fall vegetable gardening – Extension Master Gardener Volunteers of Durham County

By Kathryn Hamilton, NC State Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteer of Durham County

Various leafy green vegetables tied and some bagged on a table.

This mid-November harvest included collards, Swiss chard, radishes, Lacinato kale, mustard greens, and a few bags of parsley. (Image credit: Kathryn Hamilton)

Among the beneficiaries of Briggs Avenue Community Garden is the Durham Tech Harvest Food Bank. Each Tuesday we harvest food grown expressly for them in our “pantry” beds and deliver to the school. With a goal of maximizing our harvest, we continuously experiment with new vegetable varieties. High priority are hardy “cut and come again” veggies we can harvest over a longer period. Here are some “favorite fall and winter greens” that have worked for us along with some personal favorites and a few recommendations from Durham County Extension Master Gardener volunteers.

Swiss Chard

Two types leafy greens growing in a raised garden bed. They are partially covered by a light white frost cloth for cold protection.

Swiss chard, planted in early September, is ready to harvest eight weeks later. Broccoli is growing to the left. (Image credit: Kathryn Hamilton)

Under a row cover, Swiss chard overwinters beautifully. For the last several years, colorful and cold-tolerant “Celebration,” has been a winner for us. In October we’ll harvest colorful, youngish leaves until the heavy frosts set in then tuck it under a row cover for some “cold storage.” Come February it will begin springing back to life. This year we picked leaves until mid-July.

For her own garden, Durham Extension Master Gardener volunteer Caryl Cid favors the even more colorful “Bright Lights.” Though not as cold hardy, it is more bolt resistant adding to a longer spring harvest. To round things out even further, this year we will add “Ford Hook,” a heavy-yielding, cold hardy green Swiss chard, likely the one found in your grocery store.

Pak Choi

Small, but dense and heavy, the “Green Gem” Pak Choi are delicious broiled with some garlic and olive oil. (Image credit: Kathryn Hamilton)

For small or single servings, we find “Green Jewel” minis hard to beat. Plump, solid plants are only four inches tall, about five inches in diameter, and heavy for their size. They are very erect, easy to protect against insects, and ready in about 45 days giving us an early-season harvest. We can usually harvest two crops before the Persephone period sets in mid-November, then start again in early spring.

Collards

Greenish/blue leafy greens with broad leaves growing as a large loose head growing in mulched garden soil.

“Georgia Southern, Creole” is a favorite of volunteer John Murray, who prefers to hold harvest until after the first frost or two when the collards “sweeten up.” (Image credit: John Murray)

Thanks to a recommendation from pantry-team member and Durham Extension Master Gardener volunteer Eric Wiebe, our go-to collard is “Champion.” Like any brassica they need to be protected from slugs, aphids (especially as young plants), and cabbage worms. Except in the worst multi-night freezes, they can remain uncovered all winter, getting even sweeter. We begin our leaf-by-leaf harvest in September and can often harvest through March.

When I asked Durham Extension Master Gardener volunteers to share their favorite fall/winter veggies two other collard varieties emerged.

John Murray favors “Georgia Southern, Creole,” which he purchases in bulk from Stone Brothers & Byrde. Around August 20, he direct sows three seeds about 2.5 feet apart then thins to one plant once the seeds germinate in about 10 days. He harvests after the first couple of frosts.

Gene Carlone is partial to ”Vates” and “Morris Heading” varieties for “their taste, smaller leaves, and cold hardiness.”

Kale

The long, narrow, dark curly leaves of “Lacinato” (also known as Tuscan or dinosaur kale) are most familiar to many gardeners, if only because it’s the variety also sold in grocery stores. The baby leaves of this hardy plant, that has a maturity of 60 – 65 days, can be harvested within 30 days. It has been a staple at Briggs for its cold hardiness (it has survived snow without a row cover) along with resistance to early bolting. This year to balance the picture we are adding “Dwarf Siberian” kale. This kale produces a low, compact, spreading rosette. It is considered hardier than Lacinato in the extreme cold, but will also bolt and turn bitter faster in warmer weather. It has a slightly faster maturity and is regarded as one of the quicker kales to “bulk up.”

Lettuce

Over the years, two of the most reliable lettuces for the pantry have been “Paris Island Cos” and “Little Gem.” We alternate these plants in the same row to minimize space and extend the harvest. This past year, we harvested 94 pounds of lettuce between March and May. Both lettuces stand upright helping to minimize insect predation and “bounce up” soil from watering. When harvesting, we have found lettuce knives to be invaluable in helping make a clean cut that keeps the outermost leaves in tact.

The larger plants are “Paris Island Cos,” the smaller “Little Gem.” They will mature at slightly different times. The shredded paper is an attempt to make it more difficult for roly-polys to take up residence in the lettuce. (Image credit: Kathryn Hamilton)

This year we are adding “Winter Density,” (AKA Winter Gem). It checks many of our boxes: sits high on the stem, is both heat and bolt tolerant and can be grown “year round” with winter protection. Other winter lettuces Extension Master Gardener volunteers have grown successfully over winter include: “Marvel of Four Seasons,” “Gustav,” “Red Sail,” and “Cegolaine.”

More Fall/Winter Greens We Love

Some veggies just aren’t practical for us to grow for a food bank. For some it takes too many leaves to make a meal; sometimes they just grow up full of dirt and are hard to clean and too tender to preserve. Others are just “one and done.” Among my personal favorites (and always in my fall / winter garden) are broccoli, spinach, and arugula.

Broccoli

Broccoli can be tricky to start from seed. It wants to germinate warm, but grow fast and cool. RGB grow lights are the way to go if you are starting from seeds. But for most gardeners the best alternative is to find the healthiest starts at retail in late August / early September, with Labor Day as the target planting date. This will allow them to mature prior to and during the Persephone period. Two varieties stand out: ”Lieutenant” (60 days) and “Green Magic” (57 days). “Lieutenant’s” advantage is that it is bred for the stress of Durham’s heat and humidity and has good resistance to downy mildew. I have grown both, and both are delicious.

Small plants that are leafy greens tightly packed growing in a tray used for starting seeds.

Broccoli, under full-spectrum LED grow lights, four weeks after seeding. Sizeable, healthy plants should be ready for transplanting in the first or second week of September. (Image credit: Kathryn Hamilton)

This year, to extend the harvest, I am adding “Iron Man.” This variety is slightly more cold resistant and has a longer maturity window, extending our harvest into January or February. My spring broccoli crop will be planted around Valentine’s Day.

Spinach

I have tried several varieties of spinach including: “Monstreux de Viroflay” and “Abundant Bloomsdale.” Through research and my own personal experience, “Longstanding Bloomsdale” is the way to go. I love the flavor and the deeply savoyed leaves that add texture to almost everything. And the adjective “longstanding” is very apt.

Four large planters with broad leafy greens growing in them.

Started in August, this spinach will carry me through to March or April when it’s time to seed pollinator flowers in these pots. (Image credit: Kathryn Hamilton)

Spinach is a frustrating vegetable to get started. Research and personal experience are all over the board: warm soil; cool soil; soak the seeds; refrigerate the seeds; germinate in tissues. I’ve tried them all with varying degrees of success. My preferred method, to start them in a hurricane, happened accidentally. One August I seeded the pots on my patio just as a hurricane passed through. With the heat and a LOT of rain I had a bounty. So, for the last several years, that’s how I’ve been doing it.

Arugula

Annual “Rocket” arugula in August and in December–note Santa’s appearance. (Image credit: Kathryn Hamilton)

This peppery vegetable grows on my patio all year. While it is more prone to bolt in the summer, the leaves can be continuously picked, and it grows so easily it is a cinch to seed continuously. I literally toss some seeds on top of the pot and water them in. When it does bolt you can let it go to seed and have even more of your favorite variety.

There are two types of arugula. Standard salad arugula (Eruca sativa) and wild /perennial arugula (Diplotaxis tenuifolia). With their broad, lobed leaves in a fairly open rosette structure, “Rocket” and “Astro” are the more common salad varieties. Wild rocket or “Sylvetta” has deeply serrated narrow leaves which are often smaller and more numerous.

Fall Planting Planning and Cultivation

Almost all of our fall/winter decisions are dictated by the Persephone period, which in Durham lasts between November 25 and January 17.

During this time, when there are fewer than 10 hours of daylight, veggies take a nap and grow slowly if at all. Our goal is to time our planting so that we can harvest some veggies before that, others during the dormant period, and still others in early spring when they get a new burst of energy. To insure they get a good start on the Persephone period, by having healthy, strong plants, we usually start our fall veggies in seed trays in Mid-July through late August, depending on the variety and its maturation date, and transplant in early September. For more tender vegetables in particular, it also means extra watering and vigilance against aphids, slugs, and cabbage worms.

It’s not too late to start many of these leafy veggies, especially if you are not racing against the Persephone period and are happy to harvest later in the winter or early spring. Many actually prefer to be direct sown. But if growing your own from seeds is not in the cards this year, be sure to visit the Briggs Avenue Community Garden Festival and Plant Sale on September 12.

Resources and Additional Information

Mustard: It’s Not Just for Hot Dogs

Growing and Preparing Collards

Edited by Astrid Cook-Dail, NC State Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteer of Durham County

Article Short Link: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-7Ve

By Melinda Heigel, NC State Extension Master Gardener^SMvolunteer of Durham County

(Left) The big, bold leaves of ‘Red Giant‘ mustard take center stage in this large container providing texture, height, volume, and intense color. This mustard was fast growing, survived cold temperatures with minimal protection. It was also slow to bolt when the weather got warm in the spring. (Middle and right) The ‘Miz America’ mizuna-mustard hybrid was equally stunning in a built-in planter box and potted alongside pansies, violas, and a lemon cypress, (Hesperocyparis macrocarpa ‘Goldcrest’ ). While these head turners are edible, I planted them for their color and form. (Image credit: Melinda Heigel)¹

Wait? I thought this was a blog about gardening, not cooking! Well, the mustard I am referring to isn’t the zippy condiment we all know but is the plant I discovered is a star in fall containers. I’ve written in the past about the herb bloody dock, also known as sorrel, and what a bullet-proof companion it is for pansies, violas, snapdragons, ornamental kale, cabbage, and other autumn-to-spring plants. Last year I tried adding mustard to my potted arrangements and was thrilled with the results.

A Question of Hardiness

Along with broccoli, collards, and kale, mustard is a cole crop that performs best in consistently cool temperatures when grown in the vegetable garden. But over the last couple of years I’ve started seeing different mustard plants at the local nurseries more and more alongside the annual cold-weather ornamentals. The mustard plants offered some really interesting leafy forms for planting in pots. I was dubious, though, about their hardiness over the winter, unprotected in containers, but what is gardening without experimentation? With the exception of a couple nights with temps in the teens in the dead of winter, I did not cover any mustard plants. To my surprise, they performed just as well as their cool-weather container companions.

(Left to right) Mustard plants already making a debut at the local nursery this month alongside fall’s usual suspects. In late spring of 2024, my ‘Miz America’ mustard plants produced bright yellow flowers when they bolted. The plants really earned their keep–providing interesting leaves for months followed by these showy late-spring blooms. And did I mention spring pollinators were drawn to their nectar and pollen? (Image credit: Melinda Heigel)

If the spring weather warmed up too quickly, as it is known to do in central NC, I also wondered whether these cool-temp lovers would bolt (flower) and fade too quickly given their prominent placements. Most of the containers were in the hottest place around our house–on a dark-colored deck that receives full sun. Happily, the mustard tolerated a good number of hot days in late April and early May before bolting. Even after flowering, they were still going strong when I removed them to make way for summer plants. While I may have just the right conditions in my landscape for these results, I can’t chalk this success up to anything remarkable. Mustard plants are easy to grow. And I’ve come to find out, one of the types I planted is actually bred to be bolt resistant, ensuring longevity.

Mustard Varieties for Annual Container Gardening

Red Giant Mustard (Brassica juncea ‘Red Giant’)

I found this to be a striking specimen. In my big container, it quickly grew to be over 3 feet tall, with gracefully arching leaves that reminded me of a classical acanthus—yes, you really can wax poetic about mustard. If grown in optimum conditions, this plant has been reported to grow as large as 4 feet. Though I have not experienced this, don’t underestimate its vigor. When planning your mixed pot, give it plenty of room. ‘Big Giant’ mustard leaves start off green but mature into a deep maroon with contrasting green stems, midribs, and leaf veins. This plant is specifically bred to be both cold-and-bolt tolerant. Frost intensifies the color. It grows best in full sun with well-drained soil. It paired nicely with the flowering cushion spurge ‘Ascot Rainbow’ (Euphorbia x martinii ‘Ascot Rainbow’) as a backdrop.

In terms of its characteristics as an edible, this mustard has a bold taste like wasabi or horseradish and can be pickled, eaten cooked (mature leaves), and eaten raw (young leaves). Hot weather sharpens the flavor, especially in the older leaves of the plant.

Image credit: Melinda Heigel

Miz America Hybrid (Brassica juncea ‘Miz America’)

At once striking and delicate, the deeply lobed and serrated leaves of this mustard are a showy deep burgundy with vibrant hot-pink midribs and venation. Like ‘Red Giant,’ it is a fast grower and prefers full sun. It serves as an excellent filler in containers, given its upright and compact habit.

From a culinary perspective, ‘Miz America’ has a mild peppery flavor. It’s a hybrid plant that comes from crossing two distinct mustard varieties. One of the parents, mizuna, is a mild green mustard, which gives ‘Miz America’ its beautiful serrated edges and mild flavor. You can enjoy the leaves of all mustards in a salad by picking them young—under 6 inches. If picked at a more mature size, they can be added to a dish to impart a hint of sweetness with a mustard tang. Consider adding them to a bowl of hot, creamy soup such as butternut squash or tomato. Not only does it give you additional nutritional value without adding additional calories, but it adds a nice crunch and a bit of zing.

I’ve yet to replant my containers and built-in planter box this fall, but you’d better bet that mustard plants will be making a repeat performance in 2024. I’ve already seen ‘Red Giant’ in the nurseries, but I am also on the hunt for some other intriguing mustards to test out—namely ‘Brazen Brass’ and ‘Dragon Tongue.’ If you want something unusual, showy, and even tasty in your fall plantings, remember to go heavy on the mustard.

Notes

1–Want a closer look at a photo? Simply double click on the image for a better view.

2–According to Missouri Botanical Garden, Brassica juncea, known by its common names Chinese mustard or brown mustard, is listed as a noxious weed in some states including Michigan, Florida, and Alaska and considered invasive. Cultivars discussed here are bred to be used as annual edibles or ornamentals in gardens.