Tag: Fall Gardening

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Windowsill Gardening: What You Can Successfully Grow From Seed Anywhere, All Year

Windowsill gardening – young plants growing in a black planter box placed on a bright indoor windowsill.

Windowsill gardening proves that even the smallest spaces can produce abundance. A sunny window can become your kitchen garden, salad bar, and herb shelf all in one. With the right light, small containers, and a little daily care, you can grow tender greens, snipping herbs, crunchy roots, and even a few compact fruiting plants—no backyard or greenhouse required. The joy of watching seedlings sprout beside your morning coffee is a reminder that fresh, flavorful food can start right on your windowsill.

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Fall and Winter Vegetable Gardening: How to Successfully Plant Seeds and Harvest Through the Cold

Fall and Winter Vegetable Gardening – autumn leaves mulched in the garden to prepare beds for cold weather planting.
Fall and Winter Vegetable Gardening often begins with simple steps like using autumn leaves as mulch to insulate garden beds.

As autumn settles in and frosts begin to nip at the edges of the garden, many people pack away their tools and call it a year. But the secret that year-round gardeners know is this: with good timing, season extending covers and shelters, and the right crops, techniques for fall and winter vegetable gardening make it possible to keep growing. You can still be seeding and harvesting vegetables well into winter, turning your backyard into a cold weather gardening haven. A cold frame or hoop tunnel doesn’t just shield crops — it stretches the sowing season and makes each bed work longer.

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October in the Heirloom Garden: Our Recommended Suggestions and Tips

October in the Heirloom Garden showing lush green plants in a traditional homestead plot.

October in the heirloom garden is a turning point in gardens across the United States. Days shorten, nights grow cooler, and in many regions the first frosts are already near or have arrived. Yet there is still plenty that can be planted or harvested. With a little creativity and some season extension, fresh food can be enjoyed well into the colder months. Let’s look at what can be done right now in each USDA zone, with suggestions from the heirloom and open-pollinated varieties we carry here at St. Clare Heirloom Seeds.

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The Season’s Not Over Yet: What to Plant in the September Garden for a Late Season Harvest

Bowl of crisp vegetables from a thriving September garden, ready for fall meals.
Fresh harvest from a September garden, featuring lettuce, radishes, and kale.

Just because the calendar says September doesn’t mean your garden has to slow down. In many parts of the U.S., this is one of the best times to plant cool-loving crops for fall and even early-winter harvests. Whether you’re tucking seeds into garden beds, containers, or raised beds, your September garden still has time for another flush of fresh produce—especially if you choose quick-maturing, cold-tolerant varieties.

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How to Start a Fall Garden in Central Texas on a Budget

Fresh green lettuce growing in rich soil, a healthy crop for a fall garden in Central Texas.
A healthy bed of lettuce, perfect for your fall garden in Central Texas.

A Fall Garden in Central Texas can be very successful, offering gardeners a welcome break from the intense summer heat while providing the perfect growing conditions for many vegetables. As temperatures cool, it becomes easier and more enjoyable to spend time outdoors, and certain crops such as carrots, leafy greens, peas, and spinach actually thrive far better in fall than in midsummer. The season also gives beginners a chance to start small and learn without feeling overwhelmed by harsh weather or high costs.

With a few simple containers, affordable soil mixes, and carefully chosen plants, you can set up a productive garden that rewards your efforts with fresh harvests well into the cooler months. Below are some practical tips to help you get started without spending a lot of money.

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Composting in Fall: How to Make the Most of Fallen Leaves and Garden Waste

Composting in Fall: How to Make the Most of Fallen Leaves and Garden Waste

As the vibrant colors of autumn start to fade and the temperature drops, homeowners and gardeners are left with an abundance of fallen leaves, garden trimmings, and end-of-season plant debris.

Instead of viewing this seasonal accumulation as waste, fall presents an excellent opportunity to enrich your soil through composting! By turning fallen leaves and garden waste into nutrient-rich compost, you can create a valuable resource for your garden that will help benefit your garden in future seasons. In this guide, we will explore the benefits of composting in fall, discuss effective composting techniques, and provide tips to optimize your composting process during the autumn months. If you’ve ever wanted to learn composting in the fall, but felt daunted by the learning curve, this article may be just what you need to get started!

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Organic Gardening 101: Master the Basics of Growing a Chemical Free Garden

The Basic “Why’s” and “How’s” of Growing Organic

Organic Gardening can yield a lot of produce plus the peace of mind of being chemical free. - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds
Organic Gardening can yield a lot of produce plus the peace of mind of being chemical free. – St. Clare Heirloom Seeds

Organic gardening was for a while seen as something only the super health-nuts or hippies did. But, not so anymore, we are all becoming aware that the methods of gardening with chemicals that have become popular in recent generations are no healthier than the awful stuff called margarine.

The more research that has come out showing the terrible side effects of synthetic fertilizers and the chemicals in commercial pesticides and herbicides, the more we realize, the hippies had something there! Funny thing, though, organic gardening is really not so recent as all that. Thousands of years of gardeners before us grew only with organic methods.  Here we’ll delve a bit into the whys of going organic, and a couple starting points to begin with if you aren’t already on the bandwagon.

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Harvesting Fall Vegetables and Tips for Storing Your Bounty Through the Winter

Harvesting Fall Vegetables - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds

As the warm days of summer give way to the crispness of fall, heirloom gardens become a haven of vibrant colors and bountiful harvests. Harvesting fall vegetables at their peak ensures that you enjoy their flavors and nutritional benefits well into the colder months. However, knowing the best techniques for harvesting and storing fall vegetables is crucial to keeping them fresh and maintaining their quality through winter. Whether you’ve grown root vegetables, leafy greens, hardy squash, or other cool-weather crops, this guide will help you store your harvest efficiently and prolong its shelf life.

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What To Do in the Heirloom Vegetable Garden in September

Vegetable Garden in September

 This article is geared to those in more Northern areas of the U.S., for those in the South or hotter areas of the U.S., more helpful tips can be found here: 9 Important things to do in the heirloom vegetable garden in September in southern states or hot climates geared towards what you have going on in the garden this month.

 

The heirloom vegetable garden in September enters a transitional phase between the end of summer and the onset of cooler fall temperatures. It’s a critical time for both harvesting summer crops and preparing for autumn planting. Here’s what to do in your heirloom vegetable garden in September:

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9 Important Things to Do in the Heirloom Vegetable Garden in the Fall in Southern States or Hot Climates:

What to Do in the Heirloom Vegetable Garden in September in Southern States or Hot Climates?

Ever wonder what you should be doing in the heirloom vegetable garden in the fall? In the Southern states or hot climates, the early fall marks a time of transition in the heirloom vegetable garden. As summer crops wind down, it’s time to prepare for fall planting. Despite the warm temperatures, there are still plenty of gardening tasks to be done. This guide provides insights on preparing beds for winter crops, what can be planted in the fall, and essential maintenance to keep your garden thriving.

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Planning Your Fall Vegetable Garden: Best Crops and Planting Times

Planning Your Fall Vegetable Garden: Best Crops and Planting Times

Are you wondering what vegetables or fruits you can plant in a fall vegetable garden? Many gardeners have the same questions: What can I grow in the fall? When should I plant? How do I avoid planting too late? If you’re new to the idea of growing an heirloom fall vegetable garden, you might think it’s more challenging than spring planting. But the truth is, it’s just as simple! With the right tips, you’ll be able to enjoy a productive garden full of heirloom vegetables right up until the first frost of fall.

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