It’s fall garden time!

After the hottest and driest summer in recent memory, I’m so excited to have started several varieties of seed for my fall garden! I’m going with varieties that I had success with last year and expect good results. We live in zone 8b and typically we have warm, sometimes down right hot, fall temperatures. I like to choose varieties that are more heat tolerant and can forgive an extremely warm season.

Seedlings under a grow light

Here’s what I’m trying to grow:

Broccoli:

Artwork Hybrid — I did not have great success germinating these seeds. I planted two six cell trays and only three sprouted. I was really disappointed because this is a highly rated variety and it grew well for me last year.

Aspabroc Hybrid — Excellent germination with this variety. I planted two six cell tray cells and each seed sprouted. This is a cut and come again broccoli. After you harvest the small head, many side shoots will appear and those can be harvested for more than a month. I’m looking forward to enjoying this over the fall season. These should be ready 60 days from transplant.

Young broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower transplants

Cauliflower:

Minuteman Hybrid — I grew this last year and it did really well in my climate. It is a fast maturing, heat tolerant variety that produces a medium to large white head.  These should be ready 60 to 70 days after transplant. I achieved excellent germination from one year old seed.

Flame Star Hybrid — I think is my favorite cauliflower. I love growing varieties that are unique and can’t be found in the grocery store. This is a cauliflower that does not produce a white head. Instead, it has a pastel orange head and will retain its color when cooked. It is extremely heat tolerant and matures 55 days after transplant.

Onion:

Growing onions is a bit of a challenge for me. Last year I planted the Red Creole variety and all the plants bolted during the first heat wave in early spring. This year I did a little more research  and settled on the following variety hoping for greater success.

Texas Grano — This is a sweet onion that can grow as large as a pound. It’s resistant to bolting and grown widely in the south. They should be ready to harvest in 115 days and they are a short day variety.