Autumn planting time

Finding land, working a small plot or anything else countryside related
Post Reply
User avatar
Zasso Nouka
Tech Support
Tech Support
Posts: 5705
Joined: Wed Sep 23, 2015 9:37 am
Location: Chiba Prefecture
Has thanked: 4120 times
Been thanked: 3394 times

Autumn planting time

Post by Zasso Nouka »

So, it's time to start preparing for autumn and winter once again and start seeding the appropriate veggies. This week we seeded the first of the carrots, corn salad and beetroots directly into the ground and in modules we've seeded various kales, cabbages, cauliflower, mini hakusai, mini cucumber and climbing beans.

Next week we'll be seeding kohl rabi and turnips and will probably get some chingensai done as well. Now is also the time to prepare your beds for garlic and also prepare seed beds for onions if you are growing from seed, you'll need to find out the exact timing for your area but to give you an idea here in Chiba they would generally be seeded in the last week of september and then transplanted at the end of october or beginning of november.

Best of luck

Shizuman
Posts: 331
Joined: Sat Apr 28, 2018 4:34 pm
Location: Shizuoka
Has thanked: 410 times
Been thanked: 432 times

Re: Autumn planting time

Post by Shizuman »

Mate i was just thinking of asking you this exact question!
Thanks mate, got my carrots in today!

do you do any Autumn lettuce at all?

Shizuman
Posts: 331
Joined: Sat Apr 28, 2018 4:34 pm
Location: Shizuoka
Has thanked: 410 times
Been thanked: 432 times

Re: Autumn planting time

Post by Shizuman »

With the onions and garlic I added a fair bit of compost and organic matter and i limed the bed when i made it, apart from that what do you usually put in to the beds pre transplanting/bulbs going in?

Also do you start your seed in a hot house in pots first usually?

sorry for the basic questions never grown either garlic or onions before.

User avatar
Zasso Nouka
Tech Support
Tech Support
Posts: 5705
Joined: Wed Sep 23, 2015 9:37 am
Location: Chiba Prefecture
Has thanked: 4120 times
Been thanked: 3394 times

Re: Autumn planting time

Post by Zasso Nouka »

Shizuman wrote:do you do any Autumn lettuce at all?
Yes, we'll start seeding our mix salad varieties soon and probably get the Batavia and Little Gem lettuce going as well, with the cooler evenings we're getting at last it won't go bitter. If you can protect from flea beetles then it's also a good time to start Arugula, mizuna and others of that family along with coriander.
Shizuman wrote:With the onions and garlic I added a fair bit of compost and organic matter and i limed the bed when i made it, apart from that what do you usually put in to the beds pre transplanting/bulbs going in?

Also do you start your seed in a hot house in pots first usually?

sorry for the basic questions never grown either garlic or onions before.


Not sure what type of lime you add but Cainz sell crushed oyster shells for chickens. We use this instead of straight lime as it lasts in the soil for several years and adds lots of other minerals and micro nutrients as well.

We normally use powdered or pelleted chicken manure for onions and garlic as they don't require much nitrogen but do like plenty of phosphorous and potassium also if it's from egg laying chickens then it naturally contains a lot of calcium as well.

This is our first year growing from onions from seed as we normally buy the bunches of young plants from our local taneyasan. We've prepared a seed bed outside for them that is protected from insect entry and doesn't have any weeds growing in it and they will be seeded directly there. If you aren't growing a huge amount you could try Charles Dowding's method of sowing several seeds per cell and growing them in a group.



As they grow they push each other out but this method doesn't work if you are using plastic mulch. This year we are going to grow half with plastic mulch and half without so we can experiment with a supplemental feeding in the spring. The plastic mulch really does help keeping the roots warm during the winter so will be interesting to see how the un-mulched ones do.

Garlic is easy, split up the bulbs into individual cloves and push them down into the soil. Job done.

Shizuman
Posts: 331
Joined: Sat Apr 28, 2018 4:34 pm
Location: Shizuoka
Has thanked: 410 times
Been thanked: 432 times

Re: Autumn planting time

Post by Shizuman »

Zasso Nouka wrote:
Yes, we'll start seeding our mix salad varieties soon and probably get the Batavia and Little Gem lettuce going as well, with the cooler evenings we're getting at last it won't go bitter. If you can protect from flea beetles then it's also a good time to start Arugula, mizuna and others of that family along with coriander.
Great that my plan to get in some mizuna and some lettuce! Might try some coriander too

Yea i got the crushed shell from Cainz but i didnt know it lasts in the soil thats good to know!

I assume you net things like mizuna yea? If so which netting do you use? the fine mesh or the more woven plastic one (sorry no idea of the names) I saw geotextule agfab and a few others sorry. Ive seen on TV people using the more woven one which has slightly larger spaces in it and im concerned that aphids might be able to get through.

User avatar
Zasso Nouka
Tech Support
Tech Support
Posts: 5705
Joined: Wed Sep 23, 2015 9:37 am
Location: Chiba Prefecture
Has thanked: 4120 times
Been thanked: 3394 times

Re: Autumn planting time

Post by Zasso Nouka »

Shizuman wrote:I assume you net things like mizuna yea? If so which netting do you use? the fine mesh or the more woven plastic one (sorry no idea of the names) I saw geotextule agfab and a few others sorry. Ive seen on TV people using the more woven one which has slightly larger spaces in it and im concerned that aphids might be able to get through.
The best netting to protect against insects has a mesh size of 0.6mm or less, something similar to this

Insect netting

That will keep insects out if you bury the edges, make sure you secure it thoroughly or it could blow away in high winds or typhoons. When buying support struts either go with Fibreglass poles or get the stronger 13mm metal ones. Ideally buy them from a proper agricultural supply shop rather than the cheaper ones available in home centres.

Betagake (べたがけ) can protect against many insects but it's primary use is as floating row covers for insulating crops in the winter.

Aphids can be carried into protected areas by ants and that is pretty hard to protect against.

Hope that helps

Shizuman
Posts: 331
Joined: Sat Apr 28, 2018 4:34 pm
Location: Shizuoka
Has thanked: 410 times
Been thanked: 432 times

Re: Autumn planting time

Post by Shizuman »

Thanks mate that awesome info!
And thanks for the links too!

User avatar
Zasso Nouka
Tech Support
Tech Support
Posts: 5705
Joined: Wed Sep 23, 2015 9:37 am
Location: Chiba Prefecture
Has thanked: 4120 times
Been thanked: 3394 times

Re: Autumn planting time

Post by Zasso Nouka »

This is where we raise our seedlings

Image

And the inside

Image

At this time of year I prefer to raise them outside so they are already acclimatised to the intense heat and sun when transplanted. The netting is standard 0.6mm mesh insect netting and the support poles are the 13mm metal ones mentioned earlier.

starting_the_dream
Posts: 53
Joined: Mon Jul 30, 2018 2:18 pm
Has thanked: 40 times
Been thanked: 96 times

Re: Autumn planting time

Post by starting_the_dream »

This post got me wondering of websites you all use to help schedule planting. Most of the schedules I've seen online are arranged by month, but I like being able to see the whole year in one glance. Here's what I'm using: https://fieldwork-agri.com/tuti/tanemaki.html

Any other links you've found helpful (especially for the beginner)?

edited to add: Doesn't have to be links. Books are great too!

User avatar
Zasso Nouka
Tech Support
Tech Support
Posts: 5705
Joined: Wed Sep 23, 2015 9:37 am
Location: Chiba Prefecture
Has thanked: 4120 times
Been thanked: 3394 times

Re: Autumn planting time

Post by Zasso Nouka »

That's a pretty good website with some sensible planting times. Seed packets from the larger suppliers (Takii, Sakata, etc) also give pretty accurate planting times for each area so you can generally go with them. Some of the smaller companies and ones that just import foreign seeds merely translate the European or US instructions which are almost always totally useless.

Something to bear in mind for autumn and winter growing is the onset of the Persephone months (Thank you Eric) when day length drops below 10 hours and many crops stop growing or slow right down. You want most things to be sufficiently large by that point that they can coast through that period.

I also keep a detailed spreadsheet on Google drive with seeding date, germination date, harvest dates and growing conditions with a new sheet for each year and now generally go off that when deciding when to plant a particular vegetable. That gives you relevant information tailored to your particular micro climate.

Post Reply