A Family With Many Faces

As a triplet myself, I’ve always thought of my family as pretty big. But it’s nothing compared to this one. You may know the brassica family as just cabbages and cauliflowers, yet the Brassicaceae clan is much larger than most people imagine. It has around 370 genera and over 4,000 species, making it one of the most important plant families in both our gardens and our kitchens.

Some members include:

• Kale and collards
• Broccoli and cauliflower
• Brussels sprouts
• Kohlrabi
• Radishes and turnips
• Bokchoy, mizuna, arugula (yes really!), mustard greens

So, amazingly, many of these vegetables all come from one of the 4,000 species: Brassica Oleracea. They are carefully bred of centuries to emphasize different parts of the plant. Leaves, stems, buds, flowers, roots, they are all transformed into unique crops, yet bound by family ties.

Why Autumn is Their Season

Brassicas thrive when the air is cool and crisp. They dislike the stress of high summer heat, but as soon as autumn rolls in, they grow strong and sweet.

In fact, many brassicas taste even better after the first frost! Why, you ask? Here’s the cool part: cold weather triggers chemical changes that turn starches into sugars, making kale sweeter and Brussels sprouts less bitter. So instead of bundling up in warmer clothes like we do, they literally change their chemistry. Plants are way cooler than us (kidding… kinda).

In short, where summer crops retreat, brassicas shine. They are the bridge between seasons, carrying us from the abundance of late summer into the steady rhythm of winter harvests.

Fun Facts to Share Around the Dinner Table

• The brassica family includes crops, herbs and even ornamentals!

• • Canola oil (a staple cooking oil worldwide) comes from a brassica too: Brassica napus.

  • • Brassicas are also called “crucifers” because their four-petaled flowers look like a cross.
• This fam is a nutritional powerhouse! They are packed with vitamins C, K and folates. Plus compounds called glucosinolates that give them their characteristic mustardy bite. And, and, and this is also the compound that protect the plant from pests (and ironically, they’re also linked to health benefits for us)! You should totally flex this glucosinolates-fact at dinner.
• Broccoli and cauliflower are essentially the same plant, just bred for different flower structure.

Caring for Brassicas in Your Garden

Soil & Feeding

• Brassicas are hungry plants! Give them fertile, well-drained soil enriched with compost.
• They thrive with steady moisture and benefit from a balanced organic fertiliser.

Planting Time

• Late summer is perfect for sowing fast growers like arugula, mustard and radishes for autumn salads.
• Kale, cabbages and brussels sprouts can be transplanted now and will be ready to harvest as autumn deepens.

Frost is a Friend

• Don’t fear the cold, frost improves the flavor! With a little protection (row covers, mulch) many brassicas will carry you right into winter.

Pest and Protection

Okay, this is an important one. Brassicas are vulnerable to diseases. The most serious is clubroot, a soilborne parasite that causes swollen roots and stunted growth. Once present, it can survive in the soil for up to 20 years! Because all members of the brassica family are susceptible, it’s very important to rotate them as a group.

Rotation helps because it:

• Breaks pest and disease cycles
• Lets the soil recover nutrients
• Keeps plants healthier and yields stronger

A Simple 4-Year Rotation Plan

Here’s a beginner-friendly rotation cycle you could use:

Year 1 -> Brassicas (so your cabbage, kale, broccoli, etc.)

Year 2 -> Legumes (peas, beans): add nitrogen to soil

Year 3 -> Roots & Alliums (Carrots, beets, onions, garlic)

Year 4 -> Fruiting crops (tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash)

Then back to year 1 with brassicas. The key: Don’t plant brassicas in the same soil two years in a row.

Using Planter’s Growing Guide

To make rotation simple, use the Planter app’s growing guide:

• Each crop is tagged with its plant family, so you know which ones count as brassicas.
• Planting calendars help you plan sowing and transplanting at the right time.
• Care tips keep track of spacing, feeding and watering needs. By marking wat you’ve planted in each bed, you can easily see when and where to rate crops next season.

When summer crops fade, brassicas take over. They’re tough, nutritious, and often taste best in the cool of autumn. By giving them fertile soil, protection from pests, and a good crop rotation, they’ll reward you with months of fresh harvests.

Happy gardening!

Spinach

Considering spinach is often harvested for its tender baby leaves, it’s amazing just how cold-hardy it is. Depending on the conditions, spinach can still be going strong with minimal frost protection and snow on the ground! With added protection, some cold-climate gardeners are even able to overwinter spinach for harvests right through winter and into the following spring. Spinach is also a super fast-growing crop that can be ready to harvest in as little as 35 days- so even if you don’t feel like using season extension techniques you can still get a solid fall crop of spinach. And as the weather cools down there is less risk of your spinach bolting, meaning you can get a prolonged harvest if you only pick the outermost leaves. 

Kale

Kale is about as cold-hardy as plants come, which makes it a potential candidate for early fall sowing. That being said, like most every plant kale’s growth will slow to almost a standstill once the temperatures approach freezing. To get a fall (and potentially winter!) harvest of kale you’ll need at least 55 days for the plants to reach maturity. If you don’t have that long left in your growing season, you still have options to grow kale. You can look for pre-started kale transplants at your local garden center (although they might be hard to come by), or you can seed intensively and harvest baby kale leaves as a delicious delicacy!

Radishes

Radishes are a classic crop for fall planting as they grow so quickly and are also quite cold-hardy. Radishes can reach maturity in as little as 25 days, meaning you can keep on planting successions of radishes almost right to the bitter end of your growing season. Radishes grown in cooler, wetter weather can be less spicy than their summer-grown counterparts so if you’re not a fan of the typical radish bite you might like fall (and spring) grown radishes. If your radishes do not bulb up as your first frost date approaches you can also harvest them for their green tops, which can be cooked up in stir-fries and soups. If you’re after the radish greens you will want to pull your radishes before frost comes or otherwise use season extension techniques to protect them as the greens do tend to get droopy with the frost.

Lettuce

Lettuce is a semi-frost tolerant plant that grows at its best in cool-ish temperatures. If you grow loose-leaf lettuce as a cut-and-come-again crop, rather than aiming for a full-sized lettuce head, you will be able to harvest your lettuce much earlier. Ideally, look for lettuce varieties that are more cold-hardy and well-suited for late-season planting. While lettuce can handle a light frost, if a nighttime frost is in the forecast you may still want to temporarily cover your lettuce with row cover, plastic, bedsheets, or towels, as a preventative measure. Even if frost doesn’t take out the plant entirely, frost damage on the leaves can render them inedible.

Arugula

Arugula is a rather spicy green that may not appeal to everyone, but if you can handle its peppery punch it is a prime candidate for fall planting. Arugula can reach maturity in as little as 28 days and the seeds can germinate in cool soil. Like lettuce, arugula is semi-tolerant of frost- so you may want to err on the side of caution and cover it up if frost is in the forecast. Cut or pick just the outermost leaves of the arugula, leaving the growing crown intact, to keep the harvests going. Arugula is much less likely to bolt in the cooler weather, so you may be able to harvest it continuously until a freeze takes it out!

Bok choy

Bok choy, also known as pac choi or chinese cabbage, is a frost tolerant member of the brassica family that is a delicious addition in stir fries, soups, and noodle dishes. Some varieties of bok choy can be ready to harvest in as little as 30 days, but many can take 45-60 days– so be careful to select a variety that will be able to reach maturity in the remainder of your growing season. If your bok choy doesn’t quite reach full size by the time heavy frosts set in, you can still harvest it on the smaller side as ‘baby bok choy’.

Hakurei turnips

While the larger, standard grocery store turnips are typically slow-growing plants that take their time to mature, there are smaller ‘hakurei salad turnip’ varieties available that can be ready to harvest in as little as 35 days! Hakurei turnips are frost tolerant, and although the greens may take a beating with heavier frosts the roots will remain sweet, juicy, and crisp- just be sure to get them out of the ground before a hard freeze sets in. Or, like radish, if the roots don’t end up reaching full size you can at least use the tops to cook with. Hakurei turnips add nice variety to a late-season harvest that can often be mostly greens.

While the end of summer can be bittersweet, in the garden it’s the perfect time to get some new crops growing! Take advantage of the more comfortable temperatures to get outside and plant a fresh round of veggies for late-fall harvests!

Tomatillos

If you’ve ever enjoyed ‘salsa verde’ at a Mexican restaurant, you should definitely give tomatillos a try in your garden! Tomatillos are in the Solanaceae (nightshade) family like tomatoes and peppers, but in many ways they are easier to grow. They enjoy heat and a long growing season, but as long as you get them up and growing in time they will produce like crazy until frost comes. They are relatively disease and pest resistant, and pruning or fancy trellising is not required! You can let your tomatillos bush out and offer them some support in a sturdy tomato cage- then watch them take off!

Potatoes

Potatoes are another Solanaceae family member that can be overlooked in the garden. Why bother using precious garden space to grow something that is so cheap in the grocery store? If you can eke out a few square feet somewhere in your garden (it doesn’t need to be prime real estate) it is worth giving potatoes a go. It is recommended to use seed potatoes purchased from a garden center for the best yields, but some success can be had by popping a few sprouting potatoes from your pantry into the ground Potatoes do prefer loose, fluffy soil and will appreciate sufficient moisture and nutrients, but otherwise they are a set-it-and-forget-it crop. Once you’ve tasted a garden-grown potato you’ll find space to grow them every year!

Spinach

Lettuce is often the go-to when it comes to leafy garden greens, but spinach is a true powerhouse plant. It is hardier than lettuce and contains more vitamins and nutrients. It’s also more versatile in the kitchen- you can grow lots of small spinach plants for tender ‘baby spinach’ that can be regularly plucked for fresh salads. Or you can let the plants grow larger for more substantial leaves that can be cooked or frozen. Like lettuce, spinach can be prone to bolting so you’ll want to consider succession planting for ongoing harvests. If you’re looking to add more greens to your garden and your diet, swap spinach into the rotation!

Turnip

Thinking about turnip might conjure up memories of mushy puree served exclusively over the holidays. But you might not know that there are some types of turnips that are deliciously sweet, crispy, and can be eaten raw or cooked. ‘Hakurei turnips’ are a farmer’s market favorite that are super easy to grow. They look like a jumbo-size white radish, and grow similarly to radishes, but the taste is fresh and juicy without any of the signature radish kick (radish haters love them!) The greens are also excellent for stir-frying. Even if adding turnips to your garden has never crossed your mind, be sure to give hakurei a try!

Winter Squash

Summer squash such as zucchini often takes front row in the summer garden, but winter squash that can be stored such as butternut, acorn, and spaghetti squash let you enjoy your garden-fresh harvest well into the winter months when other crops have long since been eaten. ‘Winter squash’ suggests a plant that should be grown in cooler weather, but they are in fact heat-loving plants that grow through the summer months (depending on your location). While winter squash plants can get large and ramble-y, one healthy plant can produce several squashes. And if space is tight, you can also trellis them vertically to free up precious square footage in your garden beds. Check out Grow Super Squash to learn how to grow winter (and summer!) squash.

Raspberries

While many gardeners jump straight into growing strawberries, raspberries are arguably the easiest berries to grow. And considering how expensive a small pint of raspberries can cost, they are well worth it! Red raspberry bushes do tend to spread over time- which can be a blessing but also can become a problem- so you’ll want to think about how to contain them. Raspberries need pruning each year to maximize the harvest, and how you prune them depends on which type of raspberry you are growing. Be sure to research this before hacking away! Other than an annual boost of nutrients and the occasional haircut, raspberries are easy-peasy to grow! For more info on growing raspberries check out Grow Bountiful Berries.

Rhubarb

Rhubarb might feel like an old-timey (dare I say boring?) plant, but they are a cornerstone of home gardening for a reason. Once they’re up and growing rhubarb plants are hardy as anything and require almost no maintenance, with some plants living on for several decades. And while the stalks are typically processed for baking and preserving, there’s really nothing easier than chopping up some rhubarb and freezing it to be able to make delicious rhubarb crisp! If you have a spot anywhere in your yard that gets sun exposure- even at the side of your house, mixed in with landscaping plants- just stick a rhubarb plant in there! You’ll appreciate having it every time you whip up a sweet-tart rhubarb delicacy.

You don’t need to give up all your garden go-tos to make way for new plants. Just Keep an open mind and try at least one or two plants you may have never thought of growing. You might just find they end up in your regular garden rotation!