Top Fall Gardening Tips

Best Vegetables For A Fall Garden:

• Beets
• Radishes
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Peas
• Onions
• Garlic
• Kale
• Loose-Leaf Lettuce
• Carrots
• Turnips

Expert Fall Gardening Techniques:

• Frost Date – Know your local frost date! Understanding your frost dates is key to determining when to plant each vegetable. Use each vegetable’s “days to maturity/grow” and count backwards from the fall frost date to determine when to plant.
  • For example, if the local first frost day is 90 days away, choose vegetables that can grow/mature in 90 days or less and plant accordingly.
  • Each crop’s “days to maturity” will vary.
• Helpers – Use helpers like frost covers, cloches, cold frames, hoops, etc. to protect the young vegetables from the outdoor elements. Spreading mulch around the vegetable roots will also help regulate soil temperature and moisture.
• Refresh Your Soil – The summer heat and crops can deplete the nutrients in soil. Replenish your soil with compost and/or fertilizer and loosen compacted soil to allow fall seedlings to grow easily.
• Early Start – Crop seedlings can be started indoors or under shade to give them a head-start. They then can be transplanted outdoors when the weather cools down. This will jump start their growth before daylight hours get too short.