The tomatoes you planted in July as small transplants or, more recently, as transplants in 1-gallon containers will be ready to respond to the moderation of nighttime temperatures we can expect in September. They will use the root system they developed to expand their leaf surface, and fruit will begin to set. Even heat-loving okra, eggplant and peppers will take advantage of moderating temperatures to set more and larger fruit.
Help peppers, eggplant and tomatoes produce more fruit by side dressing each of the plants with one-third cup of slow-release lawn fertilizer (19-5-9). Okra does not need more fertilizer, but if fire ants on the plants are a problem, apply a pesticide with Spinosad as the active ingredient and labeled for use in the vegetable garden.
More Calvin Finch: Most lawns suited for South Texas will survive the drought.
To prepare the expanded fall vegetable bed for the new plantings, incorporate 2 inches of compost and 10 cups of the slow-release lawn fertilizer per 100 square feet of bed. It also is important that the soil be moist before seeds and transplants are put in place. It would be wonderful if it would rain, but if it hasn't, apply an inch of water with a sprinkler a few days before the garden is planted.
A long list of vegetables can be planted in September. Cole crops — including broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, Chinese cabbage, chard, collards and kohlrabi — plus turnips, lettuce and mustard head the list. For most of the cole crops and greens (except turnips, lettuce and mustard), it works best to plant them as transplants. I plant cabbage, lettuce and kohlrabi with 1 foot between plants and the rest with 2.5 feet between plants (three plants on each 8-foot row).
The cole crops are easy to grow and very productive if you control cabbage loopers with a Bt product such as Bio Worm Control or Dipel.
Brocolli planted in September will be ready to harvest by Thanksgiving.
ZenShui/Laurence Mouton/Getty Images/PhotoAltoExpect broccoli that is planted in September to produce heads for harvest by Thanksgiving. The same plants will then produce smaller heads into the winter.
Cole crops and other greens require fertilizer side dressing every four weeks for maximum production.
More Calvin Finch: These plants will attract hummingbirds to your patio.
Plant root crops such as beets, carrots, radishes, rutabagas and turnips by seed. The first radishes usually can be harvested in four weeks. Some gardeners plant a new row of radishes every month. The other root crops take longer to be ready for harvest but can be harvested over a long season. Carrots maintain a high quality in the garden and are available to harvest into the summer.
Lettuce provides greens for winter meals. Leaf lettuce is the easiest lettuce to grow. The key to successful lettuce seed germination is to place it on top of the soil.
Kale is recognized as one of the most nutritious vegetables, but some of us find it has an unpleasantly strong taste. Mix it with the milder tasting collards or Swiss chard for a pleasant taste and high nutrition. Chard also is the green that seems to maintain its quality and last longest into the spring.
Leaf lettuce is the easiest lettuce to grow.
Isaac Murray/Getty ImagesSpinach and onions are important parts of the winter garden. Plant spinach transplants in late October or early November. Wait until the end of December to plant onion transplants.
For more detail on growing a fall and winter garden. visit plantanswers.com.
Calvin Finch is a retired Texas A&M horticulturist. calvinrfinch@gmail.com
• It is time to apply a pre-emergent herbicide on the lawn to prevent germination of the winter weeds. Review the labels of the new product Crew and also Dimension. They both prevent germination of broadleaf and grassy weeds.
• Place containers of firebush and porterweed on the sunny part of the patio to attract hummingbirds. In the shade, use penta or firespike. The competitive action between the hummingbirds is fun to watch.
• It is a good time to prune unwanted seedlings such as hackberries, mulberries and ligustrum from your landscape. Apply Cut Vine and Stump Killer to the fresh cut on the root side to prevent resprouting.
• September is a good time to plant recommended shade trees. They have time to develop a root system before they face the challenges of a San Antonio summer.
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