Fall gardening—What are the best crops to grow in the fall?

Did you know that you can extend the harvest season to enjoy tasty vegetables until late autumn? In fact, certain varieties of vegetables particularly appreciate the cooler weather of this season.

What vegetables are best to plant in the fall? Some fast-growing vegetables, such as radishes, lettuce, spinach, and cabbage, can cope well with cooler temperatures. They grow quickly and can be harvested before the first frosts arrive. You can therefore sow or plant them as soon as space becomes available in your garden.

Other vegetable varieties are slower-growing but enjoy the cool conditions of autumn just as much. These include broccoli, leeks, cauliflower, kale, and parsnips. They can be planted in late summer and harvested in autumn or even in early winter.

Here are a few examples of autumn veggies to plant over the months:

Vegetables to plant in August	Vegetables to plant in September	Vegetables to plant in October
Arugula Beet Carrot Celery Kale Kohlrabi Lamb’s lettuce Lettuce Onion Radish Spinach Turnip	Arugula Bean (green or yellow) Chive Lamb’s lettuce Leek Onion Parsnip Radish Shallot Spinach Squash Winter carrot Winter lettuce Winter turnip	Broccoli Garlic Kale Onion Shallot Spinach Swiss chard Winter carrot Winter lettuce Winter radish

All these vegetables can tolerate the first frosts very well. However, they will need protection from the cold when more intense frosts are forecast.

Use mulch to protect your fall vegetables from light frosts

Adding a 5–10 centimeter layer of mulch around your fall crops is a good way to protect their roots from frost, as mulch acts as an insulator that stabilizes soil temperature. Materials such as hay, shredded leaves, and compost such as SEA COMPOST are excellent options for fall mulching.

Fall planting of garlic to harvest the following year

October is the ideal time to plant your favourite garlic varieties, since they need to spend the winter in the ground to develop properly and produce a good harvest the following summer. To find out all you need to know about growing garlic, consult our article on the subject: Garlic Planting Guide: How to Plant, Grow, and Harvest Garlic

Fall planting and harvesting calendar to download

(click here to download the printable version)

Extend the season with mini-greenhouses and cold frames

You can protect your fall garden from deep frosts and extend your harvest season with tunnels covered with clear plastic sheeting or cold frames. These are two types of shelter that act like mini-greenhouses. They provide a warmer environment for your fall veggies to continue their growth cycle.

You can also place a minimum–maximum thermometer inside one of your mini- greenhouses. This thermometer records maximum and minimum temperatures, letting you know if the temperature inside is getting too low. This way, you can harvest the last of your fall vegetables before they are damaged by the cold.

When to harvest your vegetables

Depending on your location and the speed of your vegetables’ growth, you could well be harvesting radishes, lettuces, carrots, spinach, turnips, and cabbages as late as November or even December! In fact, these vegetables are very tolerant of the cold. If you protect your fall vegetables with mini-greenhouses, you’ll be able to grow them at sub-zero outside temperatures!

The benefits of growing vegetables during the fall

There are many advantages to growing autumn vegetables. In addition to extending the harvest season, these vegetables often offer milder, sweeter flavors than their summer counterparts. Their ability to protect themselves from the cold by concentrating their natural sugars gives autumn veggies a unique depth of flavor. What’s more, few insect pests are present in autumn, considerably reducing the risk of crop loss. It’s also an excellent way to save money and promote healthy, local food for a good part of the year.

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Fall planting — The best vegetables to plant for tasty harvests in the cooler months