What do you like?

[rick d PADGETT]

I am planting a Fall garden for the first time.I have some carrots, spinach and mustard greens.Which varieties taste good and you like to grow? I live in South Carolina and we have very mild Winters.Temp. will fall to teens on very rare occasions and only for a few days. Please make suggestions on other things to plant. I am also looking for a cover crop for part of my garden.
Thanks
Rick

 

[marlingardener]

Rick, I think our winters and yours are about the same. I like to have a fall crop of leaf lettuces--Simpson's Elite, Red Sails, Oakleaf. We put in Danvers Half-long for carrots because we have heavy soil, but if yours is sandier, you can plant a longer variety. We love fresh spinach, and have very good luck with Bloomsdale Longstanding, a very crinkled type with a meaty leaf.
If you can leave an area undisturbed (except for weeding) you can plant garlic in October and harvest in June. Broccoli is also a good winter crop for us. It's late to start from seed now, but nurseries and even big box stores should have six packs of starts. We put in English peas--the bush type--and sometimes we get a fall crop of peas and sometimes not, but being legumes, they fix nitrogen in the soil and are of some benefit.
For a cover crop, try clover. We put in Hubam clover because our bees love it and it boosts their honey output, but there is more likely a better clover for your area. Clover fixes nitrogen, and can be turned into the soil a couple of weeks before planting in the spring. Great stuff!

 

[Chuck]

Swiss Chard

 

[headfullofbees]

Peas.
Broad (fava) beans

 

[rick d PADGETT]

Rick, I think our winters and yours are about the same. I like to have a fall crop of leaf lettuces--Simpson's Elite, Red Sails, Oakleaf. We put in Danvers Half-long for carrots because we have heavy soil, but if yours is sandier, you can plant a longer variety. We love fresh spinach, and have very good luck with Bloomsdale Longstanding, a very crinkled type with a meaty leaf.
If you can leave an area undisturbed (except for weeding) you can plant garlic in October and harvest in June. Broccoli is also a good winter crop for us. It's late to start from seed now, but nurseries and even big box stores should have six packs of starts. We put in English peas--the bush type--and sometimes we get a fall crop of peas and sometimes not, but being legumes, they fix nitrogen in the soil and are of some benefit.
For a cover crop, try clover. We put in Hubam clover because our bees love it and it boosts their honey output, but there is more likely a better clover for your area. Clover fixes nitrogen, and can be turned into the soil a couple of weeks before planting in the spring. Great stuff!

 

[rick d PADGETT]

Thanks for naming varieties.I tried clover last Winter and it worked out great.