Fall Gardening: Planning for a Longer Growing Season

fall gardening

No matter how early I start or how big my garden is I always want my growing season to last longer! With a little planning, you can extend your growing season by planting cold-hardy plants that will be ready to harvest as the first frosts are beginning. While frost kills tender summer veggies, it will sweeten many of the autumn root crops and will prepare them for long-term storage.

The timing of your fall garden will be determined by what region you live in and if you have light or hard frosts in early fall. Here in the northern states where the growing seasons are short, and our first frosts are hard, many of our fall vegetables are planted at the same time as our spring and summer crops. The latest I can plant fast-growing, cold-hardy greens is early July. However, If you live in the south, it may be hard to grow through the heat of the summer. You will most likely plant your fall garden in September for a harvest in December and January.

When do I plant?

There are two important dates you need to figure out – the first day of frost and your planting date. Asking neighboring gardeners or local nurseries is the best way to pinpoint what is typical for your area. There are also some great frost calculators on the internet. The ones I checked were very close to the dates we use for our garden.

The date you plant into your garden will vary based on the plants and their rate of maturation (how fast they mature). You will count backward from your first day of frost to calculate when your fall garden needs to be started. If your vegetables need 75 days to maturation, then plant at least 75 days before your first frost.

Do I plant directly into the ground?

Many of the plants you will be growing in your fall garden will not tolerate the heat of the summer so they need to be started indoors, just like you would start seedings during winter for your spring garden. Brassicas (the cabbage family – broccoli, cabbage, kale…) all take a while to mature so you would start them indoors and then plant into the garden when they are 4-6 weeks old.

Tender leafy greens can be sown directly into the garden. One way to make sure they don’t bolt before you have a chance to enjoy them is to plant them under the shade of your summer plants. I was able to extend my peas last year by planting them under sunflowers. It worked great and looked beautiful.

fall veggies

What if my summer garden isn’t finished when it is time to plant?

You do not need to completely clean out your garden before you can begin planting your fall garden. Planting fall crops as you harvest and pull out summer veggies is a great way to keep your garden growing. When your tender seedlings are ready for the garden, they will thank you for planting them in the partial shade of your summer veggies. Not sure what to grow? This is how I prioritize and plan my space.

Here is a list of popular fall garden plants:

  • peas
  • brussel sprouts
  • broccoli
  • cauliflower
  • kale
  • collards
  • cabbage
  • kohlrabi
  • lettuce
  • arugula
  • spinach
  • cilantro
  • parsley
  • carrots
  • parsnips
  • rutabaga
  • turnips
  • potatoes

Your Turn!

  • What are your favorite fall garden vegetables?
  • What are you going to grow in your fall garden this year?
1 Comment
  1. I have a different email address bc my former addr is having storage issues. I signed up for the garden download but I think I made a mistake entering the new email address. Please delete email address: elizabetharau@gmail.com or elizabethrau@gmail.com address. It should read: elizabetharau1@gmail.com

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