Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, September 24, 1993                   TAG: 9309280198
SECTION: HOME & LANDSCAPE                    PAGE: HL-23   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: CHARLES STEBBINS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

LEAFY GREENS, SOME VEGETABLES DO JUST FINE IN COOLER WEATHER

Many popular vegetables - those hardy enough to withstand chilly air - can be coaxed into producing a nice harvest late in the growing season to give a taste of summer when the air is hinting of winter.

"It's a way to have spring crops all over again in the fall," said Jacqui Brown, a horticultural consultant in Montvale.

Some of the best vegetables for late growing in Western Virginia, according to Brown, are beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collards, kale, mustard, onion sets, spinach and turnips.

Some other plants, not quite as hardy, can be grown to produce a crop in the fall.

Among them are lima and snap beans, cucumber, eggplant, leaf lettuce, peas, potatoes and radish.

Brown said the time to plant for a late harvest is in July and early August, although several vegetables - notably kale and onion sets - can be planted as late as the first half of September in many areas of western Virginia.

But there are several pitfalls to a late-season garden.

The main one is a "lazy soil" that has been depleted of vitality by summer growth and dried out by hot summer sun.

To remedy this, Brown recommends adding humus and fertilizer to soil before planting and then watering well.

Another serious pitfall is pest and disease damage.

Brown says diseases and pests may be more prevalent in the fall so the gardener must be on guard. Control measures to use depend on the affliction and the plant.

But, help is close by. Seed packets may give some advice, garden stores also can advise and the agricultural extension service is always on hand.

Also, weeds probably will be a problem. A thick mulch will help in this area.

If a gardener has never grown a late garden and wants to start small, a good beginning would be to stick with the leafy greens.

Kale especially is a hardy crop that does best in cool climes. It will produce a crop in early spring, and if the roots are left undisturbed a new crop will appear in the fall. And left over winter, the roots will produce new shoots in early spring.

The other leafy greens - collards, mustard, spinach - also grow nicely in cool weather. Once mature, all of the leafy greens will last even when the fall air has grown quite chilly, Western Virginia gardeners report.