Friday, October 28, 2011

Fall Delights

As the leaves change color all around Seattle, I look for similar inspiration in my fall veggie garden.

Easy punches of color can be found in Swiss chard 'Bright Lights' and many kale varieties. One favorite is 'Red Bor' that intensifies as the temperature drops.

I tried out 'Ruby Streaks' mustard last fall and was disappointed. It started out wimpy and didn't have the deep purple foliage I hoped for. Before I wrote it off as a poor performer, I decided to collect the seed anyway and try it again.


This year is a different story. The purple color looks great and really stands out against the Yucca 'Color Guard.' I'm not sure what made a difference this year. Possibly they were planted a little earlier, giving them some more time in the warm soil and adequately adjust to the gradually cooling temperatures.

I'll keep you posted on the other fall veggies I planted around the garden: escarole, tah tsai (go away slugs!), and even red lettuce.

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