Fall Vegetable Gardening Guide

If you can't get enough of homegrown garden produce—or spring planting passed you by— don't hang up your trowel just yet. Diane Blazek, executive director of the National Garden Bureau and All-America Selections in Downers Grove, Illinois, says there's still time to plant a second crop to harvest this fall. "Fall is the perfect time to grow vegetables," she says. "They even taste better in the cool temperatures. And, if Mother Nature threw you a curve ball in spring, it's a chance to circle back and fall in love with the garden again."

Even if you just take an hour to plant one $5 packet of Buttercrunch lettuce, you'll be harvesting sweet, tender greens into November. The key is to pick the right cool-season crops and get started before it's too late.

Grow Guide

When to Plant Fall Vegetables

Look for seeds that are labeled "Early Season" (because what grows in spring typically does well in fall too). Also check the "Days to Harvest" to find varieties with shorter growing times. A few examples include Cherry Belle radishes (22 days), Olympia spinach (45 days) and De Cicco broccoli (50 days). Then check your region's fall frost date and count backward from the "Days to Harvest" info. For example, if your frost date is October 15 and your greens are 45 days to harvest, then you should sow a row before Labor Day.

Where to Plant Your Vegetables

Fall veggies can be grown in a garden, raised bed or planter. Just make room by pulling out overgrown spring or summer plants. Diane advises to read packet instructions for spacing: "My number one tip is don't overplant. You're just wasting seeds and causing yourself more work by having to thin them." And when you do thin them, she says snip them out—fingernail scissors work well—and don't pull them. Otherwise, you risk yanking out neighboring seedlings. (If you like, these thinned plants are edible as microgreens.)

How to Care for A Fall Veggie Garden

It's critical to keep seeds and young seedlings watered, especially in the heat of late August and early September. Keep the soil damp (but not soggy) initially, then as plants mature, aim for one or two good soaks per week, depending on weather. Young seedlings may need some afternoon shade. Try an umbrella, a piece of cardboard or summer-weight garden fabric to provide temporary shade. To continue growing vegetables beyond a fall frost, consider using row covers. "With a little extra work and equipment, you can definitely extend the season," says Blazek, who delights in serving fresh-picked kale for Thanksgiving dinner.

Quick-Harvest Vegetables to Try for Fall

Leafy Greens

Leaf lettuce Try a salad bowl seed mix or combine your own with classics such as Black Seeded Simpson and Red Sails. Or experiment with dwarf varieties like Little Gem romaine and baby butterhead lettuce.

Arugula Peppery arugula tastes so much better fresh-picked than dumped from a bag. Plants thrive in cool weather and some are ready in just 35 days.

Spinach Plant seeds in early fall to enjoy a long harvest even in cold and snow. Pick leaves small for salads or let them mature for freezing or wilting into soups, stir-fries, pastas and other cooked dishes.

Kale Grow this winter-hardy nutrient powerhouse, as well as its friends, collards and chard. Many varieties are highly ornamental, perfect to accent a fall container or flower bed.

Microgreens or baby greens Plant a single variety or mix of beet, broccoli, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, cabbage and Swiss chard seeds. Harvest when leaves reach desired size, and add to salads or toss anywhere you'd garnish a dish with herbs.

Roots and More

Radishes Sow easy-to-grow radish seeds for a quick harvest—only 30 days. Enjoy varieties like Watermelon and French Breakfast on salads or tacos or thinly sliced on buttered bread.

Beets The key to planting success for beets and other root veggies is to thinly sow seeds and further thin seedlings (3 inches apart for beets).

Turnips Turnips are ready to dig when roots reach 2–3 inches in diameter. Try them roasted or added to stews. Hakurei turnips, a Japanese variety, are a favorite of many CSA farms and taste delicious raw, sliced into salads or dipped in hummus.

Kohlrabi This funky-looking vegetable is a nice addition to slaws. It's a quick-growing brassica and tastes like its cousin, broccoli.

Snap Peas This family favorite thrives in fall but is a bit slower to harvest—so act now! Give peas a trellis to climb, then snack on them straight from the vine while putting the rest of your garden to bed.

Plan Ahead for Next Fall

One downside to sowing vegetables in fall: The seed racks may be depleted (or gone entirely) at big-box stores. Instead, visit well-stocked garden centers or order online. (Reliable catalog sources include Johnny's Selected Seeds, Seed Savers Exchange, and Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company.) And next year, plan ahead! Plant half a packet of radishes or snap peas in spring, when the retail selection is best, then stash the rest in a cool, dry place until autumn.

How to Grow Transplants

Would you rather try transplants than seeds for fall? Transplants can be purchased online or at local garden centers. Handle with care and plant at the same depth as they were in their original containers.

You can also grow your own transplants indoors following seed packet instructions. Consult this helpful tutorial for sowing times. Within weeks, they'll be ready to move into the garden, but make the transition gradually to help plants adjust to the temperature changes. "It's just as important in the spring as the summer because you may be taking them from an air-conditioned basement to a 90-degree August day," says Diane.