A Fall Veggie Garden, Planted with Ease and Love
I will start off by being very honest. Planting the fall veggie garden does not come easy for me! This year was no exception. Actually, due to a record-breaking summer harvest, along with a busy summer season of yoga/fitness, it was challenging to get excited about the fall garden! Furthermore, most fall plants need to be planted, depending on your first frost date, in the heat of late summer. It goes without saying, late summer tends to bring an abundance of sun, heat, bugs, and overall fatigue while working in the garden. For these reasons, I almost threw in the towel! However, I did prevail!
I did, unfortunately, miss my window for the cabbages, collards, roots, and other veggies which require a longer growing season. Nonetheless, I got myself in gear and decided to plant a humble but respectable fall garden. Specifically, I chose varieties which come to harvest rather quickly and can be grown in a smaller space. For these reasons, it seemed only fitting to write a blog article about how a small and simple garden can sometimes be just enough to bring forth joy and nourishment!
Quick Growing Fall Veggie Garden Varieties
Due to my procrastination, I needed to plant vegetable varieties with a short growing season. With that being said, I find that most people enjoy planting varieties which offer a harvest sooner rather than later. After all, we live in an instant gratification society of sorts.
Living in Western North Carolina, my estimated frost date is approximately mid October. Therefore, I needed to plant varieties with a 4-6 week growing time. Another thing to mention, don’t worry about the frost killing your plants. Fall vegetable varieties are frost hardy, which means they will be fine with a light frost. As an added bonus, cooler temps usually give homegrown vegetables a sweeter taste!
EXTRA TIP!! It is rather easy to find out your estimated first frost date with a selection of websites that offer these dates based on your zip code. Check out this Link for one of my favorite sites.
Quick Growing Varieties:
- Lettuces (Spring mix)
- Radishes
- Bok Choy
- Arugula
- Spinach
- Swiss Chard
- Kale
- Mustard Green
Growing a Simple Fall Veggie Garden
Sowing Seeds
Sowing seeds is usually best for fall varieties. Seed packets are much more affordable than started plants and can be used for several seasons. With less initial upfront investment, a fall garden is ideal for the beginner gardener. Follow the directions on the seed packet for details on how to sow your seeds. However, one thing to note, vegetable seeds can be incredibly small and challenging to sow due to their tiny size. Nonetheless, plants can be thinned out easily after germination. No need to worry about dropping too many seeds in your garden space, they can be managed later.
Logistics
Fall veggie gardens are often grown in the ground but also work well in a container garden. Lettuces, radishes, arugula, and spinach have a shallow root system, which makes them ideal for containers. For example, I sowed my seeds for my fall garden in one of my 7X3 raised beds. One bed will be more than enough for our family. Baby salad greens and spinaches are easily grown in containers such as a large rectangular planter box. Spice things up by planting a radish seed in each corner of the box and you’ve got yourself a salad bar! Don’t forget the sunshine! Sow those babies in an area with as much sunlight as possible for the best results!
Benefits
Without a doubt, less pest pressure makes growing a fall garden a joy! Additionally, many fall veggies are harvested as needed, which is much more manageable than having a huge harvest all at one time. I find this hands off approach to be very relaxing and enjoyable. Learn more about the emotional benefits of a garden in my article Here.
Interested in learning more about creating the veggie garden of your dreams? Check out Leah Webb’s book, The Seven Step Homestead Here! She is local to my area in WNC.
“He Who Plants a Garden Plants HAPPINESS!” Chinese Proverb-
Final Thoughts
This year’s fall garden consists of swiss chard, baby kale, bok choy, and spinach in one raised garden bed. The garden is neatly designed to make the most of my small space. I sowed the larger plants to the rear of the bed with the smaller varieties up front. This approach works well to maximize the hours of sunlight, which are limited at this time of year.
My humble approach this season is a far cry from previous autumn gardens. For instance, in seasons past, there were multitudes of beds filled with lettuces, greens, cabbages, and root vegetables. However, this is the garden that I needed this year. Sometimes we just have to honor our life as it is at the moment and at this moment I wanted a modest approach to growing food. My fall vegetable patch, in all its simplicity, will support me physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
As always, thank you for reading! See you in the next post!
