Stop by for free fall veggie seed and garden-talk!
By mid-July, gardeners in Zone 5a still have roughly 90 days left in our growing season. That makes it the perfect time for planning a bountiful FALL GARDEN in spots freed up by the harvest of garlic and potatoes, peas and spring greens.
Yep. A fall garden. Did you know? Cooler late summer temps and shorter autumn days present the perfect conditions for another planting of cool-season brassicas like kale, kohlrabi, bok choy and cabbage, and root veggies like carrots, beets, turnips and radishes. Don’t forget the greens - spinach, collard, mustard, chard and more. All of these plus fresh plantings of lettuce, herbs, beans and peas are in our fall garden plans.
Brassicas – The brassica family is famous for short-season, frost-tolerant veggies, and it’s earned a big chunk of our garden. We’re featuring “Dazzling Blue” lacinato kale, “Purple Vienna” kohlrabi, and “Michihili” Chinese cabbage. Because these need cool temps to germinate, we’ll start them inside mid-July and plant out in mid-August. Or try “Sorrento” broccoli raab, a beloved Italian vegetable which can be direct sown in mid-August.
Greens – Direct sow is recommended for spinach, collard, mustard, mache, sorrel, and shiso. We're featuring five-star “Viroflay” spinach and cold-tolerant collards and mustard, like “Komatsuna” Japanese mustard spinach, packed with leafy-green nutrition. Or try “Bright Lights” Swiss Chard which is easy and fun for kids to grow. Versatile choices for a fall garden, because greens thrive quite well in containers and in part-shade.
Cucurbits – Bet you didn’t expect to see this one on the list! We found “Cocozelle” zucchini, a small-space summer squash variety that matures in just 60 days. We might even outsmart the squash bugs and borers with a late planting of their favorite snack. Or try “Spacemaster 80” cucumber, a quick-maturing, small-space variety, perfect to include in your fall garden. Bonus! Both of these compact varieties can be container-grown.
Lettuce - Best varieties are romaine and leaf types. Romaine can be started inside, but all can be direct sown. We’re featuring “Parris Island Cos” romaine, “All the Year Round” butterhead, “Lollo Rosso” leaf lettuce and “Garden Leaf Blend" which would be great harvested as baby lettuce. All these choices would make lovely patio containers to provide a quick harvest for lunch-time salads.
Root vegetables - Direct sow all root veggies – carrot, radish, turnip and beet. Successive sow quick radishes! Try “Autumn King” carrot, “Lutz Green Leaf” beet, “White Albino” beet, “Scarlet Globe" radish, or the reliable, old standby “Purple Top White Globe” turnip. Bonus - Eat the tasty greens!
Beans - Choose bush beans, rather than pole beans. Beans are warm season, tender annual which will die upon the first frost. Direct sow bush beans through mid-August, and you’ll be harvesting fresh green beans most of September and into October. We’re featuring a delicious Italian-type flat bean “Roma II”, and a well-loved heirloom “Landreth Stringless” for old-fashioned bean-y flavor.
Peas - Choose snow or sugar snap, rather than shelling. Peas are cool-season annuals and cannot handle the summer heat, just like me. Direct sow fall peas in late August. Try “Dwarf Sugar Grey” snow pea…or a unique snap pea with edible stems and tendrils “Parsley Pea”.
Herbs - Great for successive plantings; consider planting basil and cilantro in attractive pots to bring inside before the first fall frost. Parsley is frost-tolerant and attractive, although slow to germinate. Our favorite herb - basil - is quick to germinate, easy-peasy to transplant and a workhorse in the kitchen. We’re featuring “Culinary Blend” basil and “Slow Bolt Cilantro”, perfect for containers.
Bunching Onions – Try direct-sowing our pick for quick-maturing bunching onions “Tokyo Long White”.
When considering other fall garden possibilities, here are some tips: 1) look for vegetables and herbs which mature in 70 days or less, 2) consider covering the more tender annuals to extend the growing season, especially if frost is forecasted, 3) remember that most brassicas will happily “tolerate” a light frost, and 4) alliums and root crops may actually be IMPROVED by frost and can often be left in place until you are ready to harvest and use them. 5) Bonus! All of these - with the exception of green beans, cucumbers and summer squash - can be grown inside year-round as microgreens!
Hope to see you at the Urbandale Library on 7/26 from 12:30-2:30pm. Each attendee can learn more about fall gardening and choose up to 10 free seed packets from our specially-selected "fall" veggie varieties. Be there and be square!
Also check out other Kids events & activities in Urbandale.
