One of the best things about late summer is watching the garden transform for autumn. As the seasons change, bright summer blooms give way to richer, warmer tones, creating an entirely new colour palette outdoors.
If you're looking to add more autumn colour to your garden, vegetables are one of the easiest ways to do it. Planting them now won't just reward you with a bumper harvest later in the season — many varieties also produce striking foliage and colourful crops that bring warmth and interest well into autumn.
From deep purple leaves and jewel-like reds to rich shades of green, these easy-to-grow vegetables prove edible gardens can be just as beautiful as ornamental borders. We asked gardening and greenhouse expert Lucie Bradley from Easy Garden Irrigation to share her top picks.
1) Swiss Chard
For an easy-to-grow vegetable that's packed with nutrients, Lucie recommends growing Swiss chard.
'With popular varieties such as "Bright Lights," their stunningly beautiful stems come in a dazzling array of shades from yellow, red and violet,' she says. Placed against either green or bronze leaves, Swiss chard could be the eye-catching vegetable your autumn garden needs.
2) Kale
'A hardy, leafy brassica, kale is one of the easiest, low-maintenance vegetables you can grow,' says Lucie. 'Choose varieties such as "Red Russian" not only for its soft texture and sweeter taste but also for its striking greyish-green leaves with contrasting vibrant pink or burgundy veins.'
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3) Purple kohlrabi
For an easy-to-sow hardy vegetable, Lucie recommends purple kohlrabi. Sow in July or August, she says, and the harvest should be ready in just eight weeks.
'For the most colourful crops choose varieties such as "Azure Star" with its vibrant, deep lilac-purple bulbs,' she says.
4) Radicchio / red chicory
For a low maintenance vegetable that's ready to harvest in October, Lucie recommends red chicory or radicchio.
'For additional autumn colour, I’d recommend growing the heirloom variety "Palla Rossa" with it’s vibrant, deep-red leaves and contrasting white veins,' she says. Lucy also recommends the Italian ‘Variegata di Castelfranco’ for a paler, speckled look.
5) Carrots
'For a colourful crop of tasty carrots, look no further than "Rainbow Mix", where you’ll get a harvest of white, yellow, orange, red and purple roots,' Lucie says.
Carrots tend to be sweeter when harvested in the autumn, making July the ideal time to start sowing. 'Carrots convert their scratches into sugars as temperatures fall, enhancing their flavour,' adds Lucy.
