Planting a fall garden

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Radio interview source: Doug Jimerson, editor-in-chief, garden group,Better Homes & Gardens

Just when you think the gardening season is over, it's time to start a new one. Most people plant bulbs in the fall, but that's it. An autumn veggie garden extends the season without having to baby tired, bug-eaten plants.

Vegetables like cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower are actually easier to grow in the fall because the weather is cooler when they're ready to produce fruit. They will taste even better once they've been touched by a light frost.

Doug Jimerson, gardening editor-in-chief for Better Homes and Gardens magazine, says the challenge this time of year is getting the seeds to germinate because the weather is hot and dry.

"You might want to put a little shade cloth over them to keep the area slightly shaded from the midday sun, and be sure to keep them moist," Jimerson says. "Keep them as cool as you can to get them started, and keep them watered. It's sort of the opposite problem you'd have in the spring."

So you're not a slave to the garden hose, use a drip irrigation system or soaker hoses to keep the plants watered.