Here’s a handy fall garden guide to help you decide what to plant in the fall garden and when to plant your fall crops! The succession gardening chart below shows the last fall planting dates, based on the first expected frost dates in the fall.
Extending your gardening season with a second harvest can dramatically increase your annual yield—and allow you to enjoy fresh vegetables into fall and winter. In addition, fall gardening is often easier since there are fewer pests and problems in cooler weather. Finally, a fall “cover” crop can organically protect and build your soil.
To calculate the best time to plant your fall vegetable garden, look at the first expected freeze dates. Choose the date that comes closest to the expected first killing frost in your area. If you do not know the date, use our Frost Dates Calculator.
When to Plant Your Fall Crops
Click here to expand the chart below (PDF).
Advice on Your Fall Garden
- Learn more about succession planting and how to harvest more from your vegetable garden!
- See our page on planting cover crops after harvest—to add back nutrients.
- We’ll help you choose the best plants for autumn growing and great plants with fall colors.
- Decide which trees and shrubs you want in your fall garden.
- Find tips to help you plant garlic in the fall or plant lettuce and spinach in the fall.
- Make your fall fruits and vegetables last even longer with these pickling recipes and tips!
See our Autumnal Equinox page for even more fall-themed advice, folklore, and facts!
Reader Comments
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Hi Liz, It's always good to
Hi Liz,
It's always good to add compost or aged manure to the soil. Fall is a good time to do it. Good luck with your garden next spring.
Hello, I live in the upper
Hello, I live in the upper panhandle of Florida near Tallahassee. I've just started a garden and am planning to plant carrots, radishes, and pumpkins, but I'm worried I may be planting them too late. Is it okay for me to plant them now?
In your area of Florida: From
In your area of Florida: From mid-September, you can certainly plant radish and carrots. You could also plant lettuce, beets, garlic, and other plants. It's too late for pumpkins which you'd want to plant in July/early August.
I live in Columbia, South
I live in Columbia, South Carolina. Are there any vegetables I can plant from seed in mid September?
Yes, you can plant carrots,
Yes, you can plant carrots, lettuce, radish, spinach, and turnips! See our planting dates calendar here: http://www.almanac.com/gardeni...
I live in Long Island NY and
I live in Long Island NY and I am new to gardening, and about to plough up an area of grass which has be that way for many years. I was wondering what I could expect to be able to grow in it this fall season?
After your till/dig the
After your till/dig the ground to break it up, remove as many roots, stems, weeds, rocks, etc. that have been exposed. Add a thick layer of organic matter, such as compost, and till/work it in. (Do not use raw manure if you are going to plant this fall.) Rake the area smooth. For fall planting in Long Island, you might be interested in the following publications from the Suffolk County Cooperative Extension:
http://ccesuffolk.org/assets/H...
http://ccesuffolk.org/assets/H...
For general vegetable gardening:
http://ccesuffolk.org/horticul...
This is my second year
This is my second year gardening in los anngeles, Ca. and I keep getting confused on when to plant here. the packets confuse me and I see all kind of stuff at the farmers market that are not for the season temps. (cold vs warm season) and they often say plant continously every three weeks which will be too hot like broccoli which bolted on me and cabbage an some other things that stayed two or three inches. I want an abundant continuos garden. Is there a book or rule for knowing when and what to plant here?
Hi Felicia, If you go
Hi Felicia,
If you go to
http://celosangeles.ucanr.edu/...
and scroll to the bottom you'll find lists of plants to plant from March through August for your location. The page also has some good general gardening advice.
Greetings from Georgia, Is
Greetings from Georgia,
Is there sufficient room in those rain gutter hanging gardens to support >limabutter beans<?I have had to forgo my favorite beans because my back and legs will no longer get me close enough to harvest them ^_^
I can ,if must needs, build my own so how deep need I go? 1X8? 1X10? 1X12?
Edward: Any shallow root crop
Edward: Any shallow root crop can be planted in the gutters. You might try a bucket (home depot) for the beans. Place it on a bale of hay or concrete blocks for height. You'll have to stake the beans, but you can reach them easier. I planted potatoes in a circle cage with straw/compost and won't have to bend to harvest them. You can do your beans this way, as well.
I see all of these questions
I see all of these questions about when to plant what. Looking through the online almanac I see you mentioning winter frost where we live in Florida 33470 which we never or hardly ever get frost. This leads to my questions. 1. can the almanac not answer all of these questions about when and what to plant? and 2. Why place emphasis on frost where it rarely if ever happens, it makes me wonder if I should subscribe to the almanac if it does not apply to our area.
Thank you,
Robert Johnson
Loxahatchee, FL
Hi Robert, Thanks for your
Hi Robert,
Thanks for your comments. We are working on a new seed planting and transplanting calculator that will solve some of the problems we have had in regions that don't get frost. We will have updated spring and fall planting dates soon. Stay tuned.
1. What can be planted in
1. What can be planted in Houston in winter.
2. What can be planted after pumpkin has been harvest. ( Dec.3)
You should be able to grow
You should be able to grow mustard greens, carrots, beets, lettuce, and even broccoli if you don't get a hard freeze. Contact your Aggie cooperative extension for advice from some great Texas gardeners: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu...
I think you dont need the
I think you dont need the almanac, since you seem to already have the answers
Hi, is it too late to plant
Hi, is it too late to plant greens (kale, chard, arugula, italian dandelion, collards, broccoli raab)and roots (carrots, radishes, beets) by seed in Gainesville, Florida? Thank you!
It's not too late. You can
It's not too late. You can still plant seeds for root crops and cold-weather greens.
I live in the heart of texas
I live in the heart of texas where we rarely have any frosts, we wear shorts all year long as a matter of fact its 87 degrees here today (oct.9th).can I plant something other than veggies now?
Foxgloves, petunias, and
Foxgloves, petunias, and shasta daisies are great for a fall garden in Texas. Also try herbs like dill, oregano, sage, and fennel.
Is it okay to move perinal
Is it okay to move perinal flowers in the fall like cannas, cone flower, iris, black eyed susan just to name a few? I have friends that are wanting to work thier garden now and would like some of my flowers that I have a lot of. I tell them afraid to move these while some are still blooming. I live in Chattanooga Tn. area.
As a general rule, it is best
As a general rule, it is best to divide spring and summer blooming perennials in the fall, and fall bloomers in spring. So, move bearded iris and canna in the spring. The black-eyed susans and coneflowers are fine in the fall or spring.
i live in west Georgia, I
i live in west Georgia, I want know when do I plant tulip bulbs and what other plants can I plant now?
Tulips can be planted in late
Tulips can be planted in late fall before the ground freezes. If you are interested in planting vegetables here are some choices for a fall garden.
Beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, collards, lettuce, kale, onions, radishes, spinach and turnips.
I try to always plant by the
I try to always plant by the moon phases. Should tulips be planted when the moon is shrinking? Thank you!
Hi Sonya, If you plant by the
Hi Sonya, If you plant by the Moon, then you are correct. We plant below-ground crops during the dark of the Moon (from the day after it is full to the day before it is new again). Best, Your OFA editors
I am in a wheelchair and want
I am in a wheelchair and want to plant some container vegetables this fall in central Texas. What can I still plant in the containers at this time of year? Are there any specific varieties recommended for this area (zone 8b)?
For containers you can plant
For containers you can plant lettuce, spinach, kale, broccoli, endive, radishes, Brussels sprouts, oriental vegetables, bush beans and leeks. It's best to select vegetables that don't grow too large.
What can I plant, flowers, in
What can I plant, flowers, in the fall in Southwest Georgia to last until spring? We usually have mild winters. I have a window box, new, that I need to know what to plant , also in the full sun.
Welcome to Georgia! Here in
Welcome to Georgia!
Here in Georgia, you'll get your money's worth from the pansy. If you're from farther north, you may think of them as spring and summer flowers, but here they don't do as well in the summer.
I think it's still a bit early for them, though. (Then again, I'm a bit farther north, in the Atlanta area. But I know my relatives in Columbus, Georgia have great luck with them, too.) When your local garden center has flats of pansies available, you know it's time to plant them. They'll probably keep going until spring, even through Georgia's light snows and ice storms. (Seriously, I used to have photos of pansies in the snow!)
Another option is the gigantic pots of mums that pop up everywhere in Georgia come fall. I recommend repotting them when you buy them, because those big, full pots are often rootbound. You have to take a bit of care if you want them to come back next year, and don't be surprised if the forced mums in a garden center don't return. You can plant some spring mums next year, and they'll look gorgeous come fall.
http://www.organicgardening.co...
Good luck.
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