I am pretty sure I’ve lost count how many times I’ve had Allyson on my blog. She is so full of knowledge and I just love learning from her.
I think I pick her brain at least 3 times a day on everything gardening and oils and this time we are talking about fall.
How to grow a fall vegetable garden to be specific.
Because, ya know… fall is literally right around the corner.
I asked Allyson to come on the blog today to discuss her fall vegetable garden and which types of vegetables are great to plant during the fall season and she even includes a DIY Garden Spray made with essential oils.
So… here we go!
As a mom of three and wellness advocate, food quality is of the utmost importance to me.
Hi there, my name is Allyson and I am an organic gardener!
For the last 3 years, I have been growing food for our family.
My husband and I have a dream together of having a market garden farm, but we don’t have the land yet… so I have been using my backyard for practice.
I’ve studied the yard to see where it gets the most sun, read numerous books on farming/intensive spacing/companion planting/soil health/organic & no-till practices, and watched documentaries and Youtube videos from many knowledgeable farmers.
This big dream started a few years ago when our family had to cut gluten from our diet.
We really started to think differently about food, like where our food was coming from and the quality (if you haven’t watched Food, Inc. I highly recommend it – it’s on Netflix)!
Our dream grew from, what if we could feed our family, to what if we could feed lots of families and teach them about how to grow food.
Most people don’t think about who grew their food, where it was shipped from, what pesticides it was sprayed with, or if it’s genetically modified… they just go to the store, shop for their food, and enjoy.
“We want to change this way of thinking, and we want people to know their farmers!”
When you think of growing a vegetable garden, most people think that’s something you do in the summer.
What if I told you that you could garden all year long?!
This year will be my first attempt at a fall crop which we start planting in August – September and can enjoy our harvests late into the year.
Lots of the food grown in the fall can withstand some cold; foods like root vegetables and leafy greens can tolerate cooler weather.
Here is what we will be growing in our fall vegetable garden this year:
-brussel sprouts
-squash
-leeks and onions
-carrots
-arugula
-broccoli
-cauliflower
-peas
-potatoes
-cabbage
-kale and lettuce
-raddish
-spinach
-rudabega (turnip)
-swiss chard
A few of the plants listed about are called root vegetables (where the part you eat grows underground) and do well in cooler weather with well-mulched soil to keep the soil temperatures above freezing.
You can use things such as wood chips, pine needles, or even hay to mulch your beds!
You can also use what’s call row cover, which is a breathable material, to keep heat in and bugs out!
We use both of these methods in the summer and continue into the fall, to help keep pests away, protect young plants from being scorched by the sun, and to trap in heat.
We also feel very strongly about not using any chemicals in our garden, so aside from the row cover we use an all natural DIY garden spray (made with essential oils) only if we really need to!
DIY Garden Spray
- 1 Capful of Thieves Cleaner
- Rosemary Essential Oils (20 Drops)
- Peppermint Essential Oils (20 Drops)
- Clove Essential Oils (20 Drops)
- 1/4 Tsp. of any unscented plant-based dish soap
- Fill the rest of the spray bottle with water
Anyone can grow a few vegetables for your fall garden in pots or raised beds.
As long as the plants can get 6-8 hours of sun, water, and protection in case of frost, the vegetables listed above would be great for the backyard garden!
RELATED POST: A JOURNEY WITH ESSENTIAL OILS
Make sure when purchasing your seeds you pick from the best non-GMO companies… we like to order from Baker’s Creek Seeds (rareseeds.com).
There are many other great companies out there but these are the ones that have produced really well for me so far!
If you want to start planting some of your own food, I’d love for you to follow along with me on Instagram and please feel free to reach out anytime!
(All photos are taken by Allyson)
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