Get fall garden going with help from harvest fest
Growing plants in the off-season is easy, productive and beneficial to our native birds, bees and bugs
There are hundreds of varieties of veggies, herbs, fruits and flowers that thrive in our Bay Area fall and winter climates.
All the brassicas (Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower), root vegetables (carrots beets, radishes), loads of leafy greens (lettuce, mizuna, mustard greens, kale, chard, spinach) as well as peas, beans, potatoes and onions are great cool-season crops.
If you aren’t planning to plant an edible garden this fall, at least plant some cover crops wherever you normally grow your summer garden — even in your raised beds.
Cover crops are excellent for “fixing soil.” They provide needed nitrogen, help loosen soil, suppress weeds and support native birds and bugs with their flowers and seeds.
Fava beans are one of my favorite cover crops, but they will grow for several months.
If you want to grow a quick cover and still have time for your coolseason garden, try buckwheat. It will germinate in about five days and be ready to turn under in about a month.
To get all the education and plants you need, don’t miss the upcoming Fall Garden Market at Martial Cottle Park’s
Harvest Festival on Oct. 6, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Celebrating the agricultural heritage of Santa Clara Valley and the newest park in the county, the festival will feature food, entertainment, park tours and more.
Master Gardeners will host children’s activities, a Green Elephant sale and a Help Desk LIVE! where you can ask questions and bring in a plant or pest sample to have it diagnosed.
If you haven’t tried growing Asian greens, you are missing out. They are easy to grow, very productive and can be used in salads, stir-fries and soups. The market will have Chinese broccoli, pak choi and tatsoi.
How about some Italian greens such as chicory, escarole, frisee, radicchio and rapini?
There will also be dozens of varieties of beets, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower, chard and kale.
And, if salad is your thing, you will have a dozen varieties of lettuce to choose from — or, like me, you can plant them all and have your own salad bar! There will also be peas, turnips, onions and even kohlrabi, collards, rutabaga, turnips and artichokes.
Also, don’t miss out on the flowering beauties: Agrostemma, Clarkia, Linaria, snapdragons and sweet peas. Flowers not only add beauty, they bring in the bees and beneficial insects that are necessary for pollination and fending off the “bad bugs” that can damage your garden.
Growing your own food, whether with your family or on your own, is not only enjoyable, it is truly important! You will conserve water, waste less (no one wants to throw away what they have worked hard to grow), avoid using harmful chemicals, nurture your soil and help support and feed our native birds, bees and bugs.
And most important, you will make a huge and positive impact on your children — kids will actually eat what they grow! So, head on out to one of the upcoming fall markets around the Bay Area and dig in!