The previous post shared some photos of hardy and resilient plants as they awakened at the first hint of spring, but that wasn’t the full story… I hate to admit that there are a bunch of slackers as well out there in the vegetable garden this spring!

I was recently introduced to a gene line of ice-bred leafy greens that may be very useful to cold climate gardeners. These leafy greens are amazing in their ability to perform under bitterly cold growing conditions. They also offer a taste treat that is noticeably more robust and flavorful than your typical leafy green vegetables.

If you are wondering exactly where in the world Manitoba is located, you’re not alone. I believe that it’s part of Canada and was just about to look it up, but changed my mind when I saw that they still have five feet of snow on the ground. Here’s a letter that I received from Michele who grows a vegetable garden in not so sunny Manitoba:

The vegetable garden was hit by the first killing fall frost last weekend. Goodbye nasturtiums, so long pole beans, farewell my Sweet Basil! This would be a sad time indeed if it wasn’t for all of the frost-hardy vegetables, greens, and herbs that continue to grow happily in the garden’s raised beds.

Yesterday’s entry examined strategies for planning and planting a fall vegetable garden, today we’ll look at tips for raising, harvesting, and selecting crops for growing fall vegetables. Fall vegetables don’t require any special care; in fact you’ll spend less time caring for your fall crops because of the favorable autumn growing conditions. The plants will grow rapidly at first and gradually slow as the days become shorter and colder.

Summer is ending, the days are growing shorter, and temperatures are dropping, but there’s still a little time left for the home gardener to begin Planting a Fall Vegetable Garden. Just think about it; no bugs, no weeds, no watering, no sweat… fall is the perfect season for planting delicious home-grown vegetables.