17 Crops to Plant In Your Greenstalk Planter This Labor Day

September marks a time of transition in the seasons and the garden. Temperatures begin to mellow and, depending on where you live, turn cooler. To save ourselves some work this Labor Day, consider going vertical with an arrangement of crops in your Greenstalk planter.

The versatile growing structure contains stacked planting pockets for easy growing and harvesting. The columnar pockets and water reservoir streamline planting, growing, maintenance, and space. While space-saving, it doesn’t limit growth potential, and many plants grow well in various configurations.

In late summer, opt for crops that bridge summer and winter and adapt to weather fluctuations. Or choose cold-hardy selections to overwinter for a spring harvest. Here, we’ll explore the best crops to get going in a Greenstalk planter for fall. These also grow beautifully in raised beds, pots, and in the ground.

Get deals on on Greenstalk planters, garden beds, seed-starting essentials, and more with up to 30% off during Epic Gardening’s Labor Day Sale running now through September 9th! 

Bok Choy

	botanical name Brassica rapa subs. chinensis
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6-24”

Bok choy, or pak choi, is a mild, sweet, tender cabbage-family crop with centuries of history in Asian cuisine. This fast-developing, nutrient-rich leafy green is ideal as a late-season planting for an autumn harvest, or several.

Look for dwarf cultivars for quick growth and compact habit in containers. Small selections are often more heat—and frost-tolerant, making them good options during weather fluctuations. 

‘Toy Choy’ is a miniature variety that grows to a petite five inches tall and is ready in as little as 30 days. ‘Baby Choi’ matures in 35 to 60 days and reaches 20 inches tall. Both crops are ideal for a vertical Greenstalk planter. Pick it when small and early for tender greens with crisp white stems.

Garlic

	botanical name Allium sativum
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 12-24”

Throw in a little garlic with your bok choy. In cold climates, September is perfect for planting. Warmer climates will want to wait until October or November when temperatures chill. In containers, tuck it in amongst your other veggies for a spring harvest.

Garlic bulbs are either hardneck or softneck. Hardnecks have a bold, spicy flavor and easy-to-peel qualities. They require a chill period and grow well in cold climates. Softneck varieties are generally smaller bulbs and work well across cold and hot climates.

‘Nootka Rose’ features pretty pink tips on the cloves with white outer layers. It adapts to a wide range of climates with few problems. ‘Silver White’ is a mild classic with nearly one hundred years of cooking and fresh eating. It, too, adapts to variable conditions with malleable stems.

Kale

	botanical name Brassica oleracea
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 4-36”

Kale is a must-have crop in early fall containers, including your Greenstalk planter. Not only delicious, colorful kale creates textural and visual interest, from curly-leaved to leathery in deep green, purple, and red. Sow seeds 10 to 12 weeks before the expected frost.

‘Dwarf Blue Curled’ is an 1800s heirloom with exceptional cold hardiness. Ruffly leaves mature in 21 to 55 days and sweeten after frost exposure.

‘Red Russian’ kale baby greens (Brassica rapus) bring petite, feathery leaves to the table. Leaves are frilly with deep red-purple stems and veins. They’re more tender than larger-leaved varieties at two to four inches long.

Radish

	botanical name Raphanus sativus
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6”-36”

Radishes are crisp, crunchy, colorful root vegetables that develop quickly in cool temperatures. The compact stature of this root crop makes it a good fit for containers and vertical planters.

‘Cherry Belle’ is a classic bright red radish with white flesh and a crisp flavor. These Holland heirlooms won the All-America Selections award in 1949 for their fast growth, easy care, and flavorful roots. The salad radishes are a gardener’s and chef’s favorite.

‘Cherry Belle’ radishes are frost-tolerant and best sown up to several weeks before the average first frost date. Harvest the little belles when the roots are about 1’ in diameter.

Scallions

	botanical name Allium fistulosum
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-2’

Also called green, spring, or bunching onions, scallions are an easy-to-grow cool-season favorite, fresh or cooked. Direct sow or transplant for a late fall harvest. Green onions are hardy in zones 6-9. Use the crop before winter’s arrival, or overwinter them with a healthy layer of mulch or straw. 

Some scallion varieties mature faster than others. Look for those ready to harvest in about 60 days for late-summer sowing. 

‘White Lisbon’ is a 1700s heirloom that matures in 60 days and is reliable under various conditions. It’s heat—and cold-tolerant for weather shifts with seasonal change. ‘Crimson Forest’ and ‘Italian Red of Florence’ feature deep red stems for a beautiful, flavorful contrast among fresh salads and garnishes.

Lettuce

	botanical name Lactuca sativa
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6-12”

For your ready supply of microgreens or full-size heads, lettuce one of the best fast-growing crops for a Greenstalk planter. It thrives during cooler weather. If your area is still experiencing heat waves come Labor Day, offer plenty of moisture, well-draining soils, and protection from intense sun.

Lettuce is ready to harvest quickly. Sow multiple rounds of seeds for a continual supply.

‘Black Seeded Simpson’ is heat- and frost-tolerant and quick-growing with a harvest time of three weeks. Leaves are crisp and bright green. ‘Truchas’ is a mini-romaine with deep red leaves that glow in the planter and in the bowl. It matures in 21 days. 

Kohlrabi

	botanical name Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 6-18”

Kohlrabi adds interest in flavor and form. It’s a member of the cabbage family but resembles a root vegetable with leaves that emerge from different tethers on the small bulbs. Its flavor is between an apple and a mild turnip, with loads of vitamin C.

Enjoy the Brassica in stir fry, salad, and slaw, or eat it like an apple. Crisp and mildly peppery, this is one to sow in late summer for fall eating. 

‘Purple Vienna’ has a unique purple globe stem with tender white interior flesh. It matures as early as 50 days. ‘Konan’ is another early-maturing variety and an All-America Selections winner. Smooth, round bulbs reach six inches across with a uniform, upright form ideal for Greenstalks and containers.

Swiss Chard

	botanical name Beta vulgaris var. cicla
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-3’

Swiss chard is a soft, leafy green with bright stems and lush foliage. Fresh or cooked, it has a mild flavor and is easy to incorporate from garden to table. It also offers brilliant color in a seasonal planter display—a dual theme among container-grown selections.

Sow seeds frequently for a continual supply of young leafy greens. Delicious varieties like ‘Bright Lights,’ ‘Orange Fantasia,’ ‘Magenta Sunset,’ and ‘Peppermint’ feature brightly colored stems against deep green or purple leaves.  

‘Celebration’ brings bold, multicolored stems and tender green leaves in richer tones. Swiss chard is a unique component of the autumnal table, and it is lovely in combination with violas and snapdragons (both edible). 

Broccoli

	botanical name Brassica oleracea (Italica Group)
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 24-36”

Broccoli is prime for late summer sowing and transplanting. The Mediterranean plants are frost-tolerant and enjoy cool temperatures for best growth.

‘Di Cicco’ is an Italian heirloom variety from 1890 with many small—to medium-sized heads. It matures in about 48 days, with a central three-inch crown and numerous smaller florets. They need the largest pocket possible or the top container of a vertical planter.

For a delicate twist, try ‘Rapini,’ a broccoli raab (Brassica rapa subsp. rapa). Stems and small crowns are tender, mild, and slightly peppery. They reach only 12 to 14 inches tall and are ready in 45 days. The leaves of both broccoli and broccoli raab are edible fresh or cooked.

Turnips

	botanical name Brassica rapa var. rapa
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 12-15”

If you aren’t growing turnips, this may be the season to try them. The centuries-old root vegetable is a hearty stand-in for potatoes, and the vitamin-packed greens are edible, too. These root crops are ideal for Greenstalk planters and raised beds.

‘White Lady’ turnips are baby salad turnips with sweet, smooth white skins. Pick them early, at 30 days, for two-inch roots. Crunch them fresh or in stir-fries and other dishes. 

‘Purple Top White Globe’ adds interest to the container arrangement with purple shoulders above the soil level. Creamy white skins develop beneath. Roots reach two to six inches, depending on picking time after 50 days. Use them mashed, roasted, as fries, or for fresh eating.

Leeks

	botanical name Allium porrum
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 2-3’

Leeks’ rich, subtle onion flavor sweetens when cooked. In mild climates, sow them in late summer for a spring harvest. They’ll overwinter in zone 7 and warmer.

‘King Richard’ grows dense, thick stems that are long and white. Plants are hardy to 20°F (-7°C) for an extended harvest. They mature in 75 days as an early, full-size selection. ‘King Richard’ is a Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit winner for its robust growth and early harvest.

Sage

	botanical name Salvia officinalis
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-2’

Sage is a favorite herb with velvety silver leaves and an earthy scent. The Mediterranean plant withstands hot, arid summers and cold winters and is hardy in zones 4 to 8. In addition to its culinary value, sage is ornamental and rounds out planters with textural leaves and seasonal flavor.

Transplant ready-to-go specimens in potted arrangements to enjoy throughout late summer and fall. Interplant Greenstalk pockets with the herbs to harvest alongside vegetables.

Look for S. officinalis ‘Berggarten’ (also called ‘Herrenhausen’) for a variety with increased mildew resistance. It features broad, blue-gray leaves and lavender bloom spikes in summer. ‘Berggarten’ received the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit for its ornamental value and landscape performance.

Sorrel

	botanical name Rumex spp.
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 12-18”

Add a unique zesty touch to your Greenstalk planter with lesser known leafy crops like sorrel and red-veined sorrel. Sorrel (Rumex acetosa, R. scutatus) emerges with tender, flavorful leaves in cool-season plantings. Young leaves are fresh green with a tart, lemony flavor, eaten fresh or cooked (which mellows the tartness).

In colder climates, sorrel grows from spring through fall and enters dormancy over the winter. Harvest leaves continually from spring until frost. If clumps become large or crowded over time, easily divide plants. Sorrel is hardy in zones 3-8.

Red-veined sorrel (Rumex sanguineus) has true green leaves deeply lined with scarlet venation. These perennial herbs are edible and ornamental and make a lovely display. Young leaves are soft and fiercely tangy, with a hint of sharp raspberry notes. Older leaves become tougher and more bitter.

Nasturtium

	botanical name Tropaeolum spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-2’

Nasturtiums are easy-to-grow annual crops that grow well in a vertical Greenstalk planter thanks to their soft, trailing habit. Leaves and flowers are edible, with a spicy, peppery flavor. A late summer crop draws pollinators to the arrangement until frost. They can’t resist the tubular yellow, orange, and red nectar-rich flowers.

Nasturtium is popular for its round, true-green lily-pad leaves on climbing or trailing stems. Varieties like ‘Black Velvet’ feature deep maroon blooms, and the ‘Alaska’ series has variegated leaves.

In mild climates, nasturtium fills the transitional vegetable garden with color and garnish. In cool climates, plant pansies and violas for edible flowers in jewel-tone colors.

Cauliflower

	botanical name Brassica oleracea var. botrytis
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-2’

If you have cauliflower seedlings started, Labor Day is a great time to transplant them. Depending on your climate, you may have time before the first frost date to direct sow. Many selections mature in 70 days or more, and planting 10 to 12 weeks before your anticipated frost is best. Cauliflower is a frost-tolerant crop.

Look for ‘Fioretto’ for a compact habit that matures in around 60 days. Slender stalks produce a bouquet of cauliflower florets. The flavor is nutty and somewhat sweeter than traditional selections.

‘Snowball’ is a showy six-inch crown of white on 24-inch plants. Allow 75 to 80 days to enjoy this one. If you live in mild climates, enjoy cauliflower as a winter harvest.

Beets

	botanical name Beta vulgaris
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-2’

Eat your beets! They’re best when they come right from the garden. Sow them six to eight weeks before your anticipated frost date for autumn picking. Beets grow throughout the winter in mild climates.

Baby beets are exceptional in containers like Greenstalks and in the kitchen. ‘Robin’ yields bunches of small, deep red, two-inch globes. Harvesting begins at 45 days.

‘Golden Boy’ in sunny golden orange has a mild, sweet flavor and is best harvested young. The uniform globes mature in 45 to 60 days.

Spinach

	botanical name Spinacia oleracea
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 4-18”

Spinach is a staple of the cool-season veggie garden, whether in spring or fall. Sow multiple spinach rounds from Labor Day and beyond for the cold-hardy crop. 

Spinach is a fast-growing leafy green. Baby spinach is tender and matures at two to four inches tall in about 20-25 days. 

‘Bloomsdale’ is a favorite and dependable heirloom from the early 1800s. It has thick, curled leaves. Place seeds close together in containers for a high yield.