vegetable

September is the perfect time to start cleaning up the summer veggie garden and start planting fall crops.  Since the Greensboro area has moved into the 8B planting zone, the growing seasons are extended with a first frost date of October 31.  There are plenty of fall veggies that can be grown in two months time and some that can even grow after the frost date.  Here are a few veggies that should be put in-ground now for a fall harvest. 

Lettuces – Since the only thing you need to harvest from lettuce is the leaves, it stands to reason that this crop is quickly grown and quickly harvested.  Choose varieties that are considered “cut and come again” like ‘Buttercrunch’ and ‘Black Seeded Simpson’.  Lettuces that grow heads, such as icebergs and romain style, may not finish growing in time before frost.

Spinach – Another leafy veggie, this cool weather loving plant will flourish in the chilly evenings in fall.  There are even varieties, such as ‘Bloomsdale Long Standing’, that will grow throughout winter.  For more tender spinach, look for ‘Baby’s Leaf’ and the hybrid, ‘Double Choice’. Spinach is  a cut and come again crop, but can be planted in succession all through the cool and colder months for a quicker harvesting time.

Beets – These root veggies are a staple in cool season gardens and are easy to plant by seed.  In fact, it’s the preferred method to plant any root vegetable by seed so they can establish quicker.  Some of the best beet varieties include ‘Golden Detroit’, ‘Chiogga” and ‘Detroit Dark Red’.  Beets can be left in the ground through winter, if properly mulched, until ready to eat, so plant now and harvest at will throughout the cold months.

Cole Crops – This heading includes several different vegetables that are in the mustard family such as kale, kohlrabi, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and collards.  All of these veggies prefer cooler weather to grow and therefore are great fall and spring crops.  Some, such as kale, are hardy after the frost date and can continue to produce well into the winter.  Cole crops grow a bit slower so plant them as veggie starts instead of seeds now so they have plenty of time to grow to harvest size before the frost.

Radish – Beginning gardeners rejoice!  Radish is the absolute easiest vegetable to grow and is highly recommended for first time gardeners.  Harvest turn-around time for this simple crop is very fast so you can plant multiple times before the frost arrives. Since radish is a root vegetable, plant as seeds and watch the magic happen.

Carrots – Carrots are a simple crop to grow, although because their roots are what is eaten, it takes some time for them to grow.  To harvest earlier, before the last frost date, try growing shorter carrots such as ‘Little Finger’ or ‘Short N Sweet’.  These carrots have much shorter days to maturity making them perfect for fall gardening.  Always plant carrots as seeds due to their fast growing taproot.

Fall is usually a time of plants going dormant and losing leaves to prepare for winter, but in the vegetable garden there is plenty of growing to be had.  We challenge you to start your own fall