Autumn crops?

Finding land, working a small plot or anything else countryside related
paradoxbox
Posts: 255
Joined: Wed Sep 30, 2015 11:52 pm
Has thanked: 92 times
Been thanked: 261 times

Autumn crops?

Post by paradoxbox »

Anyone planting some autumn crops in August/September (Or later)?

What are you planting and when do you expect to harvest?


I have some tomatoes that I transplanted in mid August - they were from my rescue batch of tomatoes as my first batch got killed by mold or fungus. Should see some ripe tomatoes showing up sometime this month and producing probably until mid December if the weather is like last year.

Considering attempting an autumn corn crop but after experimenting this year, the soil quality is just awful and probably it's going to be a waste of time..!

User avatar
Zasso Nouka
Tech Support
Tech Support
Posts: 5705
Joined: Wed Sep 23, 2015 9:37 am
Location: Chiba Prefecture
Has thanked: 4120 times
Been thanked: 3394 times

Re: Autumn crops?

Post by Zasso Nouka »

Autumn crops that don't require heaps of fertiliser :-

Carrots : Harvest - December through to March
Onion : Plant sets in late October and harvest just before the rainy season starts
Garlic : Plant now and harvest as above
Snow Peas : Get them in now for a harvest in November through December and plant later for a spring harvest.
Potatoes : It's a bit late but if you don't mind smaller potatoes you might still get a crop in.
French Beans can also be sown now, either climbing or bush types. They will continue up until the first hard frosts.

Need some feeding :-

Kohl Rabi : Seed now and harvest December through to February
Cabbage : Depending how cold your winter is you could still get a crop in but needs feeding
Kale : Again depending how cold your winters get you can still get a crop (is fairly cold tolerant) in but it will need feeding
Cabero Nero : See above but quite cold tolerant.
Brussel Sprouts : See above.

Now is a good time for all your salad crops, lettuce, arugula, mizuna, karashina, wasabina, etc, etc. Get them well established and they'll carry on through the winter, same for Italian and ordinary parsley, now is also the best time to establish coriander. In another few weeks weed growth will drop off dramatically which will come as a welcome relief. Also this month is a good time to start sowing winter green manures and cover crops to improve soil quality, hairy vetch is good to improve soil fertility and Italian rye grass to add organic matter to the soil in the spring.

Now is a good time to start improving your soil quality for next year, if you can get some gyufun, tonpun or keifun delivered from a local farm and get it incorporated into your soil it will go a long way towards improving the fertility for next year. Momigara either as it is or turned into charcoal is also invaluable in improving fertility but more importantly will help break up sticky soils.

User avatar
Zasso Nouka
Tech Support
Tech Support
Posts: 5705
Joined: Wed Sep 23, 2015 9:37 am
Location: Chiba Prefecture
Has thanked: 4120 times
Been thanked: 3394 times

Re: Autumn crops?

Post by Zasso Nouka »

Forgot to add zucchini, a tad late but if you don't get frost until late november or early december you could still get a crop in. Patty Pan/UFO types normally take 40 - 45 days from seed to first harvest but will slow down a bit in mid october as day lengths shorten so might take a bit longer. If you can protect them with agricultural fleece then you could extend the season a bit longer, we've had them growing in a tunnel where the night time temperatures were -5C and they survived because of the fleece.

Flockaducks
Posts: 46
Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2016 9:53 am
Location: Izu penninsula
Has thanked: 80 times
Been thanked: 44 times

Re: Autumn crops?

Post by Flockaducks »

just a question are radishes a bit difficult this time of year?
ive had a few problems with thes pesky blue caterpillars

User avatar
Eric in Japan
Posts: 300
Joined: Wed Sep 23, 2015 4:21 pm
Has thanked: 190 times
Been thanked: 455 times

Re: Autumn crops?

Post by Eric in Japan »

One thing to keep in mind for winter growing is how long the daylight is for your area.
Elliot Coleman called it the "Persephone Months." It is when daylight drops below 10 hours and plant growth goes into suspended animation.
If you don't know when your area drops below 10 hours/ day, there is a tool for that!
http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/Dur_OneYear.php
Drop in your coordinates (on google map, find your location, right click, and choose "What's here?" to find your coordinates) and it will make a table for you. I can see my area drops below 10 hours from mid-Nov. until late January.
"... so, the cucumbers said to the cabbage, `Lettuce Go.`"

User avatar
Zasso Nouka
Tech Support
Tech Support
Posts: 5705
Joined: Wed Sep 23, 2015 9:37 am
Location: Chiba Prefecture
Has thanked: 4120 times
Been thanked: 3394 times

Re: Autumn crops?

Post by Zasso Nouka »

Awesome post Eric, we have seen that happening with our own crops but didn't know there was actually a proper name for it and only had a rough idea when it started and finished. It's really useful having an exact timetable. Thanks for posting :thumbup:
Flockaducks wrote:just a question are radishes a bit difficult this time of year?
ive had a few problems with thes pesky blue caterpillars
Radishes can be planted now as they will finish quite quickly but you will need to protect them

paradoxbox
Posts: 255
Joined: Wed Sep 30, 2015 11:52 pm
Has thanked: 92 times
Been thanked: 261 times

Re: Autumn crops?

Post by paradoxbox »

Very cool Eric! Thanks ZN for some crop advice!

An acquaintance gave me a package of Norabou seeds a few months ago and the planting period runs from August to September so I think I will plant those this week. It tastes like swiss chard but maybe a bit firmer and crisper. Makes for good salads or even tenpura.

Anyone have advice for low-light crops? In winter my place is in a pretty crappy spot with the sun blocked by a mountain until about 10am and then again by trees at about 3:30-4:00pm. Very short direct sunlight in winter.

Actually I am considering buying a high wattage LED system and perhaps doing a hydroponic square inside one of the unused rooms in my house. If they can handle the cold I think I'd like to try some simple vegetable plants. The house gets pretty cold in winter and I don't think I'll heat that room..!

User avatar
Zasso Nouka
Tech Support
Tech Support
Posts: 5705
Joined: Wed Sep 23, 2015 9:37 am
Location: Chiba Prefecture
Has thanked: 4120 times
Been thanked: 3394 times

Re: Autumn crops?

Post by Zasso Nouka »

Quick crops like dwarf kurly kale (Dwarf Kale) have time to get established before the day length gets too short and they will then endure through the Persephone months providing you with fresh leaves you can harvest. They will grow during that time but at a reduced rate than if they were getting more sunlight. Your situation is not that dissimilar to our main hatake which has forest on either side so gets a similar amount of direct sunlight to yours and we see massively reduced growth during that time, whereas another plot that gets direct sunshine all day long during the winter actually shows some growth during that period.

Dwarf Kale has leaves large enough to use within around 55 days from sowing (depending on soil fertility) so should have enough time to mature before your direct sunshine levels drop off.

User avatar
Zasso Nouka
Tech Support
Tech Support
Posts: 5705
Joined: Wed Sep 23, 2015 9:37 am
Location: Chiba Prefecture
Has thanked: 4120 times
Been thanked: 3394 times

Re: Autumn crops?

Post by Zasso Nouka »

Now is a good time to get your winter herbs in so they are big enough to provide you with plenty of fresh green leaves before they slow down at the end of November. Italian Parsley and Coriander will stand up to all but the most severe winter weather but don't cope well if you have a lot of snow. We grow confetti coriander which is a bit sweeter than ordinary coriander and at this time of year won't go to flower until late spring next year, it has an almost fern like leaf and despite its fragile looks will survive right through the winter. Great for a little taste of summer in the cold winter months.

User avatar
Zasso Nouka
Tech Support
Tech Support
Posts: 5705
Joined: Wed Sep 23, 2015 9:37 am
Location: Chiba Prefecture
Has thanked: 4120 times
Been thanked: 3394 times

Re: Autumn crops?

Post by Zasso Nouka »

This week you can also start planting your winter turnips and make successive sowings over the next four or five weeks and even later if you are able to put a small vinyl tunnel over them during January and February. Plastic mulch can help if you are planning on over wintering turnips as it keeps the soil and roots warm.

It will also soon be time to start seeding wasabina, field grown wasabina that has been exposed to cold nighttime temperatures is completely different to the bland supermarket product you can normally buy. It can have quite a fierce kick to it once it has had some frost and makes a great addition to winter salad with it's crunchy texture and spicy flavour.

Post Reply