Fellow gardeners, I have a project for my Community Gardens. The new coordinator wants a list of short-time crops that can be planted in abandoned lots. The general idea is that abandoned plots will be given to wait listers free for the first year. They’ll have 2-3 months to plant and harvest depending upon the weather, basically July 1-October 15. If Ma is kind, a few more weeks. Or not. To that end, I’m asking for your ideas.

Some things are obvious: most greens, herbs, and radishes mature in 30-60 days. Beets, maybe. Things on the Forget It list would be peppers, carrots, potatoes, most tomatoes, alliums, and squash.

I also get to make a list of native cover crops. This is what I get for raising my hand.

What say you? And thanks!

JayneR13 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 20, 2023 7:56 pm Fellow gardeners, I have a project for my Community Gardens. The new coordinator wants a list of short-time crops that can be planted in abandoned lots. The general idea is that abandoned plots will be given to wait listers free for the first year. They’ll have 2-3 months to plant and harvest depending upon the weather, basically July 1-October 15. If Ma is kind, a few more weeks. Or not. To that end, I’m asking for your ideas.

Some things are obvious: most greens, herbs, and radishes mature in 30-60 days. Beets, maybe. Things on the Forget It list would be peppers, carrots, potatoes, most tomatoes, alliums, and squash.

I also get to make a list of native cover crops. This is what I get for raising my hand.

What say you? And thanks!

Well you got yourself into a pickle lol. Peas, bush beans, nothing else I can think of.

People who get a plot by mid-July would have lots to choose from. Bush beans definitely (Contender for example is 49 DTM). Zucchini would work; there are varieties with DTM less than 50 days. Chinese broccoli (gai lan, kailaan). Regular broccoli or cabbage if transplants are available in your area in July -- just choose an early-maturing variety. Beets should be fine; there are numerous varieties with DTM less than 60 days. Most cucumber varieties mature in less than 60 days; Picklebush for example is 52 days. Even a very early tomato like Fourth of July might work if you can get plants that time of year.

People who don't get a plot until August or later would be more limited -- radishes, lettuce, spinach, etc.

As sevenbends stated above.

Some corn varieties will make corn in 68 to 72 days, all sorts of lettuces, beets, turnips and for sure parsnips which are sweeter after a frost, zukes/pattypan/yellow crooknecks, green onions chards even some of the pole beans are producing at 58 days, will get you a bang for your buck still.

There are a lot of 60 day tomatoes, but being able to pull it off would require having plant starts ready to go at planting time.

Just wanted to mention, in the chinese broccolli type veg, Yu Choy Sum is the fast one, about 40 days from seed. It's cut near the ground when it starts to flower, and it does grow back so you can get a couple of cuts. They can be planted fairly close together, 6 inches or even less in containers. It is actually not B. oleracea it is B. rapa but with thick stalks that are cut when they flower. The Kailan or Gailan which is a true boccoli is about a 60 day grow before you will get flowering shoots. Those are harvested from the top of the plant without destroying the basic structure, and they keep producing those shoots until frost if you keep cutting. They are big plants like broccoli so much wider spacing and a longer term haul.
Bok Choy and Arugula (if it's cooling off) are in the 40 day range, maybe Mizuna too.
Turnips can be a fast crop too if it's not optimal for radishes.
We once tried sowing carrots in July, same time as you would sow bush beans, and got a lovely crop of carrots in October. So if the garden is open until late fall, it's not impossible to grow carrots as the weather cools off.

Thank you all so much! Indeed, some of these things, such as mizuna, I hadn't thought of even though I grow it in my hydro units. Getting plants to transplant would be a problem. Most greenhouses close down a week or two after Memorial Day, something I think is worth mentioning to my group. And some of the gardens are open until late Fall, so maybe carrots with a caveat on the list. And I might try that Chinese broccoli myself!

Any other ideas?

Availability might be tricky (I’m guessing most first year gardeners won’t be starting their own seeds), but I have a few new cruciferous from Johnny’s that I’m planning to grow this year that are quick to mature: Song green stem cauliflower at 42 days (https://www.johnnyseeds.com/vegetables/ ... -4131.html) and Melody baby broccoli which is just 24 DTM (https://www.johnnyseeds.com/vegetables/ ... -4264.html) to name a couple. Does okra do well in your region?

And how about offering some cuttings/suckers from established plots to speed things up? That could make tomatoes possible. Maybe someone has an unruly Sungold or two?

Is this a list of suggestions for the new gardeners? Maybe add some flowers on the list?

Large transplants of tomatoes would work. My guess would be starting seeds mid-May, outdoors, and transplanting about July 1st.

I'd also ask the coordinator to possibly move up the abandoning date a week (or two?).

My expected first fall frost is also around Oct. 15. Some of my ideas were already mentioned.

In July they could direct sow bush beans, early carrots (I highly recommend Mokum F1 & Yaya F1 that are 54 & 56 DTM from seed), kale (White Russian does well for me during the summer), lovage, dill, cilantro in the shade of taller plants, cucumber, zucchini and maybe bunching onions like Heshiko that are 65 DTM.

If they have potted plants of chives, basil, marjoram, or other herbs, those would work well.

In August they can direct sow peas, lettuce, spinach, more "early" carrots for fall harvest. Maybe even start the lettuce and spinach in cooler conditions inside then plant outside to give them a headstart?

I don't grow radishes because I don't like them but aren't they quick growers? Maybe they'd work?

Oops. I see you already mentioned some of those in your first post. My brain is foggy and I missed them the first time I read it.

Great idea to root tomato prunings. Maybe put out a bucket of water and invite the other gardeners with tomatoes to put their cuttings in it the week before.