Autumn Vegetables
By Dale Norrington, Master Gardener
Autumn's
approach may be ripening pumpkins, hints of fall color, harvesting the rewards
of summer labor in the vegetable garden, and home orchard maintenance. Autumn can also be planting time, adding
fresh-picked produce to Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners and on into spring.
Successful vegetable gardening is intimately related to climate, weather, and
season. Vegetables are commonly
categorized as of warm season or cool season type. Warm season vegetables generally grow well
and produce optimally when soil is warm, days are long, and temperatures
average between 65 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
Autumn planting favors cool season vegetables which sometimes tolerate
mild frosts and prefer a temperature range of between 55 and 75 degrees
Fahrenheit.
Matching each vegetable's environmental preferences with specific
characteristics of individual garden zones can facilitate successful fall and
winter harvests. A bit of homework can
determine each vegetable's type, general preferences and tolerances to weather
and soil characteristics, and average number of days from seed germination to
harvest. Dates when frosts and freezes
typically first occur in various regions are readily available. Coastal gardens, for example, may not often
experience a 'hard' frost as early in the year as may inland gardens. Micro-climates often vary through the garden;
garden areas which face south, for example, may tend to remain warmer and
drier, and receive more hours of direct sunlight, than those which face north.
Leafy greens including varieties of loose, cos, butter, and crisp head
lettuces, spinach, kale, and turnips are cool season vegetables which grow from
seed or transplant to harvest in a relatively short period of time. Turnips, for example, may be harvested in 60
days or less and produce both edible leafy greens and potato-like roots. Versatile and colorful kale may be used
ornamentally in landscape design, as a culinary garnish, salad green, and
cooked vegetable. Outer leaves of kale
and other leafy greens (and various plant parts of many herbs) can be harvested
as plants grow. Mild frosts may sweeten
the flavor of kale. Radishes are
notoriously easy to grow and may often be harvested in less than a month. Peas, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and
green onions are all cool season vegetables with significant likelihood of
success in most gardens planted in autumn in
So add to the late summer garden schedule a bit of time to gather information,
plan the garden accordingly, and continue to enjoy fresh, home-grown vegetables
during autumn, winter, and early spring.