Garden Fall and Winter Veggies
BY JOHN B OW M A N N.C. Cooperative Extension Service Master Gardener Volunteer
20 | SAND& PINE MAGAZINE August/September 2021
As a lifelong gardener, one of the more pleasant surprises of my move to this area from “up north” was learning that I would be able to have an outdoor vegetable garden year-round. Our climate supports three growing seasons and, with a few exceptions, most of what was planted this past spring and early summer is now gone. Although we may be still experiencing harsh summer heat, much of the summer gardening season has come to an end, and it is now time to start planning our fall and winter garden. If you are planning to plant fall vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbages, kohlrabi, arugula, lettuce, spinach, kale, collards, mustard greens and Swiss chard, seeds will need to be planted in late summer. You may get a head start by buying many of these
vegetables as plants at area nurseries and garden centers; however, root vegetables like turnips, beets, radishes, onions, parsnips and kohlrabi are best planted by seed. Early in the fall, cabbage “worms” (caterpillars) can often be found eating many of the brassicas or cruciferous vegetables. Our first frost date occurs here by the end of October. Most of the plants that have been listed above can easily survive these early frosts, while some of these plants, like kale, collards, onions and garlic, will survive the winter cold into spring.
