Fall is the best time to grow in Oklahoma and we can’t afford to wait too late to plant, so as soon as it’s consistently below 100 degrees it’s safe to start putting some fall seeds in the ground. Leave all of your spring and summer crops in place until you’re ready to replant. NEVER leave soil bare! You can harvest the seeds off of the plants that dried out. Leave live plants like kale and chard that slowed down over the summer but will burst back to life in the fall. Tomatoes, peppers, okra, and sweet potatoes will continue producing, so leave them as well. Remember, some “weeds” like purslane and dandelions are extremely valuable crops, so don’t pull them out unless you need to!
Set all of the mulch and dead plants aside to re-use as mulch later. Organic matter is your most valuable resource, so never throw it away! If you pull out bermuda grass roots or mature seed heads that you don’t want in the garden, you can hot compost them in a tumbler or under a black tarp or plastic and they will die if it reaches 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you have finished compost, this is a good time to spread it over the surface in a thin layer. Know your compost, some is “hotter” than others, meaning higher in nitrogen. If it’s mostly broken down wood or leaves, you can use up to two inches, but if it’s mostly manure or food scraps, just use a sprinkle. If you don’t have compost, use an organic fertilizer like blood and bone meal or fish emulsion. Seeds actually don’t like too much nitrogen for sprouting, so don’t over-do it right before planting. Mix the compost or fertilizer into the top inch or two of soil.
Either plant the seeds in rows or broadcast them according to the spacing recommended on the packet. Check the packet to see how deep they should be planted too.
Water once or even twice a day until the plants are about an inch tall. Seedlings are very delicate and dry out quickly. Also, be careful watering so you don’t blast the seedlings away or drown them. When they’re an inch or more tall, reduce watering to every two or three days to keep the soil moist an inch under the surface. Stick your finger in the ground to know if you need to water. Once the seedlings are two to three inches tall, start adding mulch and keep adding regularly. Many crops will thrive in up to six inches of mulch!
Links to More Information
Fall Gardening https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/fall-gardening.html
How to Use Compost https://earthmatter.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/tip-sheet-how-to-use-compost-cpts-htuc-f.pdf
