The Fall Garden - Cold Hardy Vegetables

Welcome back.  In my last post which covered the garden cleanup process, I mentioned that I had some cold hardy vegetables remaining even though in general the growing season is over.  So with proper planning you can continue growing some vegetables in October and even into early November.

Shown above is Swiss Chard.  This is extremely hardy second only to kale.  Just occasional trimming is all that it needs nd it will last throughout October.  I have already had temperatures down to 25 degrees and it remains in great condition.  Swiss Chard is very healthy as it is loaded with anti-oxidants.

Next is kale, which is also extremely hardy and is amazingly resistant to cold.  I have curly and regular kale this year and look forward to using it this Fall.  Kale makes a great addition to soups, stir fry, salads and more.

Shown above is lettuce, which is somewhat cold hardy but not to the level of kale or Swiss Chard.  I planted my last batch of lettuce in late August and it is doing quite well.  I have some Iceberg and several types of Romaine.  The plants probably would benefit from a plastic cover or cold frame glass panel to increase warmth;  they would grow faster.  I may try that.  Stay tuned.

Another cold hardy veggie is the leek, shown here next to another bed of lettuce.  I grow these every year, starting them from seed in March.  They grow slowly so they continue to grow into October.  They actually get sweeter with frost, so they are one vegetable that actually gets better as the cold weather sets in.  Leeks are also good in stir fry and soups.

Finally, the carrots are doing well as they also tolerate the cold.  This year I grew Kaleidoscope Blend from Burpee seeds, a multi-color variety.  I am looking forward to using these soon.

Thanks for reading as always.  In my next post I will talk about planting flower bulbs, a new topic for me.  In future posts, I will transition into bird watching as that season is fast approaching.  Project FeederWatch begins on November 14th.