Fall Growing
recipes: By this time of year, many people are thinking about putting their gardens to bed. But fall is one of the most rewarding times for growing. Insect pests are on the way out, but hardy greens and cabbage family plants will hold on long after the first frost. They are easy to care for and fast growing in the waning days of late summer and autumn, and some will even carry through to next spring.
Fall cropping requires some planning. You have to start clearing your garden beds of spent crops and weeds to make room for fall planting. We followed our garlic with fall greens this year, and the plants enjoyed the leftover fertility from the garlic beds. Some cool weather seeds won't want to sprout in hot weather, and should be started in trays for transplanting when the weather moderates. This way you can also get more growing time for your summer crops before replacing them.
Another consideration is that by the time you harvest your cool-weather crops it's usually too late to plant a protective cover crop. You can protect these beds from leaching and erosion with a mulch of straw or leaves.
Most fall crops will benefit from a floating row cover such as Reemay. It is useful in protecting cabbage family plants like kale, radishes and Chinese greens from cabbage moths and flea beetles. It also improves growing conditions around the plants and holds in moisture. Later on it will keep out a few degrees of frost. Cold frames also work well.
Spinach is a great fall crop. In our climate you can grow it though the summer, but most varieties are bolty and temperamental in hot weather. Successive crops sown through the month of August will start to produce in mid- to late September. The seeds and seedlings need to be kept well watered in dry weather. "Long Standing Bloomsdale" is a good fall variety and is doing the best of the three varieties in my garden right now.
Carrots are another good choice for fall growing. Frost only makes them sweeter, and they can be mulched heavily late in the year and picked all winter. They are slow to sprout and mature, so allow enough time for them to grow before very cold weather. You can speed things up a little by soaking seeds for a day or two. I like "Nantes" for fall planting. Carrot soil should be deep but not particularly rich, so don't fertilize immediately before planting.
Most varieties of lettuce do well in the fall. I rarely direct seed lettuce unless I want it for cutting, but I do grow lots of transplants. These should be started every few weeks beginning in early spring. Lettuce needs moist soil to grow well, and likes to grow under a floating row cover. The only thing I've found that bothers it (except for my ducks) is a hairy orange caterpillar that is easy to spot and dispose of.
Radishes grow fast and well in cool weather. I grow "China Rose" radishes, which are brightly colored and will get huge without losing tenderness and mild flavor. These take about fifty days to mature. "French Breakfast" is another kind I like, a quick maturing variety that is good in salads. Radishes are very easy to grow, they just need moisture to germinate well and grow quickly. Most will get woody if left too long.
A single planting of chard in the spring or summer will last all season, and the plants are hardy enough to survive the winter in an unheated greenhouse. It is often the last plant left standing in the garden after a few frosts.
Kale is a real star of the fall and winter garden. Some varieties like "Winterbor" are so hardy that they will remain standing through most of a Maine winter. The frozen leaves can be picked and used in soups and other hardy dishes.
Other greens for fall growing include the Chinese brassicas: bok choi, mizuna, tatsoi, and many others. These are all variants of the cabbage family and can either be harvested young as salad greens or allowed to mature for stir-fries. The all grow fast and are usually ready in a month or less. Again, flea beetles and cabbage moths are the worst enemies of these. I only grow these under cover: either in a cool greenhouse or under floating row cover.
Some longer season plants that come into their own in the fall are celery, leeks, Brussels sprouts and parsnips. All of these can survive a lot of frost and will provide good eating long after the tomatoes, beans, and corn of summer are just a memory.
This is a simple yet elegant dish which shows the versatile brassica at its best, crisp, chewy and smoking hot.
- 1 bunch kale
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan or smoked Mozzarella cheese olive oil (1 Tbs or so)
Preheat oven to 350. Coarsely chop kale. Lightly grease baking pan. Put kale in pan & top with cheese. Sprinkle with olive oil. Bake 15-20 minutes, until cheese melts and kale is crisp. Serve immediately.
The Belfast Farmers' Market will be open on Fridays and Saturdays through the end of October. Then look for us indoors on Saturdays, 10-1 inside the Belfast Agway on Rt. 1 through December 23.