Is your summer garden winding down? August is often when many bush bean plants – which only produce for about 3 weeks- start slowing down. Same with determinate tomatoes. And by late August or early September many summer squash and cucumber plants are slowing down as they succumb to the heat or disease. So, if you are ripping out areas of your summer garden, try planting a fall salad garden now.
Why a Salad Garden in Fall?
First of all, salad greens are fast growing, so planting at this time of year still allows plenty of time for the lettuces to mature. The seeds germinate well in the warmth of late summer and the small seedlings thrive in the cooler fall temperatures. This weather pattern is actually better for your leafy greens than a spring planting. In fact, many salad greens can even withstand a light frost.
And fresh-picked salad through the fall is the best and most tasty salad!!! Hyperbole? Quite possibly. But probably not. It always tastes the best to me.
What to Plant
Below is a list of some of the salad greens and accompanying salad vegetables to consider planting. I’ve also included average number of days until harvestability in the second column to help plan your garden and planting times, depending upon your local climate.
Many of these selections are cold-tolerant too, so they can survive — and thrive in your garden even if an early cold snap hits. In fact a light frost triggers lettuces to produce extra sugar when the cold happens. That makes them extra tasty when you harvest them in the cooler weather. So don’t let the fear of an early but random cold snap prevent you from starting your salad garden now.
| Salad Green | Average Days to harvest (from seed) | Cold Tolerance |
|---|---|---|
| Romaine, Mesclun, Arugula (rocket) & other leafy greens | 30 | Cold tolerant |
| Endive & Bok Choi | 30 – 40 | Cold tolerant |
| Butter Lettuce | 45 | Cold tolerant |
| Kale – Some kales take longer, so you may want to plant two varieties – one to harvest quickly with your rocket (like a siberian kale), and another to last you into the frost (like a lacinto kale) | 40-70 | Frost tolerant |
| Radishes | 20-30 | Frost Tolerant |
| Spinach | 30-40 | Frost Tolerant |
| Cilantro | 30-40 | Frost tolerant |
| Green onions | 20-30 | Frost Tolerant |
| Other Herbs | 20-30 | Variable |
And for those of you in the southerly states, you don’t have to stop there! Brassicas, root veggies and more all thrive throughout moderate winters (Zone 8 and above). You can plant them alongside your salad garden or wait a few weeks until the weather cools a bit more. Checkout the full list of Best Winter Vegetables to Grow.
Not sure of your gardening zone? You can check it out with your zip code here. Even if you think you know your zone, you may want to double check, since they changed not too long ago.
Direct Seeding or Transplants?
When planting a fall salad garden, you can either direct sow your seeds or use starts from the nursery. Starting with seeds is a perfect option for fall lettuce gardens because usually you can plant while the weather is still warm and dry, increasing your germination rate. While lettuce seeds only need the temps outside to be a minimum of about 40 degrees Fahrenheit, you’ll get the best germination rates when the daytimes are 65 – 70 and nighttime temps a bit cooler. Plus, with seeds you can plant a lot of lettuce for not a lot of money.
I like to allow my spring lettuce to go to seed in place. After I’ve harvested the lettuce, I let it go to seed right in the garden. In my hot garden, it is usually done by late June. By August the plant is dried and the seeds mature. I take these seeds directly from my spring lettuce plants and sow them into my fall salad garden.
The benefit of transplants (or starts) is that you gain about two weeks. If you are starting late or if you live in colder areas (such as at altitude), this means you will be able to harvest salads even sooner.
When and How to Plant Your Fall Salad Garden
Lettuce is relatively cold tolerant. Particularly, lettuce which has been seeded in place (and therefore acclimatized) will withstand short periods of freezing temperatures. In much of coastal California, Nevada and the other 10 or so southern states, lettuces can be enjoyed throughout the winter. In colder areas, you’ll want to plant the seeds about 80 days prior to the first expected hard freeze.
Sowing the seeds of lettuces and leafy greens is easy. Most often, gardeners try to direct sow lettuce seeds when it is still moderately hot and dry for the best germination rates.
Lettuces tolerate a wide variety of soils. However you will have a faster growing and vigorous crop by amending the soil with a little fertilizer. You can do this simply by raking into the soil some compost, rabbit manure, or organic nitrogen based fertilizer such as bone meal. You’ll want to get it into the soil to a depth of about 1-2 inches.
Lettuce seeds need light to germinate, so don’t plant them deeper than about 1/8 of an inch. Even better, just lightly tap them into the top of the soil. You can choose to plant in rows or you can put the seeds scattered about for a mat of greens.
Once the seeds are set into the soil, water them in lightly but generously. Generally, lettuces have high water requirements, at least until they are established. Make sure you water them every day, or twice a day if the temperatures soar.
Your lettuces can be harvested gently when the plant is still young. Take the leaves from the outside of the plant to ensure continuous harvest through the cooler months.
Enjoy your scrummy-yummy fall harvest!!! Let me know in the comments below if you are planting a fall salad garden.
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