Autumn vegetable garden: what to sow and when to harvest?

🍂 Autumn, a vegetable gardening season in its own right

When the days shorten and the tomatoes take their last breath, the autumn vegetable garden takes the stage. It is a key period to prepare winter harvests, but also to anticipate those of spring. Contrary to popular belief, September and October are months full of possibilities for attentive gardeners, whether they have a large garden or a simple vegetable patch.

Here is a selection of autumn sowings to prioritize, accompanied by practical advice and varieties suited to each use.

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🍃 What to sow in September?

🌱 Fast-growing leafy vegetables

• Mâche verte de Cambrai: direct sowing until mid-October, it quickly forms small tender rosettes, perfect for winter salads. Harvest from 6 to 8 weeks.

• Roquette : very fast, slightly spicy, it is sown from September for crunchy leaves from October.

• Laitue Merveille des 4 Saisons: well suited to cool conditions, it can be sown under cover or tunnel for a harvest from February.

🥕 Slow-growing roots

• Radis Noir Gros Rond d’Hiver or Radis Daïkon: sown until the end of September, these hardy varieties are harvested from November to January and keep very well in a cellar.

• Navet Rond de Nancy : sown until the end of September, it produces small sweet roots in 6 to 8 weeks.

🌿 Hardy aromatics

• Chives, flat-leaf parsley or coriander: sown now, they gently sprout before winter and restart vigorously in spring.

🌾 Green manures to sow

• Phacelia, white clover, white mustard or rye: these plants protect, nourish, and aerate the soil until spring, while limiting weeds.

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🍁 And what to sow in October?

• Common garlic or pink garlic : plant cloves in well-drained soil, sunny exposure. Harvest in June.

• Monstrous Viroflay Spinach : productive variety, ideal for autumn. Sow in rows, harvest leaf by leaf as needed.

• Broad bean and winter peas (e.g. snow peas) : sown at the end of October in mild regions, they ensure an early harvest from the following spring.

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🛠️ Tips for successful autumn sowing

• Prepare the soil well : loosen it without turning it too much, incorporate mature compost or worm compost.

• Sow more densely : young plants will protect each other from the cold.

• Protect your crops: a mulch of dead leaves or dry grass clippings insulates from the cold and limits weeds.

• Watch out for slugs: very active in autumn, they love young leaves. 

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📅 Sowing and harvesting calendar for autumn

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🌿 Conclusion

The vegetable garden doesn't stop at the end of summer. On the contrary, autumn is a season of transition and anticipation, where each sowing is a promise of greenery in the heart of winter. By choosing the right varieties and following a few simple steps, you give your soil a new life... and your kitchen, unexpected flavors.