What’s happening in my garden this week

Hi, my name is Anne and here is what is happening in my Queen Anne veggie garden (a ripped strip) this week.

I recently planted vegetable seeds for late fall, winter and spring harvest. I’ve found it’s actually easier to grow vegetables in the fall than in the spring, since after mid-September, no watering is necessary. As a bonus, many of the fall/winter vegetables I grow are ornamental, so they add life to the garden at a time of year when most plants are in decline.

You can still start some vegetables from seeds in late July or early August. Territorial Seed has a handy chart about when to sow. I also use Seattle Tilth’s Maritime Northwest Garden Guide, which has slightly different dates. Or instead of seeds, you can buy transplants in August or September — just make sure you save some space in your garden for them now.

Here are some plants I’m growing that could be started now:

Kale: This year I’m growing Lacinato kale, which is a beautiful blue-green plant with narrow leaves. In the supermarket, this is often called Dinosaur, Tuscan or Black kale. I’m also trying a new variety from Territorial Seed, called Red Chidori, which it describes as a frilly, dark red kale with “extra deep red central foliage”. Except when we’ve had sudden cold snaps in December, kale survives the winter without any special protection. It’s sweeter after a frost.

Swiss Chard: The varieties with colored stems are the most attractive, although Fordhook Giant (a variety with white stems and large leaves) is the most tolerant of wet, cold weather. Bright Lights, often called rainbow Swiss chard at the store, produces plants with pink, red, orange, yellow or white stems. If you prefer certain colors, you can plant more thickly and thin out the unwanted colors. There are also single-colored varieties such as Orange Fantasia, Pink Lipstick, Rhubarb and Golden Swiss. Swiss chard will sometimes die back in December or January, but some plants will revive and grow new leaves when the light levels and temperatures increase.

Kohlrabi: This plant is like a turnip, except the edible portion is above ground and the flavor is sweeter. It can be eaten raw or cooked. I grow Kolribi, which is a purple variety. Looking like a mass of purple spaceships with leaves, it’s always a topic of conversation in the garden. Most sources recommend harvesting kohlrabi by Christmas, but I often leave some of mine in the ground through early winter.

What’s going on in your garden this week? Drop us a line!