Your Fall Garden - What to Plant?

What Are The Benefits of a Fall Garden?
Most experienced local gardeners will tell you their favorite gardening season is in the fall. It's so nice to be outside in the cool weather after being locked inside all summer, and pests will be minimal as they are preparing to over winter.


Where Should I Get My Seeds?
Your seeds can come from a number of sources: nursery, on line retailers, seed catalogues, even the grocery store check out line. My favorite place is Plant World Nursery. They have three times the selection as Star and will have many unique varieties that are typically only found in a catalog or on line. The people there are way more experienced and knowledgeable than other retailers and they have a mindset more in line with an organic gardener than any other place.

How Long Will It Take To Harvest My Vegetables?
The days from seedling to harvest for each vegetable is shown in brackets ( ). For example you can expect to begin harvesting carrots in 60 days and radishes in 20. Always plant radishes, they are the sprinters of the garden. They are fast and rewarding to grow. Herbs are ready to pick when you think your ready to use them. They are weed like and will give you more growth after cutting. Greens like lettuce are similar and will respond well to the cut / grow / cut cycle.

What Are The Best Varieties?

Ask 5 gardeners get 6 answers. The store might have 4 varieties of spinach, the seed catalog might have 10 and no one will agree which is the best to grow here? My advise is plant what you like to eat, and don't be afraid to experiment. Staple all your empty seed packages together, record the year you planted them and save them. Try a different variety of something next year if you feel like you didn't have as much success as you had hoped. Seed producers are constantly developing new varieties and hybridizing existing varieties. If your goal is to have a salad garden, then plant all the varieties you can get your hands on and see how it goes. Keep a page of note paper somewhere to record what your impressions are with different ones. My suggestion is don't get too hung up over varieties and experiment.

GREENS
Lettuce (45)
Spinach (35)
Swiss Chard (60)
Mustard (50)

ROOTS
Beets (50)
Carrots (60)
Radishes (20!)
Turnips (30)
Parsnips (90)
Chives (50)
COLES
Cabbage (60)
Broccoli (60)
Cauliflower (60)

Brussell sprout (60)
Kohlrabi (60)
Collard (60)
Kale (50)
Rutabaga (90)

BULBS
Onions (100)
Garlic (100)
Shallots (90)
POD / STEM
Peas (60)
Beans (70)
HERBS
Mint
Parsley
Basil
Cilantro
Rosemary
Thyme
Parsley