As the leaves start to turn and the acorns start to drop, the summer garden is ready to be put to bed. This is a time for mulching and cover-cropping, but it’s also a great time to grow a fall/winter garden. In reality, fall garden planning starts in the summer, but our homestead wedding took most of our energy and attention during that period of time. Still, we will not be going without fresh garden produce entirely. We can thank kale for this. The wonderful, green, nutritious, and delicious superstar of the fall and winter garden.
sweet potatoes and chia are some of the last crops of the summer garden
We planted a whole bunch about 2 weekends ago, in the empty garden spots vacated by our potatoes, and it has germinated and is off to the races. Our mild weather is helping it to establish itself before it truly gets cold, but even then, kale loves a frost, which just makes the leaves sweeter.
saving kale seeds was easy, and our germination was great!
We have 3 varieties in the ground, Vates (heat /cold resistant and tasty too), Lacinato (Italian heirloom from Tuscany also known as Dinosaur Kale), and our Siberian Kale seeds that we saved from last year. This should keep us well stocked with kale, and give us plenty of chances to make our famous kale soup with Neese’s sausage and homegrown potatoes!
October 23, 2014 at 9:23 am
Is it too late to do plant this coming weekend? What seeds can still be planted? Thanks you guys.
October 23, 2014 at 10:45 pm
Hey Marianne! It may be a little on the late side, but seeds are cheap so I say go for it! If anything, you can cover the seeds/seedlings up with sheets on really cold or frosty nights until they get established.
You could also go to a nursery and buy plants that are already started and more mature (i’d still cover these if it got really cold). Any of the brassicas are a good start, kale in particular but you could try cabbage and broccoli too. Good luck! And let us know how it turns out!