What should I be planting in late summer/early fall in zone 6?

Question

I am planning and constructing a community garden for my inner city university (New York City) using raised beds. The footage of the beds has not yet been determined, but I would say at the very least 4' on all sides.

Types of plants I'm interested in: mostly hardy plants, perennials, colorful, flowering in different seasons.

Any good planting resources you can refer me to would be great as well.

Answer 1

You should check out either the Brooklyn or Bronx Botanical Gardens- you can learn a lot just by walking through and pick a few brains of the people who work there to get some ideas. I am pretty sure you are actually in Zone  7. As all of NYC is. This is because of the winds that come off the Atlantic Ocean raise the temperature there a little. But that aside, the best plants for the cold weather are Mums. And since I live fairly close to you I know you can find them very easily in  a nursery in mid august. They sell them in potted plants and they come in all colors and will come back every year as they are perennials. Think also about growing Hybrid Asian Lillies. These are bulbs that you plant in the fall and come up in the summer. Also tulips are similar bulbs but they come up in the late spring. They go in about 3-4 inches deep and  you have a lot of varieties out there, Check out Walmart, Kmart, Home Depot as these are probably the cheapest places to buy them.