Good fall crops where I live are Asian cabbages, spinach, radish, winter salads and parsley. I usually go for crops that can handle a few degrees below freezing, and — just as important — the damp soil and shorter daylight hours that come with autumn. One of the best things going in my garden right now is the two raised beds with pak choi, mizuna salad, parsley and napa cabbage.
I couldn’t wait, so this was the first thing to move into my extended kitchen garden, even before it was fully done. I sowed pak choi, mizuna and napa cabbage the first week of September — started indoors, then moved the tray outdoors as soon as they’d sprouted, since you want to lower the temperature quickly to keep the plants from getting tall and spindly.
By mid-September they were ready to move into the new garden bed. I moved the grass clippings I’d been using as ground cover to the side to make nice rows for the cabbages, and put a glass frame over the bed to keep the birds out and create a good little climate for the tiny plants.
They’ve grown quickly since. I’ll start picking mizuna soon, and wait a bit longer with the pak choi and, of course, the napa cabbage.
