In the century and place where I was born and raised, gardeners grew two vegetables in the fall – collards and turnips. Much has changed since then and vegetables have gone global, in the garden and on the plate. I love the fall season because I get to plant more seeds, of which there is a long list of possibilities. If you’re new to autumn gardening and wondering where to start, here are my five favorite easy, productive, distinctive vegetables that are at their best when grown in the fall. In alphabetical order, they are bok choy, daikon radish, komatsuna, lettuce, and Japanese salad turnips.
The phrase “fall garden” is a bit misleading, because most of the plants grown in autumn need to be started in late summer, when the soil is still warm but nights are getting longer and cooler. You can direct-sow seeds under shade covers, or start them in containers in a shady place outdoors then transplant them when the weather is right. Holding seedlings in containers also helps them escape damage from flea beetles, common pests until late August in most places.
![Bok choy]()
Juicy bok choy stems become soft and succulent when cooked
Beautiful Bok Choy
Fast and fun to grow from seeds sown in beds or containers, thick-stemmed bok choy never fails to make a good crop when grown in the fall. Instead of rushing to bolt as it tends to do in spring, fall-grown bok choy bulks up after each watering and thrives in progressively cooler weather. If necessary, use lightweight row covers to protect plants from late-season insect pests.
Bok choy varieties vary in size and color, and every gardener should try baby bok choy in containers or small beds at least once, after which you will be hooked. Red-leafed ‘Violetta’ brings color to a mixed planting of baby boks. Should you plan to make fermented kimchi with your bok choy, allow space for full size varieties, which can grow to 12 inches (30 cm) tall and wide.
![Daikon radishes]()
Daikon radishes push up above the soil level when they're ready to harvest
Delightful Daikon Radishes
When grown in the fall, daikon radishes are sturdy, steady growers that always produce nice crops of mild, juicy radishes for roasting, fermenting, or making into pickles. White carrot-shaped varieties do an amazing job of finding their way in tight soils, and can also do double duty as a soil-improving cover crop. Plump purple varieties bring a unique sweet-bitter-mellow flavor to pans of roasted vegetables.
Daikon radish seeds are big, but they are slower to sprout compared to regular radishes, so be patient and allow a full week of coddling. Thin seedlings to at least 4 inches (10 cm) apart and provide water as needed to support steady growth. Daikon radishes push to the surface when they are ready, taking the guesswork out of harvesting. With their tops trimmed off and wiped clean, daikons will store in the refrigerator for several weeks.
![Komatsuna or mustard spinach]()
Komatsuna greens are known for their mild flavor
Vigorous Komatsuna
Often called mustard spinach, this mild-flavored mustard is known as komatsuna in Japan, where it has been grown for 500 years. Tasting more like spinach than mustard, komatsuna is fast to grow, with varieties differing in leaf size and the thickness of the main leaf stem. The Senposai or “thousand wonder vegetable” strain has remarkably thick, sweet leaf midribs and a long productive period. Hard freezes eventually kill komatsuna plants grown outdoors, but they often produce all winter when grown in an unheated greenhouse.
![Lettuce under a shade cover]()
Shade covers keep lettuce seedlings comfortable in late summer heat
Crisp Sweet Lettuce
If heatwaves made your summer lettuce turn bitter and bolt, autumn brings a second chance to grow a robust crop. It’s the perfect season to grow fast-maturing varieties with crisp, sweet ribs like 'Buttercrunch' butterhead or 'Little Gem' mini romaine.
Lettuce seeds germinate poorly in warm, sun-baked soil. When direct-seeding lettuce, some gardeners place ice cubes over the seeded rows to reduce the soil temperature in the germination zone. Or, you can start seeds indoors in small pots and set seedlings out when the weather cools down. With either planting method, plan to use shade covers for the first few weeks to prevent sunscald and preserve soil moisture.
![Salad turnips]()
Crisp Japanese salad turnips can be enjoyed raw or cooked
Savory Salad Turnips
Developed in Japan in the 1950s, perky white salad turnips started appearing in specialty seed catalogs thirty years later. Today, Japanese salad turnips like 'Hakurei', 'Tokyo Market' and 'White Lady' have become garden staples because they are mild, sweet, and mature in only six weeks from seed. Delicious raw or cooked, the little turnips don’t need to be peeled, and the greens are as tasty as the roots. Most people who don’t like radishes find salad turnips perfectly palatable.
Japanese salad turnips will grow in spring, but autumn is their star season. The seeds are fast germinators, after which seedlings must be thinned to at least 3 inches (8 cm) apart to keep the planting uniform. Salad turnips pop up out of the soil when they are ready. With their tops trimmed off, they will keep in good condition in plastic bags in the refrigerator for several weeks.
