One Of The Best Times For Gardening Is The Fall Season

The weather might be cooling down, but that doesn't mean that your garden needs to be cooling down with it.

In fact, the fall is one of the best times for gardening. While many people assume that a summertime garden is the only option (particularly for people who live in colder or shorter growing zones), the reality is that there are all kinds of fall seeds you can sow now for a spring harvest.

Don’t believe us? You don’t have to just take our word for it. Here are some of the best plants to add to your fall gardening list. You’ll have a ball!

Leafy Greens

Leafy greens can be grown in the summer, which is what many novice gardeners choose to do. After all, that’s when most people have time to devote to gardening.

However, if you really want to take your gardening game up a notch, you should consider growing your leafy greens in the fall instead. They tend to do best when exposed to chillier weather and shade conditions, so consider giving a few of these popular leafy green plants a try. 

Kale is one of the best. You can grow a batch of kale in the spring and another in the fall, which will provide you with all the vitamin- and antioxidant-rich greens you need. Some good options to grow include Siberian, Borecole Red, and Nero Di Toscana kale.  

Collard greens are a great option too, as they offer some serious nutritional benefit and survive the winter with ease. Even in temperatures that dip below freezing, you’ll be able to poop quickly out to the garden to harvest a few leaves to use in your cooking. You can dramatically extend the harvest time for these plants by mulching around the base of the plants.

Fall is a great time to plant leafy greens because they grow quickly and their seeds require cooler soil for germination.

Herbs

Many herbs can also be grown in the fall. Lots of perennial herbs, like mint and chives, will keep growing long into the cooler months, while other annual plantings (such as parsley, coriander, and cilantro) grow well past the first frost as long as they were started before the temperatures dipped.

Onions and Shallots

You can grow just about any kind of onion during the cooler months of the year. In fact, many people grow onions in the spring and fall, when it’s easier to keep the bulbs moist enough to prevent them from cracking and splitting. 

You don’t have to have a ton of space in order to grow onions, either. An easy solution is to just grow shallots, which are smaller onions that can be grown in close quarters or even in containers.

Looking for a more out-of-the-box option? Give Egyptian walking onions a try. They are truly one-of-a-kind!

Spring Onions

Don’t want to wait around or a wintertime harvest of onions? You don’t have to. You can grow spring onions. To do this, you’ll simply plant your onion bulbs in the fall season and then leave them in the ground all winter long. They’ll be ready to harvest first thing in the spring. Just make sure you mark your plantings so you don’t accidentally dig them up come March! For best results, plant bunching onions, which are designed to be grown in these kinds of conditions.

Garlic

Garlic is unique in that it’s a vegetable that should almost always be planted in the fall. Very rarely, you might hear of gardeners planting their garlic in the spring, but it’s best started in the fall. This way, it will have time to set roots and to be ready for an early summer harvest.

There are dozens of kinds of garlic you can grow, but most will fall into hardneck or softneck varieties. Many hold up well to long term storage and all are grown from a single bulb split into multiple cloves. It’s the cloves that you will plant each fall, rather than a set of seeds. Mulch well and your garlic cloves should make it all the way until the following July, when they’ll be ready for harvest.

Asparagus

Asparagus is one of the few popular garden vegetables that is a perennial, meaning it will come back year after year, provided that you care for it well. Plant a few asparagus crowns now, and in two years or so you will be rewarded with fresh, tender asparagus. You’ll be rewarded for your patience, too, as asparagus spears can continue to produce for several decades. 

Turnips

Turnips, like all other root crops, grow well in the fall because they thrive in cool conditions. The benefit of growing turnips in that they take very little time to mature - less than two months, in most cases. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about waiting a long time for a harvest. 

Loaded with B vitamins as well as calcium, magnesium, iron, and copper, turnips can be grown both for their nutritious tubers as well as for their tender leaves.

Snow Peas

As the name implies, snow peas are perfect for cold weather growing. You have a few options when it comes to growing these tender, succulent little treats. You can either start them early in the spring (about six to eight weeks before the last expected frost) for an early spring harvest, or you can grow them going into the fall. 

Of course, they can also be grown indoors in containers or in balcony gardens.

Snow peas are best grown in these conditions because they don’t hold up well to hot summertime conditions (something that’s true of many other kinds of beans and peas, too). The cooler the temperature, the sweeter and more tender you’ll find the edible pods to be. In fact, you probably won’t get far at harvest time - chances are, you’ll want to nibble them straight off the vine!

Broccoli and Cauliflower

Broccoli and cauliflower are known both as brassica plants as well as cole crops. They grow exceptionally well during periods of cool weather. In fact, when grown during the heat of summer, you may find that your cauliflower becomes discolored or that your broccoli goes to flower quite quickly, ruining the quality of your harvest.

Consider growing broccoli and cauliflower in the early spring or fall instead. Depending on the weather and your growing success, you can even “cut and come again” - meaning you can return to your plants multiple times in a growing season for a continual harvest.

Carrots

No matter how successful your summer garden might be, it seems like you can never have enough carrots! When most gardeners think of carrots, they think simply of the narrow orange tubers that you’ll find lining the aisles of the grocery store produce shelf.

However, there are actually dozens of types of carrots you can grow, many of which sport unique colors, shapes, and sizes to fully ornate your Thanksgiving Day table. Consider growing a rainbow blend to really spice things up and remember - the longer carrots remain in the ground after a frost, the sweeter they get.

Radishes

The beauty of growing radishes in the fall and winter months is that it doesn't take very long for them to go from seed to table. In fact, most radishes are ready for harvest in just four to six very short weeks. Because of this, you can grow several batches of radishes each year.

This is something that’s true of just about every type of radish, so you’ll have lots of liberty when it comes to choosing the type that you want to grow. Some good ones to consider include CHerry Belle, Watermelon, and French Heirloom. Grow several types for a varied plate!

Pak Choi

In general, most Asian vegetables are quite quick-growing. Pak choi isn’t a vegetable that everyone thinks of when it comes to the backyard garden, but it’s a good choice if you want something that grows quickly and will add a great deal of flavor and diversity to your weekday dinner plate. For a splash of color, you might even consider one of the less common purple pak choi varieties!

Beets

Beets can be grown for two separate purposes in your fall garden. Not only can you harvest beets for their tender bulbs, the root part of the vegetable, but you can also harvest the greens. Beet greens taste great in salads, soups, and all other kinds of recipes. You can even harvest them as microgreens if you’re feeling impatient and only want to wait a few weeks for a harvest!

Winter Lettuce

You can grow any kind of lettuce at any time of the year, but if you’re ready to take your gardening to the next level, you ought to give winter lettuce a try. Growing lettuce is a smart way to add more leafy greens to your diet. Just think of how expensive lettuce is at the grocery store - chances are, that’s probably why you’re not eating as many salads as you should be.

Consider growing some winter lettuce, either in the garden in a cold frame or in a container indoors, and you’ll have access to all the leafy greens you could ever possibly want or need.

Asian Salad Greens

If you’re sick of the standard go-to salad greens we told you about before, you might want to give Asian salad greens a try. With Asian salad greens, you can add a unique flavor to your dinner time meals.

A good option for beginners who are beginning their gardens in the fall is Mizuna. Harvest the young leaves for the best flavors and enjoy their tangy, mustard-like flavors in your fall salads.

Perpetual Spinach

Spinach is technically a leafy green, but we think it deserves mention all on its own, too. It’s a versatile veggie that can be grown just about anywhere - including on a balcony, in a terrace garden, or even in a container on your kitchen windowsill. All you need is a bit of sun and plenty of water.

Perpetual spinach is a great option to consider if you want to enjoy the convenience of a continuous harvest. There are countless varieties for you to choose from, but you may want to consider Giant Noble if you're in the market for thick, juicy, and quick-growing leaves. They’re perfect for all kinds of dishes, from soups to salads, pastas to stir-fries.

Silver Beet

Very few gardeners have heard of this plant, but it’s one worth considering - silver beet. Most people harvest silverbeet for the leafy greens, and there are plenty of varieties for you to choose from. Some of the most popular include Barese, Lucullus, Argentata, Erbette, and Rainbow Chard. Give a few a try! 

Key To A Successful Spring Harvest Is Solid Preparation and Planning This Fall

The key to a successful spring harvest starts with solid planning and preparation this fall. Most of these plants can be started from seeds sown directly in the garden before the first frost. For some plants (and in some growing zones), you may need to use things like cold frames or greenhouses to get by.

Keep in mind, though, that many of these plants can also be grown indoors during the fall and winter months. You’ll be able to enjoy a continual harvest 365 days of the year. 

If you aren’t sure when to plant, simply consult the back of the seed packet for the plant you are growing. It will list the time to maturity, so you can count backward from the average date of the first hard frost in your area. Most plants can be started in August for the best results, but this varies. 

For best results, stick with plants that mature in 70 days or less, unless you have mild winters or access to protective coverings like cold frames or greenhouses.

Gardening doesn’t have to be reserved for the dog days of summer. Instead, consider these best seeds to plant during autumn - you’ll be glad you did.

Karen A Mulvey is a personal social blogger and mom with 14 years of experience in the every day world of motherhood and sustainable product research. Karen is on a mission to help everyday families select sustainable, non-toxic organic products, stop stressing about uncertainties on sustainable home goods and apparel, and start living the life they’ve always wanted.

Follow Karen at @karenAmulveycs | Karen A Mulvey

More Articles You May Enjoy