Hardy Fall Heroes
By Kymisha Montgomery, CGC Urban Agriculture Coordinator
Congratulations, gardeners! We have successfully survived the July humidity that turned our gardens into jungles and the August rain, then drought that threatened to bake our soil into Rookwood Pottery tiles. But don’t pack away your trowels just yet! The weather is finally cooling down, which means it’s time for the real magic: the fall vegetable garden.
Fall gardening in the Tri-State is an exercise in extreme optimism. We plant seeds in September, whispering sweet nothings to the soil, fully aware that a rogue October frost could mock our efforts or a random 85-degree day might cause our lettuce to bolt.
But if you play your cards right, you can harvest some incredible crops before winter officially hits. Here is your quick autumn roster:
Leafy Greens: Spinach, chard, collards, and kale thrive in the cooler weather. In fact, a light frost actually makes kale taste sweeter.
Brassicas: Crops like broccoli and bok choi do beautifully in fall temperatures.
Root Vegetables: Carrots, turnips, beets, and radishes love the crisp Cincinnati autumn. Just make sure to dig them up before the ground freezes!
Garlic: Plant your cloves in October. They’ll sleep through the winter, pop up next spring, and be ready to harvest around mid-June.
And here’s how to go about transitioning your garden from summer splendor to autumn goodness:
First, orchestrate the Great Summer Eviction Program. Rid your garden of those crispy cucumber vines and any peppers currently going through a mid-life crisis. Toss them in the compost—unless they are diseased or experienced a pest infestation, in which case, exile them to the trash bin.
Next, give your soil a little spa day. Mix in a healthy dose of fresh compost to apologize for how hard the summer crops worked it.
Finally, welcome the new tenants! It’s a great time to start saving seeds for some of your companion plants, like marigolds, and begin planting hardy heroes that actually thrive in our crisp October air, like the cool-weather crops listed above. In fact, a touch of Cincinnati frost makes our beloved brassicas taste sweeter, transforming them into a true autumn miracle.
So, pour yourself some something cool and refreshing, then go get your hands dirty! You’ll be glad you did.
We’re teaching a free class about season extension on Saturday, September 26 at the South Cumminsville Community Garden! Learn more and register here.