Now is the time to start a fall vegetable garden. What do I do to prepare?

Selecting the plants you want to grow and eat is the first step. Make sure you have room in your garden or raised beds for your selection and that the site is open and sunny.

Cabbage, lettuce, kale, beets and radishes can all be planted now. Other vegetables such as carrots, asparagus, onion, broccoli, cauliflower and peas are more delicious choices to consider.

Next, buy transplants when you can and forgo the seeds. This will ensure some growth before the first frost dates and give them some growing time to catch the last waves of summer heat.

First, enrich your soil with compost or aged manure to replenish micronutrients and give the plants a strong start. Then you are ready to begin.

Make sure the soil is kept moist on your seedlings and transplants, because even short periods of dryness can put a kink in your vegetables growth curve. Most of these fall plants need the moist soil because of their slow growing tendencies. Your best defense is a soaker hose snaked throughout your beds before you plant to help with the watering through the establishment period.

Leafy greens (collards) take root quickly, while slow growers such as carrots, lettuce, spinach and beets may take a little time, but they need the moisture all the same.

Go mad for mulch! Have great mulch on hand and place it over sheets of newspaper between plants. The paper will block light which will prevent weed growth. It will also keep the soil cool and moist and attract earthworms. To get the best coverage, lay down 2 sheets of newspaper, wet it thoroughly, and then cover with mulch.

Prepare your defenses against garden pests. You may want to lay a light netting row cover over the new plants until they are established. This will prevent army worms and grasshoppers from invading the territory. Once the cooler temperatures start arriving, this can be taken off as insect populations diminish. If you have deer problems, you might want to keep netting over the garden into early winter.

Try planting some new crops such as arugula lettuce, spinach mustard or swede turnips (really good and easy). These vegetables are delicious and grow well in the fall. Hybrid varieties of broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower generally excel in terms of fast, uniform growth. Think about leaving some room for garlic, which is planted later in October to enjoy throughout the winter.

Get off to a good start and enjoy the cool season veggie garden. If you need additional information, the extension office has a lot of good information, such as planting charts and harvest schedules.

Wanda Cannon is a Master Gardener trained through the Hall County program and also serves as Master Gardener coordinator and horticulture assistant for the Hall County Extension office. Phone: 770-535-8293.