What I planted this week for fall eating

"Well used" self watering pot I started my lettuce seeds in

Sunday, August 17, 2025

I started a variety of seeds on Friday for harvesting all fall and winter.  With a portable greenhouse, you can keep the Midwest lettuce salads going all the way to next spring.  This fall, my sowings are for lettuce, arugula, snow peas, chard, leaf mustards, chards, kales and other greens.

The challenge to starting cool season lovers from seed this time of year is that it can be so hot.  Lettuce seeds and other cool season loving plants will not germinate well in ground temps above 70 degrees F.  There are a couple of options for summer time seeding.  You can grow in shade, cover with a shade cloth or start your seedlings indoors move outdoors after they have sprouted.  Right now, it is hot with yesterday's high of 100 and the low of 73F.  The temperatures are supposed to go down somewhat next week with highs in the upper 80's and lows in the 60's.  Hopefully, this will be cool enough for my seeds to sprout.  Outdoor seed starting tips

I like to start in rectangular, self watering pots on our covered patio, close to the watering can on the northeast side of the house. Most of what I have sown will be up in 7 days if kept well watered and the temperatures are conducive.  I let them grow until they have the first set of true leaves and are about 2” tall.  I then transplant them into their permanent home, keeping them well watered for another couple of weeks.  I'll also keep an eye on the temperatures as highs in the 80's can cause cool temperature crops to bolt.  The trick this time of year to planting is getting the plants close to full size by November when daylight hours are too short to support growing.

Here is what I planted.  Be sure to label your seed rows!

Lettuces

You can start to harvest lettuce leaves in as little as 20 days from sowing.  I like to plant a variety of lettuces as they mature at different times.  This is a way to get a continuous crop of lettuce for salads.  I may have went a little overboard this time!  When the temperatures head to the 20's, I'll cover my greens with a portable greenhouse to keep the harvests coming all the way to spring.

Winter Density-a romaine type that is full size in 54 days

Tango-a leaf lettuce that is frilly and light green, full size in 45 days

Landis Winter-a butterhead lettuce that reaches full size in 50 days

North Pole-another butterhead lettuce that is full size in 50 days

Winter Crop-a headed lettuce so approximately 50-60 days

Winterwunder-a loose leaf that is full size in 60 days

Little Red Romaine-a romaine that is full size in 50 days

Bronze Beauty-full size in 40-50 days

Grand Rapids-full size in 45-60 days

Rouge d'Hiver-full size in 60 days

Royal Oak Leaf-full size in 45-55 days

Butter King-full size in 60 days

Red Sails-full size in 45-50 days

Celtuce-Chinese stem lettuce full size in 50-80 days

Spotted Aleppo Syrian Romaine-full size in 50-60 days

Rocky Top lettuce blend-35-50 days to full size

Spinach

Giant Winter-full size in 45-55 days

Oriental Giant-full size in 40 days

Greens

Provencal Winter mix-a variety of greens

Arctic Tundra mix-a variety of greens

Roquette Arugula-full size in 42 days

Mizuna Pink-40 days to full size

Hilton Chinese Cabbage-70 days to full size

Chijimisai Greens-full size in 50-60 days

Chinese Yellow Heart winter choy-45-70 days to full size

Swiss Chard

Barese Swiss chard-full size in 50 days

Japanese Mountain Spinach Swiss chard-full size in 30-40 days

Peas

Little Purple Snow Pea-27" vine, 50 days to harvest

Fruits for next spring

Mignonette Alpine Strawberry

Regina Alpine Strawberry

Ornamentals

Japanese Flowering Kale

Flowering Kale

Platinum Blue flower

Scarlet Echinacea cultivar-since it is seed saved from a cultivar, it may not produce the same as the parent

Blue Fescue grass

All of the greens will have leaves that are harvestable in about half the number of days to get to full size.  On the flip side, it generally takes longer for fall crops to get to full size than the packet says as the temperatures are getting cooler and the daylight shorter going into fall than in spring time.  A rule of thumb is 2 weeks longer to full size.

I like self watering pots because you can fill the reservoir without directly watering the soil surface.  With lettuce the seeds take light to germinate so they are very close to the surface.  Watering the soil itself can dislodge the seeds and move them all around the pot.  This isn't a catastrophe if you have all the same type planted in a pot, but since I have 8 varieties in the same pot, I don't want them moving around so I can see what germinates and how well they do through the season.  

You can start your seeds in any container you prefer.  If you do a coir or peat pot, you can just plant the entire thing in the garden bed after the seedling is up and going strong.  The drawback is that they have to be watered more as so much moisture wicks out of the permeable pot.

 

For this round, I watered the soil well, then planted the seeds, labelling each mini row in my rectangular pots that I start seeds in.  I will continue misting the top to keep the soil moist and filling the reservoir from the bottom.  You don't want the soil to dry out before the seeds have germinated.

After the seedlings are up, I'll wait until they have a few leaves and are about 2" or so tall before transplanting into larger pots for the winter.  Since I planted in August this year instead of September, I will also need to wait for the temperatures to cool down before transplanting.  I cover all my larger self watering pots later in the season when temperatures begin dipping into the 20's with a portable greenhouse to keep the greens going all winter.  How to extend the garden season

If you want to direct seed in your mulched flower bed, dig a shallow trench about a quarter inch deep, fill with potting soil, seed, pat down, then cover lightly with more potting soil.  Water well with a gentle stream of water so you don’t wash the seed away.  I use a rain head on my watering can.  Even better is to get the soil moist, then scatter the seeds, cover lightly with potting soil and pat gently.  Growing fabulous lettuce and greens 

I also have Purple Sprouting broccoli, Giant Blue Feather lettuce, other types of chard, Utah celery, and parsley that has self-seeded.  I should have plenty of greens for salads all the way through winter with covering my self-watering pots over these winter hardy plants.