Posted on 09/30/2013 10:47:39 PM PDT by RKBA Democrat
ost people think that Springtime is the time to start growing that vegetable or herb garden. But there are many types of plants that should mainly be grown during the cooler months.
Fall is a great time to try your hand at growing leafy greens, and that makes this a great way to save some money on produce. If you end up with a good harvest, you'll have a bountiful source of vegetables while other people are paying higher prices for greens at the grocery store.
Here are 6 cooler weather plants you may want to try your hand at growing this Fall:
1. Broccoli. Now is the perfect time to be planting broccoli for Fall harvests. I've even had my broccoli plants survive entire winters that included cold and snowy nights. Serving fresh or steamed broccoli with dinner is a great way to get that vitamin K.
2. Swiss Chard. Swiss Chard is becoming a new favorite green for many people because it's packed with more nutrients than kale, but has a much milder taste.
3. Carrots. Plant carrots now for a late Fall or early Winter harvest. I've even had carrots last all winter long. If you do attempt to grow carrots all through the Winter, make sure to keep them covered well with mulch and soil to protect them from freezing.
4. Cabbage. These beauties are simply gorgeous, and always add an ornamental value to gardens. You can harvest them through late Fall and early Winter.
5. Lettuce. Lettuce just keeps growing back and doesn't stop, even after harvesting the leaves over and over again. It's a hardy plant and great for salads. Plant more seeds every few weeks for a constant crop, but keep them in shady spots if you want them year-round. Lettuce definitely prefers to stay cool.
6. Spinach. Known for it's superfood benefits, spinach is actually pretty easy to grow. If you live in a mild Winter climate, you can plant spinach in the late Fall for an early Spring harvest. Or if not, plant it late Summer in a shady spot for harvesting before the harsh Winter hits.
These are just a few of the types of plants that are perfect to plant this Fall. I'm especially going for the lettuce, cabbage and broccoli this year, as this will really help me save money on produce during the cooler months.
Peas can take a light freeze without blinking.
Sounds good. I remove the stem and middle rib and roll the leaves and rough chop. Then cook with a nice piece of bacon, salt, pepper, garlic powder, a shot of hot sauce and a splash of white wine or beer whichever is in my hand whilst cooking. :-)
Yeah , they will with a little extra effort. The secret of winterizing crops depends on creating " MICROCLIMATES ".
From each concept, you can drop approcimately 1/2 of a plant zone to a full plant zone to extend the harvest season.(YMMV)
#1) Southern / full sun exposure in front of brick/stone wall (acts as a heat sink).
#2) Wind protection from a closeplanting /hedge/wall/4 mil. plastic on hoops / cold frame.
#3) Leaf mulch /straw(insulation)removed on warm days; plants covered up during the night to retain heat.
I had a coworker whose family brought a fig tree from Sicily, and kept this tree bearing fruit in his back lawn.
Every fall he collected leaves from the neighborhood; then he cut exactly 1/2 of the tree roots, and bent the tree over, parallel to the ground.
He watered the tree well ,and put a 20 watt light bulb alongside the trunk , then covered up the tree with leaves (insulation),
and then covered the pile with a comforter and a tarp.
The 20 watt lighbulb was left on throughout the winter under the leaves and tarp
Every year he alternated the side of the tree roots that got cut ; every spring when he set the tree upright, he would add balanced fertilizer to the cut roots
and stake the tree for support since it contiued to bear fruit heavily.
What he actually was doing was creating an artificial microclimate in northern tier zone ; although it is somewhat labor intensive.
Is that the see-through plastic cone - like that you fill with water to retain daytime heat ?
Turnips are underappreciated. Most anything you can do with a potato, you can do with a turnip, boiled and mashed with dairy butter and a touch of horseradish is very good. They’ll keep practically all winter in the ground here.
No. It comes in 4 x 8 sheets. It is under $20 a sheet & really easy to work with (I use a carpet knife & a regular Arrow staple gun with it). Some of ours is over 10 years old. We re-use much of it every Winter. It’s a whole lot easier to manage than plastic sheeting on a roll.
It’s like the cardboard with corrugated between 2 layers, translucent but not clear, like polycarbonate.
Now, I’m interested in what you’re describing. On our patio, we have a wall that gets sun most of the day & retains heat pretty well. Out in the yard, where the beds are, we’re either going to make a greenhouse kinda thing or ??? What you’re describing could really be useful.
I LOVE This time of year....I love the gleaning of the garden....I love the squash and I love the crispness of the air and I love cooking and baking in the house now that the temps are cool outside....just can't get into cooking or baking much in the hot summer...
Spring is my favorite season, but it is fun to be using up the last of the garden produce in comfortable weather.
Thanks for the link. I noticed that some of the Northern area people were stating that they couldn’t grow those crops.
However, I remember seeing a book and some articles somewhere about gardening year round in one of the New England states.
One method involved a hot frame type thing. Basically you use your compost pile which provides heat, and you have some boards where you sit the pots with plants and then cover it all up with plastic.
Then there’s always the indoor south or west facing window, with a little additional light from a full spectrum plant light.
Thank you, greeneyes, for your continual work on behalf of all of us.
Carrots dug in February here in Michigan are truly a delight, they get sweeter the longer they’re in the ground (until they don’t).
Kale’s not on this list, but it’s another one that will grow.
And biennials like parsley are under the snow, as are evergreens like sage.
Also, garlic should be planted (though not harvested) in the fall; short-day onions (Granex variety, which is marketed under that famous trademarked name starting with V) can be planted where the plants won’t freeze out in order to get that sweet flavor.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.