Why Is It Called Fall?
It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
The answer is so easy. At least since the 1500’s in England the name was thought to originate from the phrase the fall of the leaf, referring to the time of year when deciduous trees and shrubs shed their leaves. Well, of course. It’s not just a handy moniker to use to ‘fall back’ and change our clocks an hour back (not my most wonderful day of the year). Fall in the garden is also about changing and shifting light, abundance and harvest, and stopping to evaluate and let go of plants and practices that just didn’t work. Planting in bales of straw always looks much prettier in Pinterest photos than any of my experiments, and an exotic outdoor bed tucked under the trees doesn’t take into account my 6 cats all eating their various dead things and snoozing on a pretty duvet. And I can’t grow Gunnera - ever - in Vacaville. It’s ok, because fall helps me to accept change, ease into a slower pace and start to dream about my next garden. This is when customers come to the nursery, tell us their successes and failures and say, “Next year, I have a different plan!’ No one ever says they give up, they just a new plan after a little rest.
Of course, it’s hard to rest too much in this part of the world because we are blessed with a climate for year round growing. That’s why we offer a 3 week long fall plant sale, to make sure everyone has an opportunity to refresh their gardens, pull out the old tired perennials and veggies and start fresh!
Year Round (Almost) Vegetables
September is just the beginning of an entire new garden cycle for vegetables in much of central California. While the warm season veggies are winding down, cool season vegetables can be planted throughout September and October, both from transplants and directly from seed. If you are ready to pull out the tired peppers or underperforming tomatoes, then this is the time to prep your garden for fresh fall and winter vegetables.
Be sure to remove the root systems, rotting fallen veggies, and any weeds from the soil, then turn 3 to 4 inches of new compost and perhaps a bit of worm castings into the soil, along with some slow release organic fertilizer to prepare the beds for planting. Break up the soil well and smooth if starting from seed, and use some seed starter mix in the top inch and to aid with germination and as a uniform cover over the seed.
September days can be warm, so newly germinating seeds will need to stay a bit moist until their roots are established. Watering with a mist head several times a day will keep the soil surface moist but not disturb the newly emerging seedlings. Once the first true leaves emerge, you can thin plants easier.
You can also start with transplants from 6 packs beginning in early September. At Morningsun we start selling the more sun and heat tolerant lettuce and kale, along with the always popular spinach and broccoli in early September, and by mid September we usually have 70 or more selections of broccoli, lettuce, kale, spinach, cabbage, cauliflower, bok choi, raddichio, fennel, kohlrabi, onions, leeks, peas, mustard, brussel sprouts and more. It’s actually surprising how many great things you can grow in the fall and winter in the California garden. Our complete list can be found at our website, click here for more information. Supplement with direct sowing beets and turnips (they don’t transplant well) and you can have a beautiful and delicious vegetable garden right into 2026. Many selections of kale and root veggies actually taste sweeter and are crunchier once they are exposed to cold nighttime temperatures. Add some edible flowers like winter blooming dianthus or calendula, and plant some garlic (we have 4 varieties available this year) and your garden will be complete.
Many fall vegetables are heavy feeders and will appreciate a rich soil and regular fertilizing. Cabbage moths can be a problem, with their small light green caterpillars doing major damage not only to cabbage but to all the crucifers and the leafy greens very quickly. Organic sprays containing Bt will take care of the caterpillars quickly. Aphids can also be a problem – sometimes just hosing off the foliage with water is enough to stop the problem, otherwise use insecticidal soap and be sure to spray the undersides of the leaves. Besides having to beware of snails and slugs, birds can be a major menace to fall planted vegetables. Hang red flashing ‘bird scare’ tape around (you see it in our vegetable areas, otherwise all those cute little finches come in and raid the tender leafy greens) or strategically place some smaller ‘whirligigs’ around if you get more breezes to keep birds away.
If you are a newbie to fall vegetable gardening start simple. Spinach, kale, lettuce, broccoli, perhaps some peas if you have a small trellis. You will get a long rewarding season of delicious vegetables all fall and winter.
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Next Saturday, October 4th, in the Garden!
Coming up soon! Don’t miss out on a fun flower filled morning, bring your gardening friends and make some new ones, and enjoy tea and herbal treats in the garden and be inspired by the founder of the Slow Flower Movement, Debra Prinzing, with the release of her newest book, The Flower Farmers. To understand more about the Slow Flower Movement, read Debra’s ‘Slow Flower Manifesto’ here and listen to her award winning podcast here to be ready to meet her in person!
Stefani Bittner of Homestead Design Collective and I will be doing a short demonstration of a fresh floral bouquet out of our gardens, and there will be plenty of flowers on display in our drying shed to show off for upcoming wreath classes. And the gardens are in their fall glory!
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Projects at the Nursery This Week
Employee training is going well for Cora the cat. She eagerly jumps into any box on the counter not filled with plants by a customer, and really knows how to show off the sign and the cow bell. She is always available for friendly petting and photography. She is currently not available for purchase - she likes to go in and outside the house several times every night and hangs off screen windows so most people would bring her back for a full refund ;). She is a good hunter, with gophers being her specialty. Cora came to us from Napa Humane Society - she was at the Napa Farmers market about 10 years ago hanging upside down from the roof of the cage and we fell in love.
