Suggested late season plants

[rick9748]

Live in central South Carolina. Will be planting some second season plants app. July 15.Last frost date Last of October that give me 105 first frost -30 time for fruit to ripen=70 days for plants to make fruit.Looking for fruit to eat first through third week of October.
Do you have any suggestions??
Thanks
Rick

[javafxnoob]

I was planing the same, my average first frost date is 21st October. Subscribed to this thread, looking forward to see suggestions.

My list for fall garden (not finished) looks like this:

• Lettuce (head)
• Peas
• Radish
• Carrots

I am not sure will I be able to harvest peas however, but anyway even if I don't they should be able to fix soil with nitrogen before frost kills them.

[b54red]

Originally Posted by rick9748

Live in central South Carolina. Will be planting some second season plants app. July 15.Last frost date Last of October that give me 105 first frost -30 time for fruit to ripen=70 days for plants to make fruit.Looking for fruit to eat first through third week of October.
Do you have any suggestions??
Thanks
Rick

First off with fall or late tomatoes you will need some varieties that set fruit well in the dry hot conditions of late summer and early fall. Second you want some that will ripen when the weather gets much cooler. I haven't found a ton that do both but below are some that have been very successful for me as late season tomatoes. Gray mold can be a problem as the fall weather turns so keep them sprayed with a copper spray to reduce its occurrence. I find that a heavy mulch really helps them get off to a good start when planting in the hot dry weather of late summer and fall.

First would be ISPL because it sets well in the heat and ripens fairly fast. It is always on my list for late season but I have others that do well late. Pruden's Purple is a great pink and very quick to make. Limbaugh's Legacy is a nice large pink beefsteak that ripens well in the cooler weather of fall and will set fairly good in the heat. Carbon is another black variety that does especially well in the fall. Berkely Tie Dye Pink is also a good one for fall as is Spudakee. A red that does good in the fall is Arkansas Traveler and it also ripens good in the fall weather. Several of the hearts do well in the fall but I'm not a fan of most of them as they are usually rather mild and not too juicy.

Bill