As the summer burns on, gardeners are preparing for the fall harvest. Many cool season vegetables may be planted again as a fall crop. The goal is to make sure your plants survive the high heat and wind.
Here are a few vegetables for fall gardening with dates recommended by the Kansas City Community Gardens. Dates can vary depending on the weather conditions that season.
Cabbage
- Plant time: July 20 - August 5
- Cabbage is a good spring and fall plant. Bobby Wright works with the community partner garden program with Kansas City Community Gardens. Wright said he really likes planting cabbage in the fall. “If you can get it to get to a nice-sized head, it will last really deep into the wintertime.” The cool weather acts as a refrigerator for the cabbage.
Kale
- Plant time: July 25 - August 20
- Wright said once you have 5-10 good-sized leaves on your kale plant, you can begin to harvest, typically in mid-September. When harvesting, the leaves closest to the base of the plant should be picked first because new leaves produce from the top. Depending on the warmth and moisture, kale can be produced in the fall.
Broccoli
- Plant time: July 25 - August 8
- If you can get the plant to survive the heat of August, you can produce a nice broccoli head. In the summer, the head of broccoli may go to seed if the temperature is warm enough. The good thing about a fall broccoli is that the plant is allowed to grow larger.
Other plants include:
- Beets
- Lettuce
- Turnips
- Onions
- Spinach
More information about planting, seed, and gardening is on kccg.org along with a schedule of classes and events.
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