Zone 4 - What to Plant in September

Zone 4 - What to Plant in September

Zone 4 growers typically don't have too many options to plant in September. Zone 4 first frost usually occurs in late September to early October. That being said, there's still some items you can still plant. It's the perfect time to plant garlic so you get a fast start next spring. Also there are several cover crops that can be planted now to help bring nutrients back to the garden this fall and early spring. Below is a list of items that can be planted in zone 4 in September.

California Early is an excellent planting garlic variety that produces bulbs great for culinary use and is an early season garlic harvest! This variety is likely the most commonly grown variety in the U.S., and for good reason. It is a medium, easy to grow softneck, with a nice mild flavor and excellent storage ability. Cal-Early is one of our "work-horse" varieties we depend on, year after year, for fresh market and garlic braiding. The skins are a nice off-white with a purple blush and it produces 10-16 cloves per head.

Chesnok Red garlic is one of the best baking garlic's available! This variety is a fantastic garlic that holds its shape and flavor well when cooked. Its stores well. Chesnok Red is regarded by some as the best all around garlic variety as it has a very beautiful red color.

Russian Red garlic has big bulbs that have a slightly purple skin that wraps the bulbs and cloves. This variety is a great garlic to grow for soil conditions that are slightly damp. Russian Red is one of the most flavorful heirloom garlics we offer. Approximately 6-9 cloves/ bulb. Approximately 45-60 garlic cloves/ pound.

The Curled Cress is a highly nutritious aquatic green. This cress has been cultivated for hundreds of years. This peppery and pungent cress has the same tangy flavor as watercress, as they are of the same botanical family. Curled cress is great for seed sprouting or microgreen growing!

The Hon Tsai Tai has deep purple tender stalks with a slight mustard flavor that is great in different salads or cooked into stir fries! Its green leaves have petite florets that are best harvested right before the bright yellow blossoms open. Hon Tsa Tai is best grown in mid to late summer.

The Blue Curled Scotch Kale can be used as a garnish and or in hearty winter dishes. This kale variety is a compact plant with very tender, blue-green, crinkled leaves that are quite delicious, very cold hardy, and rich in vitamin A.

The Upland Cress is a highly nutritious aquatic herb. This cress is a slow to bolt green, but once it's established it will take off and have a long growing season! Upland's 6-8" rosettes of dark green, glossy, rounded leaves are very tasty and refreshing. Upland is very similar to watercress, but is much easier to grow!

Feng Qing Choi cabbage is a slow bolting Mei Qing Choi type with good plant size and dark leaf color. This variety has excellent holding ability and uniformity.

Mei Qing Choi cabbage is a Shanghai pak choi type with good heat and cold tolerance and bolting resistance. In the U.S., this variety is harvested as baby pak choi. It is smaller than Joi Choi, weighing about a quarter of a pound. This pak choi has an excellent flavor and is extra tender.

The Scarlet Kale is a heavily curled variety with sturdy green to red-purple leaves that will become more vibrant as the weather gets colder. This kale will not only add a beautiful pop of color to the garden, but also in salads or other dishes. Scarlet is known not only for its beauty, but also its delicious taste that can be enjoyed throughout the season.

The Garden Sorrel has delicious lemon flavored leaves that go great with a zesty salad or savory soup! These greens are best harvested in early spring and late fall when it's most tender. Garden Sorrel has pointed leaves that form thick clumps. The Garden Sorrel is popular for being high in Vitamin C.

True Watercress is a delicious highly nutritious aquatic herb. This watercress has a wonderful fresh peppery-tasting flavor. Being semiaquatic, this cress is a creeping perennial whose leaves are popular in salads, sandwiches and as a garnish. True Watercress grow rapidly in in damp soil and can be grown in pots of soil placed in a tub of water if water is changed weekly.

The Vit Mache, or also known as Lamb's Lettuce, is a green that is excellent for gourmet salads or as a garnish. Vit Mache produces good yields of 3" salad leaves. This green has a mild taste and is usually mixed together with Endive, Mustard, and Arugula. Vit Mache will produce a fall/winter harvest. Sow every 2 weeks.

Garland Serrate Leaf Greens is a delicious Japanese green that is an edible chrysanthemum. This popular Japanese green has serrated, dark green aromatic leaves that have an excellent flavor that becomes stronger with age. Garland Serrate is easy to grow and produces high yields with side shoots.

The Dwarf Siberian Kale leaves are perfect as a garnish and in hearty winter dishes. This frilly green and purple kale dances in the crisp early morning cold and thrive. Why? Because its roots are from Russia!

The Braising Mix Blend is growing trend in the market which uses a blend of different delicious mustard and arugula varieties. Our dealers can help you develop a custom braising mix for your specific market or growing region. This blend is used for multiple picking in home gardens. This very healthy alternative to lettuce blends is becoming very popular.

The Brilliant Rainbow Quinoa blends beautifully into meals or salads. Just like its name, this quinoa contains a spectrum of many different colored heads - red, orange, gold, white, and green. The Brilliant Rainbow Quinoa's leaves have a salty spinach-like flavor. Harvest for greens when 6-8" tall or let grow for beautiful tall blooms that can be harvested for grain. This Quinoa's grain has a nutty flavor that goes well with any dish!

The Dazzling Blue Kale is a beautiful, cold-tolerant lacinato-type that produces large blue-green leaves with deep purple veins. This kale is sure to add a delicious pop of color to any salad! This variety will survive freezing temperatures better than other lacinato types and will even intensify with cool temperatures.