How to Start a Fall Vegetable Garden
Fall is coming up, and for many people that means the end of gardening.
Don’t let the cooler weather make you think you can’t grow some wonderful vegetables during the fall though! One of my favourite things to do is harvest fall vegetables to make delicious soups like this Spicy Barley and Vegetable Soup.
Check out these gardening tips to get your fall vegetable garden started in time for the autumn.
Plan it out
Just like with any garden, you should plan it before you do it.
Where will it go? What will go in it?
But remember, with Fall gardens you must plan the growing and harvesting in reverse to beat the frost.
Start by determining when the frost generally happens in your area. From there, go back however many weeks it will take you to plant, grow, and harvest the plants you want in your fall garden.
Add about three extra weeks to that because fall plants tend to grow slower once the weather cools down. For most Fall plants, this means you need to start planting them during the late summer.
Ready your space
If you already have a garden, harvest the crops and rip up the plants that are falling back because of the weather.
You need the space for your new plants and you can’t have them shoved in the same space.
If you choose a different space for your Fall garden, pull any weeds in the space and till the ground.
Lay down compost for a day or two, then till again before planting. This will infuse the ground with nutrients and ensures proper moisture retention.
Plant seeds
Planting vegetable seeds is the cheapest way to go as many places put their seeds on sale in the later growing seasons.
Start them in smaller containers for best results, like old tin cans or potting pods, and then transplant them in the ground.
Be sure to space plants as instructed for best growth results.
Planting established plants
If you are planting established plants, follow all instructions for planting.
Wet the ground before placing the plants in, then after they’re in.
Note that all plants that are newly planted will wilt and droop a bit at first. This is normal, and doesn’t mean you need to water or feed them more. Overdoing that can kill them.
Care for the plants
Water and feed them properly, prune them as instructed, and keep an eye out for critters that will want to eat them.
If frost comes earlier than expected, be sure to cover them to protect them from the cold.
Fall garden plants
These are some of the best plants for a Fall garden.
•Broccoli
•Cabbage
•Carrot
•Cauliflower
•Lettuce
•Radish
•Lettuce
These survive frost well, but you should still take precautions to protect them from the cold.
•Broccoli
•Brussels sprouts
•Cabbage
•Carrots
•Kale
•Lettuce
•Turnips
•Leeks
•Beets
•Collards
•Kohlrabi
•Rutabagas
•Brussels sprouts
What is your favourite Fall Vegetable?
Interesting read! I plant a medium sized vegetable garden in the summer; but have never thought of a more fall one… I am afraid our fall here merges too quickly into winter to be successful!
Yeah it depends on your zone. If your first frost doesn’t occur until the end of October you can plant right now, but if you expect your the first frost sooner… say as soon as September 20th then you would want to plant your “fall” vegetable garden in July.
It’s a matter of finding out your first average fall frost date and counting backwards 12-14 weeks from that to find when you should start your veggies
You could check the farmer’s almanac link for the average first fall frost date by city/state or zip code at:
http://www.almanac.com/gardening/frostdates.
I believe the USDA may have a site also.
Love this!! Definitely going to give it a whirl 😉 thanks for sharing!
I am so excited to have a fall garden! So far I have planted spinach and golden beets.
I never thought of doing that! Thank you!
Cabbage is my favorite fall veggie….today we scored some fresh cabbage from my parents, they have quite the vegetable garden!
I love beets but our season here in the Rockies is so short that they we only get tiny ones!
ALWAYS wanted a vegetable garden! Bucket list!
What a great idea! It is a good use of space as well. I wo nder if you would be able to grow veggies indoors if you tend to get an early frost?
I never really thought about doing a fall vegetable garden but it is really a good idea. Will have to think about doing that!
Broccoli is definitely my favorite fall vegetable.
this is a really great idea!
nothing like home grown fresh vegetables
We love fresh vegetables from our garden, in all season, that`s why I don`t stop in the fall, I keep harvest in the winter too. I love the way carrots grow in winter, they are more soft, but broccoli is definitely my favorites one.
Have a great day!
Hi, fantastic article, I have a small terrace garden. This is the very favorable weather for most vegetables, which you have shared in your article, the Fall Gardening Tips is definitely worthwhile. Thank you.