For fall harvests, keep on sowing!

by Doug Muller

(Want answers fast? Scroll down to see our handy fall planting chart.)

Mibuna Mibuna

Many of us have experienced a zen moment in the garden. We’re weeding, or transplanting, or raking, and we are totally in the moment, not thinking about anything but the task at hand. I imagine many of you have also had definitively un-zen moments in the garden as well: feeling overwhelmed by everything there is to do, worrying about pests, fretting over weather that is too wet or too dry or any other issue totally out of your control. While I wish I could always “be here now” in the garden, growing is an endeavor that requires living in the past, present, and future. Thinking about last year’s lessons and making the necessary changes, prioritizing what needs to be done in the moment, and preparing for the next harvest.

This time of year I’m enjoying summer, but living with one foot in fall. To get the most out of your garden, and the longest season of fresh food, you must do more than just a spring planting. For fall (and winter!) harvests, seed sowing starts in July.

Here's when gardeners in the Hudson Valley should sow seeds for harvests straight through the winter solstice. (Gardeners in the greater NYC metro area can have success starting seeds 1-2 weeks after the dates indicated here.) Have a cold frame, plastic tunnel, or greenhouse? Experiment with starting seeds up to 2-3 weeks later than indicated for extended harvests into winter under protection.

Week beginning Sowing possibilities
June 14th Beans, Beets, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Carrots, Cauliflower, Collards, Cucumbers, Fast-Growing Cabbages (such as Early Jersey Wakefield or Red Express), Fennel, Kale, Lettuce, Scallions, Summer Squash, Swiss Chard, Tatsoi, Winter Squash
June 21st Beans, Beets, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Carrots, Cauliflower, Collards, Cucumbers, Fast-Growing Cabbages (such as Early Jersey Wakefield or Red Express), Fennel, Kale, Lettuce, Scallions, Summer Squash, Swiss Chard, Tatsoi, Winter Squash
June 28th Beans, Beets, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Carrots, Cauliflower, Collards, Cucumbers, Fast-Growing Cabbages (such as Early Jersey Wakefield or Red Express), Fennel, Kale, Lettuce, Scallions, Summer Squash, Swiss Chard, Tatsoi, Winter Squash
July 7th Beans, Beets, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Carrots, Cauliflower, Collards, Cucumbers, Fast-Growing Cabbages (such as Early Jersey Wakefield or Red Express), Fennel, Kale, Lettuce, Peas, Rutabaga, Scallions, Summer Squash, Swiss Chard, Tatsoi
July 14th Beans, Beets, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Carrots, Cauliflower, Chinese Cabbage, Collards, Cucumbers, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Peas, Rutabaga, Scallions, Summer Squash, Swiss Chard, Tatsoi
July 21st Arugula, Beans, Beets, Bok Choy, Carrots, Chinese Cabbage, Collards, Cucumbers, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Mibuna/Mizuna, Rutabaga, Scallions, Summer Squash, Swiss Chard, Tatsoi
July 28th Arugula, Beets, Bok Choy, Carrots, Chinese Cabbage, Lettuce, Mibuna/Mizuna, Kale, Kohlrabi, Swiss Chard, Tatsoi
August 7th Arugula, Beets, Bok Choy, Carrots, Chinese Cabbage, Komatsuna, Lettuce, Mibuna/Mizuna, Mustard Greens, Swiss Chard, Tatsoi, Turnips
August 14th Arugula, Bok Choy, Komatsuna, Lettuce, Mibuna/Mizuna, Mustard Greens, Swiss Chard, Spinach, Tatsoi, Turnips
August 21st Arugula, Bok Choy, Komatsuna, Lettuce, Mibuna/Mizuna, Mustard Greens, Swiss Chard, Spinach, Tatsoi, Turnips
August 28th Arugula, Bok Choy, Komatsuna, Lettuce, Mache, Mibuna/Mizuna, Mustard Greens, Spinach, Tatsoi,  Turnips
September 7th Arugula, Komatsuna, Lettuce, Mache, Mibuna/Mizuna, Mustard Greens, Radishes, Spinach
September 14th Arugula, Komatsuna, Lettuce, Mache, Radishes, Spinach
September 21st until the ground freezest Continue planting seeds of cold-hardy varieties such as Lettuce, Mache, and Spinach to give plants a head-start on spring. They will overwinter and reward your foresight with delicious early spring salads. Plant cold-hardy brassicas such as Bok Choy or Komatsuna for harvest as baby greens (don't try too hard to overwinter these late plantings—they will bolt before growing much at all in the spring).