One of our favorite fall crops are fall salad greens. We love to make our own exotic mixed greens blends into different combinations each day. It’s really remarkable that the delicate plants good for salads are actually sturdy growers able to handle the cooler fall temps, albeit, with a little help from frost covers.

When Fall is in the Air

In the surrounding woods (see NC Fall pics), the monkey-like calls of gray-barred owls and the red-shouldered hawk’s shrieks seem to alternate as if having a raptor-to-raptor chat. And, of course, we have the perpetual hums and twitters of the little hummingbirds.

Fall Farewell to the Hummingbirds

Below is a photo of a young male with just a dot of ruby iridescence on his throat. Eventually, the one “jewel” will expand into the full throated radiance that distinguishes the male of the species.

We keep the hummingbird feeder full up until their last day around mid September. It’s amazing to think that many of these tiny little birds will travel as far south as Mexico and Central America.

The hummingbirds have been our constant gardening companions most of the season, so we miss them when they go. However, we’ll look for them next year, because hummers have been known to return to friendly yards year after year.

Protecting Tender Plants

As night time temperature drop below 60’s, it’s a reminder that it’s time to bring the indoor plants back in. They’ve enjoyed their summer outdoors and most have grown bigger.

Have you noticed how there are always more plants to bring back inside than you started with in spring? 😜

Gynura Procumbens, AKA Longevity Spinach

Our longevity spinach (Gynura procumbens), is a bit hardier but cannot bear freezing. We grew two plants last year set in grow, bags for portability to the indoors. From cuttings, we grew two more over the winter. We set all four outside in late April and they’ve been magnificent growers. This week, cuttings were taken and set into individual pots that will remain outside till the temps edge toward 40 degrees.

Here’s an in depth article about longevity spinach and all its nutritional and medicinal benefits.

In a previous year we wintered them in our bathtub with light from the windows supplemented with grow lights. The next year we built a cattle panel greenhouse.

Fall Harvesting

Our tent city is increasing as we set out more fall plants and cover them with gauzy material to ward off various pests. As the broccoli and kale grow, we’ll harvest a few leaves. Same goes for the sweet potatoes. Before we harvested the potatoes, we harvested the best of the remaining leaves, which robust vines has spread in all directions.

So remember that the leaves of many vegetable plants, such a broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower are also edible, nutritious and delicious. We enjoy the edible leaves in much the same way you’d use spinach or kale, and find them equally good cooked or added raw to salads. Our favorite simplest way to eat the sweet potato greens is just sauteed in olive oil with garlic and salt.

Our last remaining vegetable harvest lately has come from the okra, which has grown so tall, they need to be gently bent down to access the pods. I tried a pod right off the stalk and it was tender and full of flavor.

Growing Fall Salad Greens

Fall gardening us a great time to grow and enjoy exotic salads from a diverse array of garden greens. These hearty salads are so fresh, vital and healthy that you can almost feel your cells sing while eating it.

Fall Salad Greens We’re Growing

Here’s what’s growing in our fall garden this season, and Coleman walks through the garden clipping sone of all of these for a wonderful fall garden salad.

• Amaranth
• Arugula
• Beet greens
• Bok choy
• Broccoli leaves (any cruciferous leaves can be eaten raw or cooked)
• Celosia
• Chard
• Dandelion greens
• Kale –
  • ornamental (is edible)
  • Red Russian
• Marigold
• Mesclun
• Mustard –
  • Japanese Red Giant Mustard Greens
  • Red Splendor Mustard
• Nasturtium
  • leave
  • flowers
• Radicchio
• Red Romaine
• Sorrel
• Sweet potato greens
• Herbs –
  • Basil
  • Garlic chives
  • Parsley –
    • curly
    • flat
  • Oregano
  • Rosemary
  • Sage
  • Thyme

We mention the marconi peppers as well as the kaolin clay sprinkled on the plants as natural pesticide. In fact, kaolin clay can be beneficial to humans ingested for detox and externally in cosmetics.

What’s Happening in Your Garden?

We’re Wondering…

• If you’re in a colder zone, are you still growing fall salad greens and if so, how?
  • Under frost covers?
  • Indoors in your home?
  • In a greenhouse?
• What fall crops are you growing?

We know gardeners love to share photos of crops, crafts and harvests, so if you’d like us to publish your photos and/or articles, we’d be delighted to hear from you.

You can post comments and/or photos on the GardensAll Facebook page, or send us an email.

As always…

“May your gardens flourish and your harvests be bountiful, and when you look upon your little Eden, may you see that it is good.”
~Coleman Alderson, GardensAll.com

Tally hoe!

Grow Great Gardens!