There are many delicious greens perfect for the fall garden, and it is easier to grow them than many gardeners realize. There are even ways to extend the autumn growing season to grow your favorite fall greens for extra weeks, giving you healthy, delicious produce to enjoy long after traditional harvests have ended.

Top Greens to Grow in Fall

A wide variety of greens are hardy in fall and can easily be grown in the garden as well as in containers or window boxes. Depending on your tastes and which greens you would use, try these top favorites.

• Lettuce – Different varieties of lettuce, particularly leaf and butterhead types, grow well in fall. Plant lettuce 4-8 weeks before the first frost, in loose soil. For a prolonged harvest, stagger plantings every few days for different maturity dates.
• Kale – A great option for beginning gardeners, kale grows well in loose soil and will taste even sweeter after its leaves have been touched by light fall frost. Plant kale 6-8 weeks before the first frost to allow it to reach its full potential.
• Collards – A popular southern green through fall and winter, collards should be planted 6-8 weeks before the first frost. These greens have a hefty appetite and do best in rich soil. Like kale, the flavor of collards is improved after a touch of frost.
• Mustard Greens – A fast growing option, mustard greens should be planted 3-6 weeks before the first frost. Staggering plantings will increase the harvest yield and ensure an ongoing supply of these peppery-tasting leaves.
• Spinach – Healthy and hearty, spinach will grow best in loose soil and should be planted 4-8 weeks before frost is anticipated. Harvesting the outer leaves will encourage better growth and provide an ongoing supply of deliciousness for salads, soups, and stews.
• Swiss Chard – This colorful green is best started indoors so it can begin to establish solidly before being transplanted outdoors. Start seeds 9-10 weeks before the first frost and transplant seedlings after a few weeks.
• Cabbage – Rich and vigorous, cabbage should be started indoors 6-12 weeks before the first frost. The seedlings should then be transplanted outdoors when they are 3-4 weeks old, and they will rapidly take to the new space and produce a bumper crop.

Of course, if starting greens from seed is not your thing, we carry plenty of starter plants in market packs and flats for your convenience, half the work is already accomplished!

Proper Care for Fall Greens

Regardless of which greens you want to add to your fall garden, they all respond well to similar treatment and care. Before planting, clean out spent summer plants, including unpicked produce, weeds, and other debris, just as you would prep the garden area in the spring. You can position fall greens anywhere in the garden, but they will grow best in rich soil, which you can amend with compost or similar organic material for soil improvement. A light application of balanced fertilizer can help keep the plants well-fed as they grow.

Leafy greens will thrive in full or part-sun locations, though they can benefit from some light shade on hot afternoons in late summer. Planting fall greens in sturdy containers on movable carts or plant stands with casters can give you the option to move the plants around as sunlight levels change through the season. If possible, consider planting at the top of slopes or in raised beds, since cooler air will sink into lower landscaping spots as autumn advances. Taking advantage of the microclimates in your own garden space can dramatically impact your fall gardening efforts.

Keep fall greens well-watered, particularly in late summer or on hotter days that can quickly wilt even the hardiest greens. Adequate spacing of plants will promote good air circulation to minimize the potential for disease.

As the plants grow, you can quickly begin harvesting “baby” leaves even before the plants reach full maturity. Use sharp sheers or tear the leaves off by hand. Thinning out smaller leaves is another way to improve air circulation and keep the plant healthy for a more productive harvest.

Autumn is the exact season when different wildlife guests may be visiting the garden more frequently in search of easy foods. Planting garlic, sage, onions, thyme, lavender, or marigolds around and among your fall leafy greens can deter rabbits and deer protecting your late-season harvest.

Extending the Fall Growing Season

You can get even more from your favorite fall greens when you take steps to extend the growing season later into autumn. This is easily done with row covers, cold frames, or cloches, all of which will help sequester heat to keep the soil warm for more vigorous plant growth. As an added bonus, row covers can also help keep many pests, such as beetles and caterpillars as well as deer and rabbits, from ravaging your fall greens.

Summer isn’t the only season for salad, and if you follow these simple steps you can enjoy a delicious, nutritious harvest long past the warm days of summer. Extending your growing season further into fall by covering your greens is also easily accomplished. Stop by to shop our extensive selection of seed and starter plants. Our knowledgeable staff is waiting to serve you.

The end of the summer doesn’t mean the end of deliciousness from your garden, not when a fall herb garden can add tantalizing tastes to all your meals. As the season changes, give your herbs a little tender loving care to ensure that they thrive through fall and into winter.

Caring for Perennial Herbs

Perennial herbs that are already established in the garden can easily be winterized, including mint, oregano, thyme, chives, rosemary and sage. So long as the herbs are healthy and thriving as summer wanes, they can be prepared for winter.

First, stop fertilizing herbs in August so they do not continue to produce delicate new growth. Continue to water them adequately, however, as drought stress will make the plants less able to tolerate winter. As their growth slows, trim each plant carefully, using sharp, clean shears for crisp cuts that will minimize strain on the plant. Prune herbs to 4-6 inches in height. It is a good idea to add a layer of mulch to insulate plant roots in colder climates.

Planting Herbs in Autumn

Cool-weather herbs, annual or perennial, can easily be planted in autumn and will be ready to flavor many savory dishes. A container herb garden is an ideal choice for fall herbs since it can be easily moved and protected for the best care. Choose a container with suitable size and depth to nurture the desired herbs, and ensure it has adequate drainage holes to promote good drainage.

Planting several herbs in the same pot will save space and keep them all close by for easy use. You may also consider using smaller pots that can be grouped together in an attractive arrangement. Pots can be positioned right near the kitchen or patio door for easy access, or in a sunny window box.

Protecting Herbs in Winter

Annual herbs or newly planted perennial ones can be at risk if a hard freeze or unexpected storm arrives. Staying alert to weather forecasts and keeping a keen eye on the barometer will help you protect your herb garden as the season deepens. If the temperature is dropping, it is best to shelter your herbs with sturdy covers, cold frames, or cloches. Moving pots or containers temporarily into an insulated garage and near an interior wall that will be warmer can also protect them from cold snaps.

If container herb gardens can safely remain outdoors in the late fall, the pots should be elevated so their drainage holes do not become clogged. Pot feet or plant stands are great options and will help keep the soil from becoming too damp after repeated rains or snows.

Trimming plants into dome shapes is another way to protect the fall herb garden from the onslaught of winter weather. A more compact shape will shed rain and snow more effectively, providing better protection for the plant’s structure and minimizing damage. A dome shape will also be easier to cover if necessary.

Dishes for a Delicious Fall

Fresh herbs add subtle flavors to salads and can be used to season roasts and meats. Infusing soups, sauces, and gravies is another way to create layers of flavor in autumn foods, and herbs can even add unique notes to hot teas, fruit compotes and jellies, or spiced cider. The better you protect your fall herbs, the more you will be able to enjoy them throughout the season and well into winter.

Extend the beauty of your garden with vivid autumn-blooming perennials. When you think of fall-blooming plants, don’t stop at mums – there are many perennials that can add color to your yard at this time of year.

Top Autumn Bloomers

While there are different autumn-blooming perennials for different growing zones and climate conditions, some of the most popular and widespread options include…

• Fall Daisies
  For fall daisies (besides daisy mums!) grow Boltonia or Nippon Daisy. Boltonia is a tall (3-4′) grower, suitable as a background plant. White or pink daisies are borne in profusion atop fine grey-green foliage. The Nippon Daisy (Chrysanthemum nipponicum) is covered with large crisp white daisies in October. Both love lots of sun and make excellent cut flowers.
• Autumn Sedums
  Bold-foliaged sedums provide texture as well as color in a sunny place. Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ is the most well known. It has coppery-pink flower heads. Sedums ‘Brilliant’ and ‘Stardust’, with soft pink and white flowers respectively, are also attractive. For a totally different color combination plant sedum ‘Vera Jameson’. It has gray-purple foliage with rose pink blooms and looks stunning when planted with Blue Fescue, Artemesia Silver Mound and other silver-foliaged plants. As an added bonus, all the sedums are attractive to butterflies.
• Autumn Asters
  Asters are another fall bloomer that butterflies love. These perennials like sun and moist, well-drained soil. There are many colorful aster varieties in shades of pink, purple, blue and white. Some favorites include tall-growing aster ‘Alma Potschke’ with bright pink flowers, blue-flowered aster ‘Professor Kippenburg’ and low-growing aster ‘Purple Dome’ with its deep purple blooms.
• Autumn Goldenrod
  Sunny yellow goldenrod (Solidago) is another bright addition to the fall garden. Wrongly blamed as the cause of fall allergy problems, goldenrod has rightly taken its place in the fall garden. It looks particularly effective combined with blue flowering plumbago, purple asters and ornamental grasses.

Fall Bloomers for Shade Gardens

Even shade gardeners can enjoy late blooming perennials. Tall growing Japanese Anemones are a stately addition to the perennial garden. Bloom colors range from pure white to various shades of pink, and flowers can be single, semi-double or double blooms. Anemones grow well in light to moderate shade and spread quickly to form large clumps, filling in space vacated by spent summer plants. Turtlehead (Chelone) is another fast spreader for shade. Rose pink flowers cover the tops of the plant from early September to October. For a deeply shaded location, try Toad Lily (Tricyrtis), which has clusters of beautiful cream flowers, spotted with maroon along its upright stems. For light shade, plant Blue Cardinal Flower (Lobelia siphilitica), whose intense blue spikes can be admired from mid-August until frost.

No matter what type of garden you have, the end of summer does not need to mean the end of colorful blooms. Instead, just opt for amazing fall bloomers and enjoy brilliant color even longer!

Ideal for fall gardens, pansies offer a colorful display for almost six months – in the fall when they are planted, in the winter during a stretch of sunny days and again in spring! Winter pansies may be planted anytime starting in mid-September and continuing through October. Multiple plantings spaced a week or two apart can also ensure even more blooms to enjoy throughout otherwise drab months.

Planting Pansies

As with any plant, pansies perform better if the soil that you place them in is well prepared. Choose a planting location that is well-drained and work in 4-6 inches of rich organic matter, such as garden compost, peat moss or Bumper Crop. Plant pansies at about the same level, or slightly higher, than they were growing in their market packs or containers, taking care not to plant too deep or the plants may wilt and rot and the roots could smother. After planting, mulch and water the bed thoroughly. Remember to check the plants often during the first three weeks after planting or until new growth begins, to ensure adequate moisture necessary for healthy growth. Because these plants require very little care, no other maintenance is usually necessary for them to reach their full potential.

Where to Plant Pansies

These versatile blooms can be used in many different parts of your garden or landscape. Add a graceful drift of single-colored pansies or a mass of mixed colors to brighten a border, under a tree or along a fence, pathway, deck or wall. Try tucking single plants in garden beds around perennials and shrubs that have finished blooming to brighten up an otherwise dreary section of the landscape and to help mask older, spent growth. Pansies also do well in containers placed on a deck or patio or next to the entrance of your home to greet your guests with welcoming color. Try pansies in a hanging basket and you can even move them indoors to enjoy when the weather is too poor for outdoor gardening. A small container of fall pansies can also be a great gift for winter holidays, birthdays or just to brighten the day of anyone who could use a touch of color in their life.

With so much color to enjoy in so many ways, fall and winter pansies should be a staple of any garden and will bring great gardening joy to the landscape even during colder, dreary months.