Starting Vegetables from Seed for a Fall Harvest
Gardeners, think ahead - mid-to-late summer is the best time to start seeds in order to extend the harvest window into autumn.
Here at my Bedford, New York farm, we always try to maximize the productivity of the gardens. Yesterday, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, started seed trays of Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, romanesco, and kale - all considered brassicas, or cole crops - a genus of plants in the mustard family whose members are informally referred to as cruciferous vegetables. The seeds will remain in the greenhouse until they’re mature enough to be moved to my new vegetable garden. And then next season, we'll have another bounty of delicious, organic vegetables.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Ryan chooses all the necessary seed starting trays. These can be saved from year to year, so don’t throw them away after the season. Seed starting trays are available in all sizes and formations. Select the right kind of tray based on the size of the seeds. The containers should be at least two-inches deep and have adequate drainage holes.
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- Here at my farm, we keep all our seed packets in plastic envelopes and plastic bins – all are labeled and filed for easy reference. Mason jars with tight-fitting lids, or glass canisters with gasket-type lids also work. Humidity and warmth shorten a seed’s shelf life, so we store the organized seed packets in a greenhouse refrigerator. Ryan takes out the seeds for those vegetables he wants to plant. We always have a lot of seeds from which to choose.
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- And then he carefully selects those varieties which are most hardy for fall production. When buying or ordering seeds, be sure to read the hardiness of a plant. And know your hardiness zone, so you can select the right seeds for your area. Here in Bedford, we are zone-6b. It is easy to look it up online.
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- Next, Ryan prepares the trays. It’s best to use a pre-made seed starting mix that contains the proper amounts of vermiculite, perlite and peat moss. Seed starting mixes are available at garden supply stores.
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- Ryan spreads the soil mix across the seed trays completely and evenly, filling all the cells of each tray. When possible, prepare several trays in an assembly-line fashion, and then drop all the seeds. Doing this saves time and simplifies the process.
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- To create a quarter-inch deep furrow in the middle of each compartment, press fingers gently into each cell. This can be done pretty quickly especially if only seeding one or two trays. One can also use the capped end of a felt-tipped marker.
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- Here, Ryan writes the vegetable and variety on wooden markers. I often use Johnny’s Selected Seeds. Johnny’s is a privately held, employee-owned organic seed producer. Johnny’s offers hundreds of varieties of organic vegetable, herb, flower, fruit and farm seeds that are known to be strong, dependable growers.
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- Once he is ready to drop the seeds, Ryan places a marker into one of the cells, so it is clear what variety is growing in what tray.
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- The seeds are very small, so be sure to take time dropping them into the tray cells. It’s also a good idea to keep a record of when seeds are sown, when they germinate, and when they are transplanted. These observations will help organize a schedule for the following year.
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- Ryan drops one to three seeds into each cell.
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- Look closely and one can see the seeds in the cell. These seeds will be selectively thinned in a few weeks. The process eliminates the weaker sprout and prevents overcrowding, so seedlings don’t have any competition for soil nutrients or room to mature.
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- Next, Ryan covers the seeds by leveling the soil and filling the holes back in with the medium.
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- This tray is planted with broccoli. Seeds will germinate in seven to 10 days in optimal temperature and lighting environments, which is 50 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit under bright light.
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- Our cauliflower has done so excellently in the new vegetable garden. Cauliflower is filled with nutrients. They hold plenty of vitamins, such as C, B, and K.
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- This tray is filled with kale. Kale or leaf cabbage is a group of vegetable cultivars within the plant species Brassica oleracea.
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- Some of the varieties Ryan seeded include this ‘Divino’ Brussels sprouts. These mature into firm, uniform, and attractive sprouts that hold well on the stalk for whole-stalk, late-season harvest. (Photo from Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
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- ‘Kariba’ is one of the broccoli varieties – it’s a strong cold tolerant cultivar for fall and winter production. This variety will be mature in 66-days. (Photo from Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
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- Ryan chose ‘Amazing’ cauliflower for its late summer and fall hardiness. This variety features medium-sized plants with domed, solid curds and self-blanching, upright wrapper leaves when well fed. (Photo from Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
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- ‘Clementine’ is a new, vibrant orange variety of cauliflower for Johnny’s. The big, sturdy plants produce excellent crops, even under less-than-ideal conditions. Do you know… cauliflower comes in a variety of colors? It can be found in white, orange, purple, and green. (Photo from Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
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- And this is ‘Oldenbor’ kale – a standard green curly kale with attractive, tight leaf curl and a beautiful medium-green color. (Photo from Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
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- After all the trays are seeded, Ryan places them in our Urban Cultivator growing system – it has water, temperature and humidity all set-up in this refrigerator like unit.
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- He covers the trays with plastic humidity domes until germination begins. These seedlings will remain in the greenhouse for another four to six weeks until they are ready to be separated and transplanted into the ground. We’ll be harvesting from the garden through the next season – that’s a very good thing.
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