At the end of August or beginning of September the beds in the vegetable garden become empty. Zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, onions and carrots have already been harvested and preserved. Only the late varieties of white cabbage are waiting in the corner for their harvest time in October and pot-bellied pumpkins greedily catch the sun's rays with their orange sides. The vegetable garden is bare and empty, but it's too early to take off the gardening gloves and hang in the garden shed. Inexperienced hobby gardeners often don't know that you can fill the garden with colorful, tasty and healthy greenery in early autumn. So what can you sow in the vegetable garden in September? In autumn the ground is still warm, so theSeeds germinate quickly. The list, we have to admit, is not short at all and will make fans of various leafy salads rub their hands happily.
The recommendations in this article are suitable for temperate to warm climates. If there is an early frost, you should not sow plants that have a long maturation period, such as cabbage or peas.
1. Plant lettuces in September
Cut salads are not only tasty and contain lots of vitamins and minerals, they are also wonderfully decorative. They make the autumn garden shine in fresh green again.
In general, lettuces can be sown at short intervals throughout the summer. Here are a few important things about growing lettuce in the fall:
- Salads easily tolerate low temperatures, grow easily at +5 degrees and can also withstand frosts down to -5 degrees.
- Green leafy lettuces with a short growing season that like cool temperatures and do not require long daylight hours are suitable for sowing in September. These include, for example, the Rosela lettuce, the Lollo Bionda variety and the Batavia lettuces 'Teide' and 'Leny'.
- Fast-growing lettuces also quickly remove nutrients from the soil, so it is advisable to treat the bed with nitrogen-potassium fertilizer before planting.
The species of the genus Lactuca are the most commonly grown. Well-known types of lettuce in this group include romaine lettuce and iceberg lettuce. These popular types of lettuce like cool temperatures and reach their best flavor at a temperature of 10 to 17 degrees. If grown in hot weather, they require a lot of water and will quickly taste bitter. So August and September are the bestTime to grow lettuce.
Leaf lettuce can be eaten 35-40 days after sowing, lettuce needs a little longer - up to 60-80 days. If the lettuce does not grow in time before frost, it will ripen well under foil.
2. Pak Choi
Chinese mustard cabbage (Brassica chinensis), also known as Chinese leafy cabbage, should not be confused with ordinary Chinese cabbage! It does not form a solid, cylindrical head, but rather a rosette of dark green leaves on long, fleshy stems. ThePak Choiis more cold-resistant than Peking cabbage and grows well at temperatures of 14 to 18 degrees. However, above 25 °C it begins to wilt. This makes this vegetable plant an ideal candidate for sowing in August and September. Depending on the variety, Pak Choi takes between 40 and 60 days to grow.
3. Rocket
A plant with a mustard-nutty-spicy taste of the leavesis also very healthy. Ricola (Eruca sativa) tolerates low temperatures well, grows optimally at 14 to 18 ° C and is not afraid of frost down to -5 or -7 ° C.
The rocket seeds are planted 1.5 cm deep in the soil, about 15 cm apart. Then it usually takes 5 to 15 days for germination. The leaves can be harvested just 25-30 days after sowing.
A short daylight period is optimal for arugula. But if it is in constant shade, it loses its unique taste. The rocket lettuce must be watered well otherwise it will become bitter.
4. Spinach
The optimal growing temperature for spinach is 15 – 19 degrees. While the healthy vegetables need extra shade in summer, the weather is just right in autumn. Spinach likes plenty of watering.
Everyone has heard about the health benefits of spinach. Researchers have even recently found that consumption ofSpinach promotes intestinal healthcan. Depending on the variety, these healthy leafy vegetables are ready to harvest in 30-50 days after sowing. From October you have to cover the spinach with fleece.
5. Garden cress
Garden cress (Lepidium sativum) is particularly tasty in August and September and grows very quickly. Many like its taste with notes of mustard and horseradish and like to use it raw in a salad and as a garnish on buttered sandwiches.
Like its other salad relatives, cress prefers cool temperatures and is therefore best grown in spring and autumn. The optimal temperature for germination is 7°C to 15°C. You can sow the aromatic spice in rows or in clumps in the garden bed. The cress seeds are only lightly covered with soil and watered twice a week.
Garden cress grows extremely quickly: 12-17 days from sowing to harvest. If the plants are around 8 – 10 cm high, they can be harvested as desired.
Many cress lovers know that you can grow cress sprouts on the windowsill without any soil and with little effort. To sow the seeds, all you need is a bowl and moistened kitchen paper or some cotton wool. The seeds are spread on top in a thin layer and moistened with a spray bottle twice a day.
6. Leaf mustard
Mustard leaf (Brassica juncea) is also an easy-to-grow fall and winter salad that loves cooler temperatures. The seeds can even sprout at -3 °C to 2 °C. The plant does not like acidic soil, so it is recommended to grow it in neutral or slightly alkaline soil. The planting distance is 8-10 cm, the row spacing is 25-30 cm, the planting depth is 1-2 cm. Under favorable conditions, the lettuce leaves can be harvested for consumption 20-30 days after sowing the seeds.
7. Peas
This suggestion is more suitable for southern regions where the climate is uniform in September and October without a dramatic drop in temperature.
Sugar peas can be harvested just 30-40 days after sowing. Peas tolerate low temperatures well, they even germinate at 2 °C. The seedlings can survive down to -5 °C. The optimal temperature for pea plants is 18°C.
If you expect sudden cold snaps, it is best to cover the peas with foil overnight. If you live in a region where there are slightly heavier early frosts, peas planted in September may not form pods at all. However, they are still useful as soil fertilizer and can be chopped and spread in beds. The same can be done with the pods and foliage after harvest.
8. Radishes
This early-ripening, juicy root vegetable can be enjoyed all season long. It hits the shelves in spring and doesn't leave them until late fall.
The seeds can germinate at 5°C, but it takes a very long time. If the temperature rises to 15 °C, the plant will germinate after a week; at 23 °C it can germinate after just 4 days. The optimal temperature for growth is 20°C.
Make holes about 3 cm deep in the soil about 20 cm apart and place your seeds in them. If the soil is dry, you should water it. Once you have sown the seeds densely, you should then thin the seedlings, leaving a space of about 5cm between seedlings.
Radishes can be harvested just 15-20 days after planting. The low temperatures in September are only good for them - they taste much better in the fall, not as watery as in the spring and not as spicy as in the hot summer.
Well-suited varieties for autumn cultivation are 'Wiener Rote Treib', 'Marieke', 'Eiszapfen', 'Rundes Gelbes', 'Weißes Rundes', 'Parat', 'Sora', 'Raxe' and 'Rudi'.
9. Autumn turnip / turnip
Turnips (Brassica rapa subsp. rapa) are other fast-growing vegetable plants that you can find in...Plant outdoors in Septembercan. Beets can be grown quickly and easily from seeds and are ready to harvest just six to ten weeks after sowing. They like cool, moisture-retaining soil in an open, sunny location.
They can also be sown outdoors in large containers to harvest when they are small as baby vegetables.
Sow the seeds thinly in shallow grooves, about 1cm deep. The distance between rows is 23-30 cm for early varieties and 30 cm for autumn beets. Water regularly, especially in dry weather, otherwise the roots will become small and woody. In mid-October you can harvest them as small vegetables the size of a golf ball. Perfect for the Christmas table.
10. Spicy herbs
In September, you can also create an aromatic bed with fast-growing herbs such as dill, cilantro, basil, parsley, scallions and other cold-hardy herbs. Harvesting occurs approximately 20-40 days after sowing.
To help herbs sprout faster, there are a few secrets:
- Before sowing, rub the seeds together in the palms of your hands so that they get micro-scratches. This is called seed scarification in English. These small scratches in the seed coat (be careful not to damage the germ) allow moisture and atmospheric oxygen to penetrate deep into the seeds. You can also use sandpaper for this.
- Then soak in warm water for a day. Some recommend soaking them in milk for a few hours.
- You can also use growth promoters.
- The soil should be fertilized with a nitrogen-potassium fertilizer before planting. You can then expect the first shoots to appear within 8 to 10 days after sowing, and after another 2 weeks you can eat the herbs. But if it's cold, it can take up to three weeks for the first shoots to sprout.
All of the above plants can still produce a harvest this year. However, you can start sowing many plants in the second half of September or later to harvest them in early spring. These include onions, garlic, sorrel, spinach, beets, radishes, carrots, parsley and many others. Remember to rotate the beds so that the soil has enough nutrients for the plants and diseases do not accumulate.For mixed culturesAlso pay attention to the right plant partners in the bed. Not all plants tolerate each other's proximity.
