Fall crops should be in the ground

Q. When can I plant those fall veggie crops like spinach and kale?

A. On your mark, get set, start now!

Here are some surefire tips for successful planting and harvesting of spinach and kale, cool season vegetables that can be planted and that flourish during our Zone 5b late summer and autumn season:

Choose the site carefully before planting. Ideally the site should have full sun for six to eight hours a day and be sheltered from strong winds, which can uproot young plants.

Make sure your site's soil condition is suitable. Soil testing is recommended to determine if any heavy metals (arsenic and lead, for example) are present; if found, it is best to use a raised bed with uncontaminated soil.

Alternatively, a cold frame (generally a boxlike structure with a cover that opens) holds soil and can be used for growing spinach or kale. The transparent plastic or small-gauge mesh cover the sturdy frame of wood. The plastic should allow light, heat and water to pass through while protecting the young sprouts from rabbit or deer damage. Cold frames are especially advantageous because they can extend the growing season by creating a warmer climate than the fall or winter temperatures that dip below freezing, especially if below 25 degrees. The cold frame is also useful for cool season vegetables grown in early spring as both seasons are subject to potentially damaging cold temperatures.

If spinach and kale are not grown in a cold frame but are planted in the ground, they can be protected from cold weather by covering the plants with a row cover or old sheet to protect them from "desiccating winds and frost burn," advises the Missouri Botanical Garden in "Growing Vegetables at Home."

Read the seed packet or plant tag to determine several things: the space each plant requires, the depth at which the seed or plant should be planted, and the growing days needed (days to maturity) - all are crucial considerations.

The estimated days to harvest these leafy greens? Kale requires 50 to 65 days; spinach needs fewer: 40 to 50 days. Planting either of these vegetables in September is fine, although some of the protective measures given above may be necessary if late fall temperatures drop substantially. If possible, plant transplants that are cold hardy varieties that have already been hardened off. You can see the frost dates given for Cook County (Nov. 4 to Nov. 19) in the map provided by the Illinois State Water Survey: www.isws.illinois.edu/statecli/Frost/fall-freeze-32-latest.png.

- Arlene Swartzman

• Provided by Master Gardeners through the Master Gardener Answer Desk, Friendship Park Conservatory, Des Plaines, and University of Illinois Extension, North Cook Branch Office, Arlington Heights. Call (847) 298-3502 on Wednesdays or email northcookmg@gmail.com. Visit web.extension.illinois.edu/mg.