Now that Fall is in full swing around the nation, many of us are thinking about things like.." How cold will our winter be?", and "Will some of my outdoor plant survive?" or even "Why even bother to garden at this time of year when I know that "old man winter" is going to be breezing through in a few weeks from now?" and then..there are some of us that are harvesting items like pears and apples and pumpkins.
It is a marvelous time of the year, a time when friends and family gather together around bonfires and sip warm apple cider and enjoy slices of caramel apples,and the air is nice and crisp, and in some places the weather seems just absolutely perfect... and so much more.
There are things like carnivals and arts and crafts shows to attend...but what about the garden?
Just because it is Fall, it does not mean that we cannot grow and enjoy certain items in our garden areas.
Here is a list of a few things that can still be easily grown before winter's snap blows through:
Radishes: radishes only take 28 days from seed to harvest, and their young green leaves can be incorporated into salads as well.
Beets: beets and beet greens generally only take about two months to reach a decent size.
.Bear in mind that while these plants listed can take several months to reach full maturity the leaves on these plants can be harvested while they are rather young as a "micro green" and added to salads at any time.
Broccoli: most of them take less than two months to form a head of broccoli.
Turnip Greens, Collard Greens, and Mustard Greens: again these items can easily be used in "micro green" growing for salads as well as taking less than two months to reach a desirable harvest size.
Lettuce: I like to plant a mixture of all types of lettuces close together and create what I call a "cut and come again" bed of lettuce greens. It is so fun to harvest young leaves of lettuce for winter salads and to also share the bounty with neighbors that might not garden. Try varieties like Red deer tongue, oak leaf, and more.
Sugar peas/snow peas: one of my absolute favorites! They don't take long from seed to harvest, and oh my goodness there is nothing quite like a "from the garden" sugar pea/snow pea. I've been known to eat them like candy right out of the garden.Great in salads or lightly steamed.
~Enjoy this time of year! And enjoy your garden!
