Seeds for a fall harvest are now available at Carnegie-Sprout Seed Library!
By mid-July, gardeners in Iowa have roughly 90 days left in the growing season, which means a fall harvest is still possible. Thanks to our friends at Nine Square Feet, an organization out of the Des Moines area, the seed library drawers are full! Check out what they suggest to plant for cooler late summer temps and shorter autumn days – and find them while they last in our seed library, near the historic entrance.
“Dazzling Blue” lacinato kale, “Purple Vienna” kohlrabi and “Michihili” Chinese cabbage are their chosen brassicas. These need cool temps to germinate, so start inside in mid-July and plant out in mid-August. If you’re looking for something you can direct sow, try the “Sorrento” broccoli raab.
“Viroflay” spinach and “Bright Lights” Swiss chard round out the option for fall greens. An added bonus is that these varieties thrive in containers and part shade.
Try outsmarting the squash bugs with “Cocozelle” zucchini, a small space summer squash that they found matures in just 60 days. If you’re looking for a cucumber, the “Spacemaster 80” is a great, quick maturing and small space cucurbit.
Romaine and leaf lettuces are a good bet, and Nine Square Feet has donated “Parris Island Cos” romaine, “All the Year Round” butterhead and “Lollo Rosso” leaf lettuce.
If you’re looking for beans, go for a bush bean rather than a pole bean, like the “Roma II” or the heirloom “Landreth Stringless”. These can be direct sown through mid-August and harvested most of September and October, before the frost sets in.
Add in some pea varieties (snow and sugar snap), bunching onions and herbs, and you’ve got quite the bountiful fall garden.
Remember that the Carnegie-Sprout Seed Library is first-come, first-served, while supplies last. If you miss any of the above seed packets, try looking at local stores for veggies and herbs that mature in 70 days or less.
Happy planting and harvesting!