We Made It Through Summer — Now Let's Get Ready for Fall
We made it through the summer heat of Riverside — well, almost. As I write this, we are still dealing with some pretty serious heat, and we may have a few more hot days ahead. But the worst of summer is behind us, and that means it is finally time to start moving forward in the garden. Fall planting season is here.
If you have a summer plant that is still producing food you're actually harvesting and enjoying, keep it going. But if your zucchini has slowed to a crawl, your summer squash looks exhausted, or a plant has simply stopped earning its space, it's okay to let it go. Your garden doesn't have to be a museum for plants that have already finished their job. Pull them out and make room for something new.
Before you plant, take a few minutes to reset your garden. Remove spent plants and weeds, check your irrigation, repair any damaged trellises, and top off your raised beds with fresh, quality garden soil. As soil settles and organic matter breaks down, the level in our garden boxes naturally drops. Fall is one of my favorite times to refill those beds and get them ready for a whole new growing season.
And don't worry if your garden doesn't look perfect right now. Riverside's long, hot summer can be tough on even the best-kept garden. You don't need a perfect garden to start a fall garden. You just need to start.
What Are We Picking?
Vegetables: Sweet potatoes, summer squash, pumpkins, and any summer vegetables still producing
Herbs: Basil, rosemary, oregano, thyme, and other herbs still being harvested
Flowers: Depending on the weather, late-summer flowers may still be hanging on, but fall flowers will soon take center stage
Fruits: Pomegranates, persimmons, limes, and other citrus beginning to come into season
A basil bonus
If your basil is three feet tall and still going strong, don't necessarily pull it out. Give it a major haircut instead. Cut back roughly two-thirds of the plant, harvest the leaves, and dry them for use throughout the winter.
Simply bundle the stems with a rubber band or tie, hang them somewhere dry with good air circulation, and let them dry completely. Homegrown dried herbs also make an easy, inexpensive Christmas gift. And with the mild winters we've been having in Riverside, your basil may even keep growing through the winter.
What Are We Planting?
October is the beginning of our cool-season garden, but don't let the lingering heat stop you from getting started. Plant your fall garden in stages as temperatures cool, using seedlings for many of your larger cool-season crops and direct-sowing seeds where appropriate.
Plant now: Lettuce, spinach, arugula, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, Swiss chard, carrots, beets, turnips, onions, garlic, potatoes, and snap peas.
For broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and other brassicas, I generally recommend buying seedlings rather than starting from seed. You'll get a head start, which is especially helpful when we're trying to squeeze as much as possible out of our shorter cool-season window.
For root crops such as carrots, beets, and turnips, sow seeds directly in the garden. These crops don't love being transplanted, so direct sowing is the better choice.
If your garden beds are already full, start thinking about succession planting. As one crop finishes, pull it out and replace it with a new one. Don't leave empty soil sitting in your garden if you can help it — open soil invites weeds. Keep that space working for you by filling it with a quick-growing vegetable or herb.
If you haven't planted a fall garden yet, don't panic. You are not too late. Riverside gives us a wonderfully long growing season. Get your transplants in as soon as you can and take advantage of the cooler weather ahead.
What to Watch Out For
Problem #1: Aphids on New Growth
As temperatures begin to cool, aphids can show up on tender new growth, especially on lettuce, kale, broccoli, and other young plants. Look for clusters of tiny green, black, tan, or gray insects on stems and the undersides of leaves.
Solution: Start with a strong stream of water to knock them off the plant. If needed, use insecticidal soap according to the label. Check new plants regularly — early intervention is much easier than dealing with a major infestation.
Problem #2: Cabbage Worms and Loopers
If you're planting broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, or other brassicas, keep an eye out for small green worms and holes appearing in the leaves. Those white butterflies fluttering around your garden aren't just enjoying the flowers — they may be laying eggs on your brassicas.
Solution: Check the undersides of leaves and hand-pick worms and eggs when you find them. BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) can also be used according to the label. Insect netting is another excellent way to keep the adult butterflies from laying eggs in the first place.
Problem #3: Snails and Slugs
As our nights become cooler and irrigation continues, snails and slugs can become a problem, especially around tender lettuce and other leafy greens.
Solution: Check your garden in the evening and hand-pick them. Pull excess mulch back from plant stems, and use an appropriate slug and snail control product if necessary.
Gardener's To-Do List
- Remove spent summer plants that are no longer producing enough food to justify their space. Don't feel guilty — your garden is ready for its next season.
- Refill raised beds with fresh, quality garden soil or compost as needed. I recommend checking and topping off garden boxes twice a year, at the beginning of spring and the beginning of fall, as soil naturally settles and decomposes.
- Check your irrigation system before planting. Run each zone and look for clogged emitters, leaks, broken lines, and areas that aren't getting enough water. If your irrigation isn't on a timer, consider adding one. You will thank me!
- Repair trellises, garden obelisks, and other supports before planting peas and other climbing crops. It's much easier to fix a trellis before the plants are growing through it.
- Plant your cool-season crops in stages. Start with seedlings for broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, and lettuce, and direct-sow root crops such as carrots and beets.
- Harvest and preserve your remaining summer herbs. Cut back oversized basil and dry the leaves so you can enjoy your garden's harvest long after summer is gone.
Why Fall Is My Favorite
Fall is actually my favorite season in the garden — and it's not just because broccoli is my favorite vegetable.
The weather is finally becoming more manageable. Plants aren't fighting the relentless heat of summer, and that means less stress on both the plants and the gardener. For beginners especially, fall can be a wonderful season to learn because the garden moves at a slower, more forgiving pace.
Many of the crops we plant now also give us relatively quick rewards. Lettuce, for example, can start providing harvests in roughly 30 to 60 days, depending on the variety and how you harvest it. That quick turnaround is encouraging when you're learning to garden.
And then there's the variety. Greens, peas, broccoli, carrots, beets, onions, garlic — the fall garden is full of crops that thrive once summer's heat finally lets up.
So don't wait for Riverside to suddenly feel like November before you start. Start now, and let your garden transition along with the weather.
Closing Tip
Riverside's long growing season is one of our greatest gardening advantages. We may still have some hot days ahead, but that doesn't mean we have to wait to start our fall garden.
Pull out what has finished, refill those beds, check your irrigation, repair your trellises, and start planting. Fall is here — and there's a whole new garden waiting to grow.
If you need help starting or improving your garden, I'd love to work alongside you. At Kitchen Gardens by Kim, I design, install, and teach vegetable gardens for beginners and families right here in Riverside.
More information: Kim Malstrom designs, installs, and teaches vegetable gardens for beginners and families in Riverside. To learn more, visit kitchengardensbykim.comor follow along on Instagram at @kitchengardensbykim.
