Three Plants to Start Now for the Fall Garden

If your area is like mine and temperatures decrease as you head into the autumn months, then right now is the time to get those fall weather crops going. There are many choices, but here are three that are my personal favorite.

Spinach
If you are a fan of growing your own spinach, then you probably grew spinach in the early spring. Have no fear. Spinach is a great fall crop as well. Actually, most leafy green veggies do great in the fall, but I love spinach and wanted to highlight it here.

Not only does spinach tolerate the cold, but it grows rather quickly and is shade tolerant which helps as the days get shorter. Use a cold frame and you can even get spinach to grow in the winter months as well.

Germinate your seeds now since the temperatures are a bit warmer. Spinach requires light watering, and since spinach is a prolific veggie, you can just plant a few to suffice.

Swiss Chard
Swiss Chard is another great choice. This versatile plant does well in a variety of temperatures including the cold. With so many Swiss Chard varieties to choose from, you can either plant for their leafy greens or turn your fall garden into a rainbow of spectacular color that is edible.

They require a bit more water than spinach, but still not too much to make watering a burden. You can plant your swiss chard as close as eight inches and get excellent results or further apart which makes it easier to harvest not only the leaves but down to the stalks as well.

Radish
I love growing radish. The more the merrier. They are easy to grow from seed and within as little as 4 to 5 weeks, you can harvest them and add to a salad or your favorite dish. Radish grows that quick. There are a myriad of choices when it comes to radish from mild to the super hot.

While you can plant your radish seeds as little as two inches apart, I would recommend four inches. I found that two inches was just a bit too close for my liking and four was perfect.

If you really want to save on space, plant rows of radish in between your rows of lettuce or spinach. You will be able to save on space and not hinder the quality or productivity of either plant.

Other veggies that you should consider are all lettuce varieties, carrots, parsnips and onions to name a few. Regardless of which ones you go with, start now. You won’t regret it.