Episode 1: Fall Heat, Pests & More

Bryan from Ohio

A: The first place to start is with a soil test, if you haven't already done one. There are nutrients that help your plants deal with drought and heat stress, so if they're properly fed, they will perform better in the heat. Also, start early by keeping your plants mulched throughout the summer and well-watered. For crops that like it a little cooler, plant them on the shadier side of tall crops like tomatoes or pole beans or things like that.

Amy from Idaho

A: Whatever you plant, plant it as soon as possible and keep it well watered. In shorter growing season areas like Idaho, you can plant lettuce and radish and spinach—real short-season stuff like that. In the longer-season warmer zones carrots and beets, which will be marginal; kale, collards, mustards, turnips all should do well. Even if they don't come to maturity, you’ll have plenty of greens from all those crops to eat. Another thing that would help is to use a floating row cover, that gives you several degrees of frost protection.

Judy from Kentucky

A: Those are harlequin bugs, and they're a tough customer. Harlequin bugs love anything in the cabbage family: Kale, collards, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower…you get the idea. And what they do is probe the leaf and suck the juices out of it and release something in there that deforms the leaves. If you have enough damage, it can end up killing your plants.

The best strategy for most pests is restricting their access. Cover cold crops (and other things) with a Super-Lite Insect Barrier. Just lay it over your plantings and weight it down on the edges, and it keeps insects from accessing your plants and sucking. If you don't use insect barriers, you can squash the bugs if there's not too many. If not, you'll have to use an insecticide on them like Soap Shield® or another lightweight pesticide that'll knock them down.

Gary from Georgia

A: You can fertilize if you're planting new plants, like your late-season crops in Georgia—you can lightly fertilize the bed when you prepare it. And you can also fertilize your plants with a water-soluble fertilizer lightly throughout the season. Fall crops are often very leafy crops, so they require a little bit more nitrogen. It’s really helpful to get a soil test done, so you don't overdo it on any certain nutrient. But yes—it is all right to feed your vegetables in the fall.