Ornamental Vegetables for Fall
By Steven Biggs
Vegetable Crops That Look Great in the Fall
As I write this, it’s spring. But I’m picturing my fall garden.
I was just scouting out the spot where my Swiss chard will go this year.
I always fit in chard close to my kitchen window.
An Ornamental Edible
In the garden outside my kitchen window I weave together the ornamental and the edible. I especially treasure edible plants with ornamental appeal.
And that’s where chard fits in.
Swiss chard paints this part of my garden in yellows, reds, pink, and orange.
As cool, grey fall weather arrives, Swiss chard is a bright spot in a fading garden.
Summer-Long Production
Leafy greens like lettuce, spinach, and arugula come and go with summer heat.
They bolt
They get leathery
They get bitter
But Swiss chard sails through the heat with a prodigious output of tender leaves.
A Long-Lasting Edible
Swiss chard paints this part of my garden in yellows, reds, pink, and orange.
As cool, grey fall weather arrives, Swiss chard is a bright spot in a fading garden.
It shines.
When frost renders swathes of the garden a wilted green-brown, chard still shines. The bright leaves bow to the frost, then spring back up as sunshine warms them.
It perseveres until a hard freeze.
Put Chard Where You Can See it in the Fall
I’m picturing the spot where my chard will go, and making sure it’s somewhere I can enjoy looking at it from my kitchen window through the fall.
More Ornamental Vegetables for the Fall Garden
Cardoon is another ornamental vegetable that looks great in the fall. Find out more about cardoon.
Artichokes hold up nicely in fall weather. Find out how to grow artichoke.