After a previous year of not planting too much due to a home remodel, I was heart set on getting seeds in the ground for this, my favorite planting season. It’s a process, but one I’m enjoying immensely. In warmer climates or in cold frames in colder ones, you can enjoy some of the best vegetables of the year starting now, and watching them grow from seed to harvest is one of the most rewarding experiences I know. Here’s what I have planted so far in my fall garden:
Raised bed #1
Sugar Snap Peas (they share a space with a still-growing butternut squash from summer)
Raised bed #2
6 varieties of heirloom Lettuces (Forellenschlus, Rouge d’hiver, 4 Seasons, Reine des glaces, Black Seeded Simpson, Red Oak)
Arugula
Mustard Greens
Cilantro
Leeks
Green Onions
Spinach
Raised bed #3
Purple Sweet Peas
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Kohl Rabi
Brussel Sprouts
Cabbage
Still to come
Garlic (waiting to catch a gopher first)
Carrots (I’m experimenting with 3 kinds this year)
Parsnips
and Beets
I don’t even like beets, but I grow them because they are so easy and it’s fun to give them away to friends.
What are you growing this season? Share it with us here.
Okay, I’m converted! I just whipped up a batch of your recipe for chard, garlic, soy sauce and sesame oil. That’s a keeper. I’ll be planting chard next fall for sure. Thanks again for sharing, Carrie.
I’m tempted to try your recipes. All right, I’ll put chard on the grocery list for the next time I am at the farmer’s market. If I like it, I’ll add it to my list of things to plant next fall. Keep posting those ideas, everyone, and feel free to share your other favorite recipes for your garden’s bounty.
We do! We love to see the different colored stalks of the Bright Lights variety and these greens – unless you use them in a soup – really shouldn’t be cooked so they are so wilted they are unappetizing.
I love using chard steam/stir fried quickly with garlic, tiny bit of evoo, dash of soy sauce or tamari and just a whif of sesame oil. The result should be bright green and just barely wilted – yum! We also use it in place of cabbage for rolls stuffed with rice, pine nuts, etc. It’s not as tricky as cabbage because it’s a softer leaf so you don’t have to cook it as long before rolling. We make a soup made of chard, kale, cilantro, onions and mushrooms (I also use Chipolte chili and lots of lemon juice) whizzed up with a stick blender. It packs a double punch of being full of vitamins and lots of fiber. It’s good with a little Cotija or Feta cheese crumbled on top and you can serve it hot or cold. Hot it is great and cold very refreshing. Maybe this will change your mind about greens.
That’s so great! Thanks for sharing. Hopefully some day soon I’ll have the space and lighting to start seeds indoors. I look forward to that time. In the meanwhile, I will appreciate your savvy seed starting and encourage others to do the same.
Is anyone growing chard out there this season? I just read an article on it which touted the wonders of its versitility – basically saying that you can use chard as a replacement for all other greens like kale, collard greens, spinach, etc. Having an aversion to wilted greens, I’ve never taken the plunge to plant greens that require cooking. Weigh in folks: How do you like to use chard in your garden and kitchen?
We started our favorite cabbages in 6 packs several weeks ago – Savoy Ace, Red Acre and Sombrero. We also started lettuces – Green Ice, Freckles, Four Seasons, Australian Yellow and Buttercrunch and some Escarole. Black Kale, Bright Lights Chard, Curly Kale, Watermelon radishes, Munich Bier radishes (large white & spicy to slice, salt and eat with dark beer), Carillon Beets, parsnips and 3 kinds of carrots went into the garden plot last Sunday. Today we put leek, broccoli and curly endive (Frisse) seeds into 6 packs. Still to be planted – Egyptian Fava Beans and Sweet Peas. We are looking forward to eating well this winter.