PlantlingsPlus to the rescue for any of you who have forgotten to sow a crop of greens and cold-season crops for fall harvest. The Fall PlantlingsPlus Collection from Ferry-Morse is a line of 20 varieties of vegetables, herbs and ornamental flowers that are at least 4-6 inches tall when they arrive at your door. With well-established root systems, these plants are way further along in their life cycles than transplants in small 6-pack cells. This larger plant size and root system gives folks a big head start in actually growing and harvesting greens as the cooler months progress.

My PlantlingsPlus Experience

I received a box containing two pots each of Scotch Blue Curled Kale, Salanova Lettuce Blend and Bright Lights Swiss Chard. The size was indeed 4-6 inches, which was quite impressive. The root system was also as well developed as they had promised.

I received the PlantlingsPlus just as some of the annual flowers in my porch containers were looking about done. I simply snipped off the above-ground biomass of the flowers, created a few extra holes in my containers alongside the hardier annuals, and inserted my new fall crops. The bright, colorful Swiss Chard stems and the dusky greens and purples of the kale and lettuce blend immediately changed my flower container mood from worn-out summer vibes to a comforting fall feel.

I’ve purchased kale and chard transplants for fall gardening from garden centers in past years. I found them to be much smaller with weaker root systems. They just weren’t as robust as these PlantlingsPlus. If I had to find fault with anything, I would say the lettuce was maybe a bit too far along in its growth. One of the two pots was ready to bolt. I cut the top out to use in a salad, left several sets of bottom leaves and planted it. I’m thinking it’ll produce some new growth and I’ll have another harvest before to long.

Maybe They’ll Last Through Winter

I just came across a video from Jess at Roots and Refuge Farm where she builds a super-simple mini greenhouse in which she sows lettuce for fall and winter harvest. As the temperatures dive, I may be tempted to then transplant these PlantlingsPlus kale and chard plants into a similar setup to see how deep into the season these plants can go.