No More Gaps: What to plant NOW For Fall Harvest Bounty

Want to keep your garden producing fresh veggies long into the fall? As you harvest your spring planting, succession planting for fall harvests lets you enjoy continuous harvests through freeze-up. And some crops just prefer cooler temps. So when the summer heats up-- like it is now, these crops tend to wane. But cooler temps will be returning shortly!

Leafy greens and root veggies are perfect for fall planting cuz they grow quickly and can be replanted over and over. It's a win-win-– more produce and smart garden use!

The other reason to fall plant is to allow spring planted root crops, like beets and carrots, to keep growing and sizing up for optimal winter storage. Replanting these crops now will allow you to harvest young, tender roots for fresh eating this fall, leaving your spring plantings in tact for that storage harvest just before freeze-up!

Here are some crops you can sow NOW to ensure a bountiful fall!
Lettuce:
Lettuce grows super fast, making it a great choice for succession planting. I just planted a new batch of Romulus and Waldmann lettuce for fall harvest. Starting them indoors is a good idea-- cuz lettuce seed has an internal thermal protector, meaning they don't like to germinate if it's too hot. 90 degrees just won't do! I planted indoors last Sunday and the lettuce was up in just a couple of days! Then I got the trays outside and they're growing fast! Here's what they look like just 6 DAYS from planting. Inspire you? PLANT NOW!

Romulus and Waldmann lettuce seedlings 6 days after planting!

Beets:
Sweet Dakota Bliss beets are another veggie that works well for fall planting-- especially if you like to pickled beets-- like me! Plant them about two months before your first fall frost.

The other option is to plant beets, not for the roots, but for a quick crop of beet greens! You can cut, wash, bag and throw these greens right in the freezer to add to smoothies or for a yummy side dish of steamed greens in the dead of winter.

Harvesting beet greens for the freezer!

Carrots:
Carrots love a good succession plant too-- and Nash's Best lives up to its name! Just remember to keep them moist as they germinate when it's hot like this! Harvest baby carrots for fresh eating well past your first killing frost by covering the carrots with hay when temps dip well below freezing this fall! Let the ground do some of the storage work for you! Keep harvesting until the ground starts to freeze! We've harvested carrots well past Thanksgiving here! 

Cilantro:
Fresh cilantro anytime? Yes, please! Plant Slow Bolt cilantro now for that cool season growth! Did you know cilantro is much less prone to bolting in the fall-- cuz heat is what triggers it to flower. In the cool of the fall, you'll get an extended harvest season! AND cilantro is pretty cold tolerant-- so it'll produce 'til a hard killing frost.

Spinach:
Spinach is all about cool weather, so plant it in spring and fall. Start planting it at the first signs of cooler weather-- in late summer for a fall harvest. Chose from Abundant Bloomsdale, Nobel, and America spinach. This is another cold tolerant crop-- you’ll have fresh spinach leaves long into the late fall season!