Though gardening is often thought of as a spring and summer pastime, Charleston’s mild climate and long growing season give home gardeners a planting window well into November for a variety of hardy vegetables and herbs.
So if you’ve only recently been bitten by the gardening bug and feel like you’ve missed your chance to plant, don’t fret. There’s still time to get a few seedlings in the ground before Charleston’s first frost.
Herbs are some of the more forgiving plants an unseasoned gardener can grow. Most herbs do best in sunny areas. Because of South Carolina’s high humidity and heavy soils, consider growing herbs in raised beds or container gardens for a better chance of success.
The aromatic greens are great to have on-hand for cooking, and some of the flavors that anchor fall and winter recipes thrive in the cooler seasons. Sage, thyme and oregano seem to prefer the cooler season to Charleston’s summers, said Danielle Spies, co-owner of Sea Island Savory Herbs on Johns Island.
Another pair of cool-season annuals is dill and cilantro. These will hold up as the air and soil get chillier and sprout in time to sprinkle fragrant leaves over rice dishes.
“I would definitely say it’s safe, and almost recommended, to plant those things this time of year,” Spies said.
The fall season is a good time to plant bulb vegetables, like onions and garlic.
This year’s crop handbook from the Southeastern Vegetable Extension Workers, a collaborative effort from land-grant universities across the Southeastern U.S., provides a comprehensive planting guide for onions and garlic, among other crops.
Mid-November is the end of planting season for onion bulbs and sets, though garlic can be planted in eastern parts of the state until the end of November.
Fall is prime time to pop a clove of garlic in the ground for a late-spring payoff. Garlic is ready to harvest in mid-May to mid-June.
“Cloves should be planted during the fall, because a chilling requirement must be met for good bulb development,” the SEVEW group writes.
There are a handful of hardy greens that can be sowed well into the fall season that can be harvested relatively quickly.
Kale is a frost-tolerant plant that’s skyrocketed to popularity in the past decade, shedding its reputation as a bitter green. Colder temperatures are kind to kale, sweetening the leaves, according to guidance from Clemson University’s Home and Garden Information Center.
Kale can also be harvested in as little as 30 days after sowing its seeds as a microgreen. Once ready to eat, try massaging the leaves with a little oil before digging in to make the kale more tender.
The fall season is also an OK time to plant collards and lettuces.
Early November is technically considered the tail end of planting season for collards, but because the Charleston area’s first frost isn’t expected until late December, per the Old Farmer’s Almanac, home gardeners can still see success with planting seeds now.
Romaine and butterhead lettuce can withstand temperatures as low as 20 degrees, although it’s not often that Charleston sees many of those below-freezing days.
“Those are plants that love the cold, and the cold that we have never really is too harsh,” Spies said.
