Mid-August brings the start of fall vegetable gardening at San Antonio Botanical Garden. Rows of leafy greens, colorful roots, and other seasonal crops are ready to be planted.
Gardeners can pick up easy tips to help plants grow strong and healthy. The experts on-site share insights for a productive and vibrant garden.
It’s a great way to get hands-on with fall gardening and enjoy fresh, homegrown vegetables.
1. Butternut Squash
Sweet and nutty, this squash variety becomes incredibly versatile after roasting. Texas gardeners love how it stores for months after harvest.
At the San Antonio garden, you’ll find heirloom varieties with deeper flavor than grocery store options. Their cooking demonstrations often feature this fall favorite in soups and pasta dishes.
2. Kale
Hardy and resilient, kale actually tastes sweeter after light frost touches its leaves. The botanical garden showcases several varieties including the frilly Redbor and dinosaur kale.
Garden experts in Texas recommend massaging raw kale with olive oil to transform its texture. You’ll often spot this superfood thriving in the demonstration beds even as temperatures drop.
3. Brussels Sprouts
Growing like tiny cabbages along tall stalks, Brussels sprouts create a fascinating vertical display in garden beds. Many Texas visitors are surprised to see how these miniature vegetables develop.
The garden’s culinary programs often highlight roasting techniques that bring out their natural sweetness. Fall’s cooler nights in San Antonio help reduce the bitterness that makes some people avoid this nutritional powerhouse.
4. Rainbow Chard
Vibrant stems in yellow, pink, red and orange make rainbow chard the showstopper of fall gardens. The San Antonio gardeners plant it in patterns that highlight its ornamental qualities.
Despite Texas heat, this leafy green persists through autumn with minimal care. Visitors often photograph the dramatic colors while learning how to incorporate both stems and leaves into nutritious meals.
5. Purple Carrots
Ancient varieties with deep purple hues surprise many garden visitors who only know orange carrots. The rich color comes from anthocyanins, the same antioxidants found in blueberries.
Texas gardeners at the botanical center demonstrate how these vibrant roots thrive in fall’s cooler soil. Children especially love pulling these colorful treasures from the earth during educational harvesting events.
6. Mustard Greens
Spicy and bold, mustard greens add punch to fall salads and stir-fries. The frilly varieties create beautiful texture in the demonstration gardens.
San Antonio’s gardening experts show visitors how these fast-growing greens thrive in Texas’s moderate autumn weather. Many learn that young leaves offer milder flavor, while mature leaves bring that distinctive peppery kick to Southern-style cooking.
7. Kohlrabi
Looking like something from another planet, kohlrabi’s bulbous stem and radiating leaves fascinate garden visitors. The purple and green varieties create striking displays in the vegetable beds.
Garden staff in Texas often demonstrate peeling techniques to reveal the crisp, apple-like flesh inside. San Antonio chefs partner with the garden to showcase this underappreciated vegetable in slaws and roasted vegetable medleys.
8. Rutabaga
Often overlooked, this root vegetable becomes sweeter after frost and stores beautifully through winter. Garden visitors learn how rutabagas differ from their turnip cousins.
The Texas demonstration kitchen shows how to transform this humble root into creamy mashes and hearty roasts. San Antonio gardeners highlight how this vegetable thrives with minimal attention in fall’s cooling soil.
9. Radicchio
With stunning burgundy leaves forming tight heads, radicchio brings Italian heritage to Texas garden beds. Its slightly bitter flavor mellows beautifully when grilled or roasted.
San Antonio’s garden demonstrations show how this chicory relative thrives in fall’s moderate temperatures. Visitors often learn about pairing its distinctive flavor with sweeter vegetables in traditional Mediterranean recipes adapted for Texas tastes.
10. Fennel
Feathery fronds sway above bulbous bases, giving fennel an architectural presence in garden beds. The anise scent surprises many visitors who brush against the plants during tours.
Texas gardeners demonstrate how every part from bulb to seeds can flavor dishes. San Antonio’s culinary programs often feature this Mediterranean native in refreshing salads that balance the heat of traditional Texan cuisine.
11. Leeks
Taller and milder than their onion relatives, leeks stand like soldiers in neat rows. Garden volunteers demonstrate the traditional mounding technique that blanches stems for tender eating.
San Antonio’s cooking demonstrations highlight leeks in everything from potato soup to elegant tarts. Texas gardeners appreciate how these hardy vegetables withstand occasional temperature dips while maintaining their subtle flavor.
12. Daikon Radish
Long white roots stretch deep into the soil, making harvest a surprising revelation for garden visitors. Many Texans are unfamiliar with this Asian staple that can grow over a foot long.
San Antonio’s garden educators demonstrate how daikon thrives in fall’s cooling temperatures. The botanical garden’s international vegetable section showcases how this crisp, mildly spicy root becomes a versatile ingredient in pickles and stir-fries.
13. Broccoli Rabe
Not actually broccoli but a turnip relative, this leafy vegetable produces small florets with a pleasantly bitter flavor. Garden tours highlight its quick growth cycle in Texas fall conditions.
San Antonio’s demonstration kitchen shows traditional Italian preparations that mellow its distinctive taste. Visitors learn how this nutritional powerhouse thrives in the botanical garden’s rich soil during autumn’s moderate temperatures.
14. Collard Greens
Towering plants with broad, blue-green leaves represent Southern cooking tradition in the heritage garden section. Texas gardeners demonstrate how these nutritional powerhouses improve in flavor after light frost.
San Antonio’s cultural programs connect these greens to both African American and Southern European cooking traditions. Visitors learn sustainable harvesting techniques that allow plants to continue producing through the mild Texas winter.
15. Parsnips
Looking like pale carrots, these sweet root vegetables develop their best flavor after frost converts their starches to sugar. Garden demonstrations reveal their surprising height above ground while roots develop below.
Texas gardeners share tips for long-term storage of this traditional winter vegetable. San Antonio’s historical garden section connects parsnips to early American farming traditions that influenced regional Texas cuisine.