Gardeners, don't take off your gloves yet!
Even in Vermont, there are crops that can be planted before Sept. 30, said Dr. Eric Bishop von Wettberg, an associate professor of plant and soil sciences at the University of Vermont.
"Don't be afraid of failure," said Von Wetberg.
Von Wettberg divides the types of crops currently grown in Vermont into two categories: winter crops harvested in the fall and early spring. Both categories can produce perfectly edible and beautiful crops.
Crops to Plant Now and Harvest in the FallThe best crops to plant now are leafy greens that are harvested in the fall. Cabbage is particularly cold-hardy, but other leafy greens like Swiss chard, mustard greens, spinach and arugula also work, von Wetberg said. They won't be big this year, Professor, but they can still produce nice little leaves, especially if you plant them right away.
"If you plan to harvest in the fall, the earlier you do it, the bigger it will be," von Wettberg said. "A day in September has the same light as the last week in October, when the days get shorter and the sun is lower in the sky.
To give your crops a few more weeks to grow, you can try covering them with a cold frame. Cold frames are "miniature greenhouses" that block sunlight and heat crops, according to the Cornell Cooperative Extension website.
Other vegetables that are planted in early fall and harvested in late fall are legumes such as turnips, rutabagas, and parsley. According to Von Wettberg, your best choice to plant right now is probably daikon radish. Daikon radish is often used as a topping, but "the leaves are edible and a little bit of the tuber is always better than none," von Wettberg said.
Crops are sown in late September and harvested in early spring.It's not much, but some hardy crops can survive a Vermont winter to produce an early spring crop.
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According to an article by University of Vermont Extension professor Vern Grubinger, one of Vermont's cold hardy crops is rye.
"Sorghum is the most winter hardy of all grains, surviving temperatures as low as -30 degrees Fahrenheit," Grubinger writes.
Ray is actually edible, but is often used as a coating, von Wettberg said.
Are you carving a pumpkin this year? What to do with pumpkin seeds after carving a pumpkin?
"Austrian winter peas can be a good solution for winterized crops," said the professor. Because the soil retains heat, you can plant more in the ground than in spring.
“We planted [Austrian winter pea] before September 30 in the UVM orchard in South Burlington, and it survived very well,” Von Wettberg said. "It can survive here and is absolutely edible as the first bud or pod that develops in late April or early May."
Contact April Fisher at amfisher@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @AMFisherMedia
This article originally appeared on the Burlington Free Press. Fall gardening in Vermont. You can grow up late this season
