If your garden or trees took a beating from one of this season’s hailstorms, you’re not alone. While some areas saw large hail that was more forgiving on small vegetable plants but tough on trees, others experienced smaller hail that shredded everything in its path.

Now is the time to inspect your trees for bark damage. If you see spots where sap has welled up, that’s a sign the underlying tissue was injured. Although it’s too late in the season to fertilize trees and shrubs—stimulating new growth now interferes with the natural shift toward dormancy—you can support their recovery next spring. Make a note on your calendar to apply fertilizer rich in nitrogen and trace minerals when the growing season returns.

If your garden was destroyed, consider this a chance to hit the reset button. You can still replant long-season crops and prepare a section for winter planting in September. You care for your land year-round—why not eat from it year-round too?

WHAT TO PLANT NOW

Carrots, beets, turnips and onions are crowd favorites this time of year. They take a little longer to mature, so timing is critical. As the days get shorter, crops take longer to develop. For example:

• A 40-day crop planted August 8 takes about 47 days if planted September 5

• By October 3, the same crop could take up to 85 days

Root crops need to be in the ground by mid-August to mature before the first hard frost. Dedicate a block of space and plant it all now. When light frosts come, the roots should be ready for harvest. At that point, mulch heavily with leaves or straw and cover with a tarp before hard freezes hit. The tops will die back, but the cold will raise the sugar content in the roots while the ground acts as natural cold storage. 

To harvest, simply pull back the tarp, rake aside some mulch, gather a week’s worth of roots and re-cover. 

Keep in mind that carrots dug in February are often much sweeter than those harvested in November. For turnips, purple top varieties sweeten with time, while hakurei turnips mature faster and get incredibly sweet in cold weather. For beets, mix red and gold varieties, but try the Chioggia variety—its red and white stripes dazzle, and its sweetness rivals sugar beets when late fall temperatures drop.

TIPS FOR BETTER GERMINATION

High summer temps make germination tricky, especially with fast-drying soil. Try this method:

1. Cut pieces of corrugated cardboard to fit your beds.

2. Water the beds and cover with the cardboard, weighing it down with bricks or rocks.

3. Leave the cardboard in place for a few days to lower soil temperature.

4. Remove the cardboard, plant your seeds, then soak and replace the cardboard.

5. Keep it wet daily—the water will seep through and keep the soil moist.

6. Once 50-75% of seeds have germinated, remove the cardboard and monitor soil moisture.

7. For carrots (7-10 day germination), planting a few beet seeds along the edge helps—beets sprout first, indicating that carrots are coming. When planting beets, arugula is a great signal crop. After removing the cardboard, you can reseed any bare patches to stagger your harvest.

COLD-HARDY CROPS

It’s time to plant kale, chard, broccoli, tatsoi, pak choi and even radishes. Tuck them between your summer crops—peppers, tomatoes and eggplant—for shade that aids germination. As summer crops fade in late September, these fall greens will take over in full sun.

Lettuce, spinach, arugula and cilantro can wait until mid-September. These make excellent candidates for plastic covers or mini hoop tunnels to extend your harvest well into winter.

Send questions to [email protected] or in care of the BEACON.

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