Ten Tips for Fall Gardening

Plant for a late harvest fall harvest: Asian greens (bok choy, Chinese cabbage, tat soi, and more), radicchio, endive, mustard, lettuce, green onions, spinach, arugula, swiss chard, fall radishes, and even peas are all good options to plant in late summer and harvest before November (check the growing days needed, which should be listed on the seed packet). If you are in a mild climate (down to zone 8), many of these may overwinter as well. Radicchio, for example, can spend a week or two under snow and come out looking great.

Choose plants specifically that will overwinter: Depending on your climate, that will include kale, broccoli, collard greens, beets, and carrots (in climates with severe and extended low temperatures, this may not be possible without season extension equipment). These plants need warmer days to get started, but once grown to a reasonable size, they will hold out through winter and start growing again for an early spring harvest. If you are planting in July, there’s time to start from seeds, but by August, you’ll want to choose seedlings to get a better start on the season. Some crops, like garlic, need to be planted in fall to have a full growth cycle. In warmer gardening zones, you can also plant fall onions.

Choose plants specifically that will overwinter: Depending on your climate, that will include kale, broccoli, collard greens, beets, and carrots (in climates with severe and extended low temperatures, this may not be possible without season extension equipment). These plants need warmer days to get started, but once grown to a reasonable size, they will hold out through winter and start growing again for an early spring harvest. If you are planting in July, there’s time to start from seeds, but by August, you’ll want to choose seedlings to get a better start on the season. Some crops, like garlic, need to be planted in fall to have a full growth cycle. In warmer gardening zones, you can also plant fall onions.

Consider herbs: The basil days of summer may be over, but many herbs will grow through fall. Some herbs, like cilantro, even prefer cool weather. Others to consider are oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme, and sage. Fresh herbs are a great way to perk up cold weather cooking.

Interplant: If you have limited garden bed space and still want to grow a fall garden, consider interplanting between the rows of your summer produce. Lettuce, radishes, cilantro, or green onions can be planted between rows of beans or other summer fare. By the time the seedlings are getting large, the beans will be done and you can cut them back to the soil line and let the new plans take over.

Plant deeper: If you are sowing seeds in warm, late summer weather, plant your seeds twice as deep as you would in spring (some seeds won’t germinate if they are too warm, so the depth is important). It’s also essential to keep seeds consistently moist for proper germination. By late summer, however, the soil is much warmer and drier, so water regularly—more often than you would for spring seeds.

Use season extenders: in cool weather gardening, using equipment to extend the season can be a game changer. Examples of these are greenhouses and cold frames, which use plastic or glass to capture and hold heat (seek out Canadian garden author, Niki Jabbour, who is an expert in cold frame winter gardening to learn more). If such large-scale infrastructure is not in the cards—or you don’t want permanent structures in your garden—the best solutions are poly tunnels or cloches. Cloches, in particular, are small, light and portable. They provide additional warmth and protection from weather and pests. Make sure there is an air-flow valve to prevent mildew or other fungal diseases. Cloches can act as a small, temporary, and portable greenhouse for plants that need a little more protection or warmth.

A cloche, cold frame, or unheated greenhouse will not fully protect plants in case of a hard frost. Insulation would also be required for protection in extended sub-freezing temperatures.