Fall planting continued

Today we backtrack a little and continue with last week’s column.

Here is a rule-of-thumb planting guide, keeping the fall frost date of October 15 in mind:

1. Start with the fall frost date of October 15.

2. Count back the total number of days from seeding to harvest. This will vary among the vegetable varieties you plant. Since snow peas take 70 days to harvest, I have seeded them already. If an early frost kills them, I will plow them under.

3. Then count back another 14 days to account for cooler fall temperatures and shorter hours of daylight, both which slow down plant growth. Err on the side of having veggies to harvest by planting earlier if you wish. I forgot to do that last fall. However, you may shorten the 14-day leeway if you really want to push limits. If you are comfortable with that, go for it.

The result will be the estimated day to plant the vegetable seeds for a fall harvest. This fall, radishes, carrots, Swiss chard, and snow peas appeal to me. Last fall, I put out fava beans too late and, of course, they did not make it, except for one plant that is thriving even now.

For answers to gardening questions, contact the Master Gardeners at the WSU Grant-Adams Extension office at 754-2011, ext. 4313 or email your gardening questions to ga.mgvolunteers@wsu.edu. Visit our web page at grant-adams.wsu.edu.