a specific theory, instead preferring to be eclectic.  Eclectic is harder because you need to understand multiple theories and be willing to see what works in each situation.  While this may not be the safest approach, it can produce a better result.  Being open can also be valuable in life.  Act for all.  Change will come and it starts with you.