The chard, the beet’s cousin! Swiss chard is not grown for its underground part, the root like beetroot, but for its tasty leaves, which we eat cooked or boiled in various recipes. A fall planting vegetable, Swiss chard is an easy crop with no particular requirements, and very healthy as it helps regulate sugar. It is grown as an annual vegetable, as it blooms in the second year. There are many varieties of chard, with light green to dark green leaf color and red or white stems and veins, depending on the variety.
Varieties of Swiss chard with red veins make them visually similar to beets. Note that due to its impressive foliage, the chard also adds decorative value to our autumn vegetable garden. The chard prefers cool weather. Although it does not tolerate high temperatures, the chard seeks sunny or semi-dark places, while it is also relatively resistant to light frost. It wants deep fertile soils, enriched in organic matter that also have good drainage.

Sage is quite a hardy plant and grows in a variety of soils, even dry, barren and stony soils. Sage grows best in sandy, calcareous soils with very good drainage that warm up in early spring. Sage is resistant to both low and high temperatures, meaning we can plant it in hot and cold areas. Prefers places with sun both in the garden and on the balcony.
When planted in the shade, it shows stunted growth and can show rot in the shoots and the root. Incorporating organic matter in the form of digested manure and compost when planting sage is beneficial for its growth.

Purslane, also known as anthrakla, is an annual, native, multi-branched plant of the Mediterranean with characteristic smooth and fleshy shoots. Wormwood grows in cultivated fields and especially in vegetable gardens that are watered in late spring and bears small yellow flowers. Although often considered an unwanted grass (weed) in the garden, buttercup is edible, very tasty and has a high nutritional value.

Cabbage is a cold season plant and the ideal temperature for its growth is 15-18 degrees Celsius. Cabbages are planted mainly in sunny positions in the fall, although semi-shaded positions are useful in early summer plantings when it is very hot. Cabbage can grow in all types of soil, except very acidic soils. It is important that the soil has good drainage to remove excess water from watering and to ensure good aeration of the roots. For early cabbages we prefer sandy, light warm soils, while for late cabbages we prefer heavier and more fertile soils with good drainage, rich in organic matter. 3. How do we plant the cabbages and at what distances? We can raise cabbage plants from seed to maintain traditional varieties or keep our own seeds from the plants every year. Planting in a nursery takes 4-6 weeks until the young plants are ready for transplanting in the field. Ideal temperatures for seed germination and plant growth are 15-20 degrees Celsius. Alternatively, we can get ready-made cabbage plants from agricultural stores and nurseries in our area. Cabbage is transplanted from mid-August to early November depending on the growing conditions in each region.

Spinach needs cool weather and sunny locations to grow and thrive in the fall season. It is also particularly resistant to low winter temperatures. In the spring season, we prefer to plant it in semi-shaded places, as in places with a lot its flowering stem develops prematurely, which stops the vegetation and the production of tender leaves. We plant spinach in fertile, fluffy soil, enriched in nutrients that ensure good growth. Till the soil well before planting and incorporate compost, well-digested manure and complete organic fertilizer.

There are dozens of cucumber varieties and hybrids that are commercially available and that we can plant. Depending on the size of the fruit, the cucumber varieties are divided into the large-fruited varieties and the small-fruited varieties that, in addition to being fresh, are also used for pickling. A traditional long-fruited variety of cucumber is the Kalybiotiko cucumber, suitable for summer outdoor cultivation that gives very tasty smooth dark green fruits, about 40 cm long. Among the small-fruited varieties, we distinguish the Knossos variety, from the Heraklion region of Crete, with a smooth, dark green, crunchy fruit about 20 centimeters long. Long cucumber, a traditional variety of cucumber.