It’s mid-August and storms and rain have finally arrived. The precipitation contains an abundant amount of the atmosphere nutrient nitrogen, which brings a revival of all things growing. It has a little sodium which makes it feel "soft." But to a gardener the power of rainwater is magic! At Dave’s Garden on-line he has a good article about the "magical properties of rainwater." It is worth the read. Like Dave, I see rainwater as magic.

As we are preparing for our Fall gardens, here are some helpful ideas of which to keep reminding yourself. Fall is "roots and shoots" time. Today we will look at the roots of this planting time. A few often-overlooked roots I strongly suggest planting are turnips, rutabaga, and icicle or daikon radish. They grow abundantly here in zone 8a and will get better when the frost arrives.

Turnips are genus: brassica. This is a cool season to plant this root vegetable which possibly originated in Siberia when the dinosaurs roamed. Rutabaga is a combination of turnip and cabbage. Daikon and Icicle radishes are both from China and are called a white radish. Parsnip is a vegetable closely related to the carrot adding to their sweetness especially after a frost.

There are many other root vegetables to grow in the fall. Beet root (which come in all sizes and colors), carrots, ginger, sweet potatoes, onions, and celeriac are a few of those great autumn growers.

Turnips and Rutabaga: How to Plant and Grow

In prepared soil, plant seeds one to two inches apart with rows eighteen inches apart. Thin the plants out to six inches apart after they show true leaves. Water when dry and harvest when they are about two to three inches across. Both can be left in ground late into the winter. Rutabaga can be planted in the summer also for a fall crop.

Planting and Growing Radishes

Radish seeds are similar to turnips as these will get big and grow deep. Plant seeds half an inch deep and one to three inches apart. Thin out like turnups when they show true leaves. Red cherry radish and French breakfast radish can be planted closer and often will do well planted in blocks. The greens of all these plants are edible, especially turnup greens, and can be picked without pulling the whole plant. Just be sure to pick the greens around the edge of the tuber.

Yes, it is almost time to get the rows dug and the seeds out. Fall arrives on Wednesday, September 22.

Growing Green and Digging for Fall Gardening,

Jannie