Harvest Tasty Fall Vegetables

Fall is a great time to harvest vegetables from your own garden. It’s the last chance before the ground freezes and they are all gone until next spring. Apples and tomatoes are also harvested this time of year, so it’s a great opportunity to make some of your favourite fall recipes. Here, we will take a look at some of the most popular fall vegetables that can be harvested up until the first frost.

The best fall vegetables for harvesting? Well, there’s no such thing as a definitive list. It depends on your location, your climate and your personal preferences. Note the overlap of suggestions between the video and list we provide. It’s all about planting ideas which might work for you.

Consider planting your fall vegetables with companion plants which companion plants which bloom in the fall.

Video on Harvesting Fall Vegetables

Collards 

Collards are a great fall crop, and are cold-hardy enough to survive low and high temperatures. Plant your collards six to eight weeks before the first frost in order to have sweeter leaves during the fall and winter harvest.

Kale 

Kale is the most nutrient-dense plant there is! It’s also a great way to get your daily dose of vitamin K, which is essential for strong bones. As part of the Brassica family, kale has the perfect requirements for cool weather. Plant about 6-8 weeks before the first frost and you’ll be harvesting well into the fall!

Lettuce

With different varieties, you can mix and match the lettuce in your garden. Count six weeks before the first frost to start planting. You can sow every two weeks up to the first frost for an extended crop. You can continue after the frost by using a hardier variety, such as romaines or butterheads.

Mustard Greens

Mustard greens have seeds that are easy to plant straight into your garden. They germinate well and grow quickly. Count back three weeks before the first frost to start planting. If you want a more successive harvest, plant every three weeks starting mid-summer. They do not grow well in summer, so starting them now is perfect for your fall flavors.

Beets

What a great time to harvest this fall vegetable favourite! Beets love cold weather. In the southern states, they can be grown all winter long. In the northern climates, make sure the soil is cooler (around 41F). Thinning your rows allows your beets to spread out and grow fuller. You can use the greens you thinned for a good salad mixing.

Turnips

Planting turnips in the fall makes the plant tenderer and sweeter than the spring. Sow your seeds in the late summer, early fall months to get a fall harvest. Start your turnips with seeds as they do not transplant well.

Romanesco Broccoli

If you’re going for the “wow” factor in your veggie garden, then Romanesco broccoli is the plant for you. Its intense, bright green fractals of broccoli are stunning. It is similar to cauliflower in terms of care. For best results, be sure to keep the soil moist and plant in a spot with full sun. Keep romanesco broccoli fed with Espoma’s Garden-tone. You can eat this stunning broccoli in a number of ways: raw in a salad, steamed, or grilled. Hardy in Zones 3-10.

Kaleidoscope Carrots

Jewel-toned colors like yellow, purple and red make for a fun pop of color for this classic favorite veggie. Choose rainbow carrots to add a variety of color to salads, sides and stir-fries. Plant seeds in late summer for a harvest that can be enjoyed on autumn days and even for Thanksgiving dinner. Straight roots need light, loose soil so sow carrot seeds in deep, well-worked soil in full sun. Grow in any region.

Black Radishes

Radishes are quick and easy to grow. Heirloom varieties of black radishes take about two to three times long to grow than regular radishes and tend to be spicier. Their crisp black skin and snow white flesh will make them an intriguing addition to any veggie platter. If radishes are too pungent, remove the skin before eating. Black radishes do need plenty of sun, so choose a spot where they can get 6-8 hours of direct sunlight. Feed with Espoma’s liquid Grow! for bigger plants. Grow in any region.

Tree Onions (Egyptian Onions)

These onions set their bulbs at the top of the plants. They taste similar to shallots, but with a more intense flavor. Stalks fall over when they get too heavy, allowing the bulbs to “walk” and plant themselves in a new space. One walking onion can travel as far as 24 inches and create six new onions. Plant bulbs in late summer (before the first frost) to harvest next year. Hardy in Zones 3-10.

Blue Potatoes

The vivid bluish-purple hues of Adirondack potatoes make them a stunner for any dish — especially mashed potatoes. They taste like regular potatoes and get their unique coloring from anthocyanin. There are many varieties including some with a marbled blue and white interior. Plant potatoes in fall to get a head start on a spring harvest. Grow in any region.

Conclusion

That’s today round up of tasty vegetables to harvest in the fall. There are so many fall vegetables to choose from! It’s hard to say which ones are the best. Some people might like potatoes, while others might prefer peppers. The list we provide is a mix of suggestions that might work for you.