Like several of the cool season vegetables, beet, Beta vulgaris, is a root vegetable. It is, however, the same species as chard, which is leafy greens. Although beet varieties are different from chard varieties, beet foliage is also edible. Beet is biennial, so its roots are not palatable after their first year. They become tough and bitter as they bolt and bloom.
Most beet varieties produce big and round roots that are deep red. Others can be white, yellow or internally striped with red and white. Some have cylindrical roots, or roots that are shaped like carrots. Their foliage is mostly deep green, typically with red midribs like that of chard. Foliage stands only about half a foot broad and a foot high above ground.
As a root vegetable, beet should grow from directly sown seed. Transplanting damages or disfigures roots. Seed should go into organically rich and loose soil about now. Their successive planting may involve subsequent crops every two weeks until spring. Crops can be small if they are so frequent. Beet needs full sun exposure and regular watering.
Productive vegetables can become overwhelmingly abundant.
Cool season vegetables are now becoming seasonable. Regardless of warm weather, it is technically autumn, so the weather will get cooler. It might be tempting to sow all seed and plant all seedlings for vegetables at once. There should be no rush, though. Spring is half a year from now. Until then, successive planting can prolong vegetable harvests.
Successive planting entails cultivation of small crops throughout their seasons. The first vegetable crops, or groups, should begin as soon as they are seasonal. The last should finish at about the end of their seasons. Various vegetables grow at various rates. Some begin or finish earlier or later than others. Timing should not be too complicated, though.
Each crop of vegetables should ideally finish production as its subsequent crop begins. The typical duration of production should determine the frequency of subsequent crops. For example, each beet crop is productive for about two weeks. Each subsequent crop should therefore begin two weeks after its preceding crop. Production can last all winter.
Successive planting is not merely for cool season vegetables. It is as effective for warm season vegetables, and some spring and summer bulbs. The earliest cool season crops can replace the first warm season crops to finish. The process continues for weeks until the cool season vegetables replace all others. There is no rush for successive planting.
Large vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, require more space. They also require fewer crops because they mature relatively slowly. Successive planting for them may involve only one early crop and one late crop. Each crop might be productive for more than a month. Individual plants within each crop might mature at different rates.
Cucumber and pea are actually fruits rather than vegetables. Their vines are productive until they succumb to the weather. Those that start now may produce until the middle of winter. Those that start after the middle winter may produce until spring. Therefore, two crops may be the extent of their successive planting. One may suffice for mild climates. Cucumbers are actually warm season vegetables that grow for autumn and early spring.
Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi and Brussels sprout are all of the same species. Brassica oleracea is weirdly diverse, and also includes kale and collard. All varieties are collectively the cole crops. They are cool season vegetables that grow from autumn until spring. Most are biennials that grow as annuals. Some kales and collards are perennial.
Collard does not form heads like cabbage does. It instead grows loosely on stout stalks. Most are only about two feet high. A few perennial types can grow six feet high, and can grow from cuttings. All other types grow from seed or cell pack seedlings. More varieties are available as seed than as seedlings. Online markets offer more than nurseries stock.
Although perennial collards provide greens all year, they are better during cool weather. Also, collard greens are best while young and tender, before they mature too completely. They are easy to collect from the bottoms of the foliar rosettes, upward towards the tops. They need, however, to retain enough leaves to continue growing through their season.
Cool season annuals are a clue. They are currently replacing deteriorating warm season annuals. Vegetable gardening should involve a similar process. After all, most vegetable plants are annuals. Some of those that performed through summer are now getting tired. Cool season vegetables, or winter vegetables, should replace warm season vegetables.
Just like different flowering annuals, different vegetables operate on different schedules. Some warm season vegetables finish late in summer. Others continue until autumn chill. Some cool season vegetables prefer to start early, while the weather is still warm. Others can start late to grow through winter. The transition may continue through part of autumn.
Furthermore, different phases of some vegetables begin and finish at different times. For example, most corn is finished for summer. However, some late phases can continue for early autumn. Early phases of beet can begin now. Later phases might continue through winter. Summer vegetables should relinquish space as cool season vegetables need it.
Most cool season vegetables are true vegetables. In other words, they are not fruit which contain seeds, like tomato, squash and corn. Cabbage and Chard are distended foliage. Broccoli and cauliflower are distended floral bloom. Carrot and beet are distended roots. All initially grow slower than warm season vegetables, but then do not take time to ripen.
All cool season vegetables that are roots should grow from directly sown seed. They are susceptible to disfigurement with transplanting. Besides, they typically grow in quantities that are excessive for transplanting. They include beet, radish, turnip, carrot and parsnip. Cucumber and pea are conducive to transplanting, but also grow very easily from seed.
Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and heading lettuces are larger cool season vegetables. Since only a few are desirable, planting them as cell pack seedlings is a practical option. They happen to be more conducive to transplanting than root vegetables are. Seedlings of cool season vegetables are now available from nurseries. Seed are always available. Although seedlings start growing sooner, more varieties are available from seed.
Leek, Allium ampeloprasum, is an old fashioned but traditional cool season vegetable. It is rare among home gardens, but has been in cultivation for thousands of years. It is one of the floral emblems of Wales, in conjunction with daffodil. In cooler climates, leeks may grow through summer for autumn harvest. They are only a cool season vegetable locally.
Leeks grow easily from directly sown seed, but are alternatively conducive to transplant. Therefore, they can start in flats while warm season vegetables are still producing. Then, they can transition to the garden early enough to mature before frost. Later phases which grow through winter are quite tolerant of mild frost. They might even be bigger and better.
Like several cool season vegetables, leeks are in no rush for harvest. Once mature, they can linger in their gardens for weeks without deteriorating or bolting. Like related onions, they prefer somewhat rich and loose soil. Until the winter rainy season begins, they need regular watering. Thrips can be more of a problem in other regions during warm weather.
Cool season vegetables might seem to be a bit early while the weather is still warm. It is technically autumn, though. If the weather is a bit too warm now, it should not be for long. Cool season vegetables may soon enjoy the cool weather they prefer. Their subsequent phases of successive planting can enjoy it even more. Spring is a few months from now.
Successive planting begins early and finishes late. It entails cultivation of relatively small groups of vegetables throughout their seasons. The first groups start as soon as they are seasonable. The last groups should finish at about the end of their season. Each type of vegetable prefers particular seasons. Therefore, some begin or finish earlier than others.
Ideally, each group of each vegetable finishes production as a subsequent group begins. The expected duration of production determines the frequency of phasing. For example, if radishes produce for two weeks, each phase should be two weeks apart. Also, each of the phases should provide enough radishes for two weeks. Scheduling is very important.
Larger vegetables, such as cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower, likely need fewer phases. Successive planting for them may involve only one early group and one late group. Each group may remain in production for a month or longer. Individual vegetable plants within each group mature at different rates. Even when mature there is no rush to harvest them.
Cucumber and pea vines remain in production throughout their seasons. Those that start now might continue production until the middle of winter. Those that start after the middle of winter might continue production until spring warmth. Two such phases are the extent of their successive planting. (Cucumbers and peas are really fruit rather than vegetable.)
Successive planting also prolongs the bloom of spring bulbs that will be available soon. Of course, it is only effective for the first spring after initial planting. Bulbs synchronize for any subsequent bloom if they naturalize. Successive planting is not so effective for bulbs that bloom later in summer or recurrently. Cannas bloom late regardless of planting time. When seasonable, all dahlias should start on time.
Among the cool season vegetables that are now seasonable, this one is too cool. Swiss chard, Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris var. flavescens is as ornamental as edible. Its richly deep or bronzy green foliage is a splendid backdrop for cool season annuals. The same foliage is edible, either fresh or cooked. Yet, even as a vegetable, it is nicely ornamental.
The wide petioles and leaf veins can be white, yellow, orange, pink or maroon. Although varieties with simple green petioles are more productive, they are less popular. ‘Rhubarb Chard’ and ‘Ruby Chard’ develop deep red petioles and veins. ‘Rainbow Chard’ is a mix of varieties with petioles and veins of various colors. Some have darkly bronzed foliage.
Although a cool season vegetable, Swiss card performs very well for spring and autumn. It only succumbs to summer warmth. In cooler climates, it might succumb to severe frost. Since only external leaves are harvested, it retains its ornamental quality for a long time. Swiss chard like sunny exposure and rich soil. It wants water when winter rain is sparse.
Warm season vegetables that started late last winter will be finishing their seasons soon. Cool season vegetables, or winter vegetables, should begin to replace them. This might sound familiar as the same scenario for warm and cool season annuals. After all, almost all vegetable plants are either annuals or biennials. Few perform for more than a season.
Just like annual bedding plants, different vegetable plants perform to different schedules. Some warm season vegetables begin to deteriorate as warm weather ends. Others may continue to produce until frost. Some cool season vegetables need an early start. Others can start late and grow through cool winter weather. Gardens need not transition quickly.
Besides, different phases of some types of vegetables begin and finish at different times. Although late phases of corn continue to grow, early phases are already done and gone. Although late phases of beet might begin months from now, early phases can begin now. Warm season vegetables, ideally, relinquish space as cool season vegetables require it.
Cool season vegetables grow slower than warm season vegetables. Also, more of them are true vegetables rather than fruit that contain seed. Many are distended roots, such as beet and carrot. Many are distended foliage, such as cabbage and chard. A few, such as broccoli and cauliflower, are distended floral bloom. Peas are actually fruiting structures.
All root vegetables should grow directly from seed. They are vulnerable to disfigurement if transplanted. Besides, they typically grow in significant quantities that are not practical for transplant. These include beet, carrot, radish, turnip and parsnip. Cucumber and pea, although conducive to transplanting, also perform better from seed. So do lettuce greens.
Heading lettuce, though, is more like cabbage and larger cool season vegetables. Since only a few are necessary, transplanting them as seedlings is practical. Besides, they are conducive to transplanting. Cell pack seedlings for cool season vegetables are available from nurseries now. Seed is always available. It can go directly into a garden or into cells for transplanting later, as summer becomes autumn, then winter.
Leek, garlic, shallot and other species of the genus have more distinct growing seasons. Technically, onion, Allium cepa, is a cool season vegetable. It grows through winter to be ready for harvest before summer dormancy. Alternatively, it can grow through spring for a later summer harvest. In cool situations, it can grow through summer for autumn harvest.
Onions do not actually mature within a single season anyway. Most grow from onion sets which are simply small onions that grew from seed earlier. They simply finish growing for another season once plugged into a garden. Those that grow from seed in autumn might go dormant through the middle of winter. Spring is actually their second growing season.
The most popular onions are yellow or brown, red or purple, or white. Each type exhibits a distinct flavor. All develop a few hollow bluish green leaves that stand about a foot tall. Their foliage shrivels as they mature enough for harvest. They are useless if they bloom. Green onions are merely juvenile onions which have not yet developed distended bulbs.
Mustard is not easy to classify. It is a cool season vegetable here, although it grows until summer gets too hot. In cooler climates, it is a warm season vegetable. Whether warm or cool season, it provides more than greens. For agricultural applications, it is also a cover crop and livestock fodder. Its seed and seed oil have culinary and medicinal application.
Also, some consider mustard to be a wildflower, and some consider it to be a weed. Most but not all species that naturalized here are of the genus Brassica. None are native. Wild turnip and wild radish are similar and are also naturalized, but not as aggressively. Their bloom may be pink or creamy white. Most mustard varieties display bright yellow bloom.
Garden varieties of mustard have milder flavor and finer texture than wild sorts. They are sometimes available as cell pack seedlings, but grow like weeds from seed. Varieties for mustard seed might only be available online or from mail order catalogs. Mustard greens develop bitter flavor with age or bloom. Bigger lower leaves can develop coarser texture.
