Plant Now, Harvest Before Winter (Last Chance!)

24 September 2024, written by Benedict Vanheems

Think it’s too late to sow seeds for a harvest this year? Think again my friend – the speediest veggies can have you harvesting fresh food within just a few weeks and keep your pantry packed for longer. And there’s just time to sow them if you act fast!

Tender Young Radishes

Time to Harvest: 30 days

Crisp, crunchy radishes are among the very fastest vegetables out there, ready in as little as a month from sowing, and yielding spicy additions to late-season salads. In fact, all the veggies I’ll be covering today will be ready to enjoy this side of winter, within just one or two months. That’s pretty quick!

Now’s a great time to sow radishes because they love the cooler autumn weather. They’re also less likely to be bothered by flea beetles at this time of year. And – bonus – they’re super easy to grow!

Sow the seeds directly into well-drained soil about a half-inch (1cm) apart. Water regularly if conditions are dry, and in next to no time you’ll see those green shoots pushing through. Harvest them young – a little bigger than marble size – to enjoy while they’re tender and crunchy.

Growing Arugula in Fall

Time to Harvest: 40 days

Next up - arugula! This peppery salad leaf is another speedster, ready to harvest within five weeks. Arugula loves the cool temperatures of early autumn, and will thrive even in partial shade. Scatter the seeds onto the soil surface, then either lightly cover them with a little more soil or rake them in, pressing down with the back of the rake to make sure the seeds have good contact with the soil. Water them gently and keep the soil moist. Before you know it, you’ll have fresh, vibrant greens ready to add a pleasing punch to salads and sandwiches.

A great alternative or addition to arugula is mustard. It’s similarly spicy and sown and grown in much the same way. Leaves like these are also great fun grown in trays or old mushroom crates, which can be brought inside if you get an early cold-snap.

Super Speedy Spinach

Time to Harvest: 40 days

Spinach is packed with nutrients and can be ready to harvest in as little as 40 days. It loves cooler weather, so early autumn is ideal for sowing. Look for varieties described as ‘fast-growing’ to give you the speediest result.

Spinach seedlings — Spinach grows fast once germinated

Seeds can be sown direct where they are to grow, about a half-inch (1cm) deep in rows around a foot (30cm) apart, or sow into plug trays if you don’t currently have free space in your garden beds. That way, you can start your spinach off while beds are still occupied and then transplant it into the ground when an earlier crop is harvested. This is a great example of ‘succession planting’, which is an excellent way to get more crops from the space you have.

Keep your seedlings well-watered, and you can start harvesting baby leaves as soon as they’re big enough to eat. Spinach is a cut-and-come-again crop, which means that you so long as you pick just the outer leaves, a few at a time, the plant will continue to grow.

Repeat Cropping Lettuce

Time to Harvest: 30 days

Lettuce is a classic cool-season crop, and loose-leaf varieties (the types that don’t form a tight head) are just the job for a quick harvest. Depending on the weather and how quickly summer’s winding down, you can expect to start picking leaves just 30-45 days after sowing.

What I especially love about lettuce is how super easy it is to grow! Mark out drills about 6in (15cm) apart, and sow the seeds thinly along the bottom before covering back over with soil. Water regularly, and in a few weeks you’ll have a beautiful bed of fresh, tender leaves. Like spinach, you can harvest lettuce leaves repeatedly as they grow, so you’ll have a steady supply for weeks.

Kale seedlings — Harvest baby kale leaves for salads and sautéing

Baby Kale for Salads and Sautéing

Time to Harvest: 30 days

Kale is one of those superfoods that’s perfect for cooler weather. While full-sized leaves take longer to mature, you can start harvesting baby kale leaves in just 30 days.

Sow the seeds thinly either into rows, or broadcast seed across the surface of the bed, then rake in and water to settle them in. Once they germinate, thin out seedlings until your plants are about 6in (15cm) apart in all directions. Aim to keep the soil consistently moist.

Harvest the baby leaves for salads or sautéing and the plants should keep growing more, well into autumn.

Salad onions — Thinning out salad onions gives a small harvest to add an oniony tang to salads

Salad Onion Thinnings To Add to Autumn Salads

Time to Harvest: 45 days

Salad onions make my list because everyone needs some oniony goodness, even this late in the season! While you may need to wait til early next spring for fully formed stems, you’ll be able to enjoy onion greens within a matter of weeks.

Choose a winter-hardy variety and sow the seeds thinly into rows about 6in (15cm) apart. Once the seedlings are up and have grown on a bit, start thinning them out. Use those thinnings as your first delicious harvest.

Baby Beets for Leaves and Roots

Time to Harvest: 50 days

Beets are a two-for-one crop: you can harvest the tender baby roots in as little as 50 days, or enjoy the greens – the foliage of your beets – even sooner, adding a splash of color to salads with their beautiful purple ribbing. And they’re absolutely delicious too!

Sow the seeds about an inch (2cm) apart and around a half-inch (1cm) deep. As the young plants grow, thin them out to about 3in (8cm) apart. You can start harvesting the greens as soon as they’re a few inches tall by taking one or two leaves from each plant. Pull up the baby beets when they’re the size of a table tennis ball.

Row cover tunnel — Fall seedlings will appreciate some protection from the elements

Protect Fall Plantings From Cold and Slugs

Depending on where you’re growing, your last-minute sowings may appreciate some form of cold protection to prolong growth as temperatures drop. It’s amazing how a simple cover can extend the season by as much as two weeks. This can make a massive difference at this time of year, when every day is precious.

I love to use low tunnels made from arches of water piping, cut to size and simply pushed into the ground. Secure a row cover of garden fleece over the top, and it’s job done!

Slug nibbling a leaf — Slugs love seedlings - keep them at bay!

As conditions cool off and turn wetter, it’s also worth paying extra attention to slugs, which will absolutely love to dine out on all of that fresh and tender young growth.

Do what you can to stop them! Keep any grass surrounding beds nice and short, so there are fewer hiding places and so that birds can easily spot and pick off those slimy foes. You could also set up beer or yeast traps towards the edge of the plot to lure slugs away from the seedlings – the perfect sluggy decoy!