Fall Planting: the Brassica Family
September and October are the ideal months to plant vegetables for fall harvest. Start them early enough, and they'll grow late into the fall. These fall plants are hardy, nutritious, delicious and easy to grow.
Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kohlrabi, cauliflower and kale are all essentially derived from a single parent - the wild mustard. They are exceedingly nutritious, and store high levels of vitamin C in their leaves. They also contain the amino acid glutamine, which is a known anti-inflammatory.
Late summer is the ideal time to plant Brassicas (which is why they are referred to as a long season crop). Of all the Brassicas, Brussels sprouts are the most dependent on late summer planting to be successful.
Brassicas need time during warm weather to grow large and leafy before the onset of late fall frosts. The larger the plants become, the greater the size of heads and edible flowering stalks. It is the onset of cool weather that initiates the “heading up”. Plants started in the spring will tend to be smaller, bolt (flower too early), or have small, loose flower heads. As a side note: The biggest cabbages in the Americas are grown in Alaska. The cabbages have the benefit of 21 hours of sunshine in the summer. The record is 105 pounds. (Though the world record is held by Welsh growers at 135 pounds!)
Prepare planting beds with Sloat Loam Builder, 50/50 with the native soil. Apply Agricultural Lime according to directions. Brassicas are lime lovers and do best with a neutral pH of 7. Brassicas are heavy feeders and since the goal is to get them as large as possible, use EB Stone Sure Start at planting time and then feed every 4 weeks with EB Stone Vegetable Food or Maxsea 16-16-16. It doesn’t hurt to give them a watering of fish emulsion now and then either. Water regularly and do not let the soil become overly dry. Have fun!
Fall vegetable plants are available at all Sloat Garden Centers
in a variety of shapes, colors, textures, flavors and sizes!
The pleasure of eating fruits, herbs and vegetables harvested yourself is so sublime that sometimes mere words cannot do this experience justice. These are the fruits of your gardening labors and you should plan for them. Go ahead and dream of backyard strawberries, tomatoes in containers or herbs sprinkled onto the evening salad because now is the perfect time to get ready for edible gardening.
Need help growing your own? Stop by any Sloat Garden Center location with questions. We can help!
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