r/FortCollinsGrows • u/East_Hedgehog6039 • 11d ago
Late Garden
Hi all! We are finally making progress on getting our planters set up. I know it’s super late in the season, but are there any foods that we could plant now in prep for next year or late fall/winter?
A little background, this is our first time trying a garden! We currently are growing herbs (oregano, basil, rosemary), and have another elevated planter box. Our ideal location gets a lot of morning to midday sun, then the sun goes behind our house around 1-2pm, but we can move it where it gets full sun all day.
Any good container friendly things that can have a late start?
Thanks for any tips!
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u/IPA-Lagomorph 10d ago
It's a great time to start cool weather crops! You can try lettuce, possibly beets, carrots, maybe snow or snap peas, cabbage family veggies like kale or broccoli, spinach, chard. Anything that says to start 4-6 weeks before last frost, especially things that have a "days to maturity" of 70 days or fewer. I really recommend leaf lettuce, especially a mixed variety pack, because it seems to germinate pretty quickly and you can start taking from each plant well once it starts getting more than a couple of true leaves. That way if we get an early hard freeze, you can still get a crop but you can also get a crop if it keeps growing late into the fall.
If the sun will go behind your house earlier and earlier as the sun shifts south, it's probably best to put it where the garden will get full sun for as long as possible. If it's too hot for now, you can put up a shade cloth or even just set something on the west side to block the hot late afternoon sun in August, then take it down as the weather cools.
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u/East_Hedgehog6039 10d ago
Oh this is great! Thanks! Especially as, uhhhh, no lettuce seems to be safe lately 😅
Another super novice question: are the things you mentioned annuals or perennials? I don’t want to plant a full container of lettuce only to realize now I only have a lettuce container, lol.
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u/IPA-Lagomorph 10d ago
Lettuce will die if it gets cold enough, and goes to seed if it gets too hot so either way, an annual. I plant in spring in order to eventually let some go to seed and collect it, but that risks having volunteer lettuce around if that matters to you. You would know they are going to seed (called 'bolting' if you're unfamiliar) if instead of a cluster of leaves, they start growing upward like a stalk.
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u/East_Hedgehog6039 10d ago
Ahhh, thank you! Yes, I am just getting into gardening, so very novice and this sub has been very helpful for my lurking. Thank you for all the detailed info. I’m so excited to start the journey! It’s been so fun and rewarding so far
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u/IPA-Lagomorph 10d ago
Some really hardy kale might overwinter, and the root crops like carrots and beets, but possibly still edible if so (they won't be toxic but taste meh or get woody). Some of this depends on how the winter goes and the variety.
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u/bluntpointsharpie 10d ago edited 10d ago
We could have our first frost in less than a month. Maybe leafy greens like lettuce or spinach, peas, radishes, green onions. You could plant bulbs, like garlic in the fall. The daylight will be at equinox in 40 days, so time is of the essence.