Fall Vegetable Gardening 101

If this is a new garden, make sure your garden site is in full sun. Morning sun is best. But late afternoon shade from trees or a house is okay. You want the best soil for your garden. If you haven’t had it tested for a few years, it’s a good idea to go ahead with a soil test kit. You can get one from your local cooperative Extension Service or from The Home Depot Garden Center.

Test results will give advice for amending your soil. With or without a test, all soils benefit when you work in rich, organic compost. This ensures you'll be working with humus soil. Usually found in the topsoil, this is dark, organic, nutrient-rich matter. Humus compost aerates the soil and provides vital nutrients to the growing roots of your vegetable seedlings.

You can transition your garden from summer vegetables to fall crops. In this case, replace summer crops as they mature with a fall crop. Any plants that show signs of disease should be placed in the trash. All others should go to the compost pile. As you clean the garden, rake layers of mulch to the side while you work. Nourish soil by working organic compost into the top 6 inches of soil.

One strategy for fall crops is using grow bags or containers. Grow bags are inexpensive, lightweight bags that produce healthy plants. Grow bags tend to dry out, but in wetter seasons, that shouldn’t be a major problem. To help them retain moisture, place the grow bags on planter saucers or trays.

Tip: Refresh tired garden soil with vermicompost, also known as worm castings. Vermicompost improves soil structure, increases water and nutrient holding capacity, and promotes plant growth.

Next-level fall vegetable gardens begin the same way spring vegetable gardens do, by starting seeds. Some crops, like peas and radish, can be directly sown in the garden once the weather cools. Others, like beets, broccoli, carrots, chard, kale and spinach can be started indoors for a jump on the season.

To begin with, know your area’s average date of first frost. Consult your seed packets for days to maturity. Then, count back for optimal seed sowing dates. Be sure to add the days to germination into the equation.

Create a DIY grow light system for seed starting. Begin with a ventilated shelving unit. You'll also need grow lights, seeds, potting soil, a fan and seedling starter trays. Learn more about setting up a grow light station.

Tip: It’s perfectly ok to purchase seedlings for your fall garden. They will be ready in your Garden Center when temperatures are right for planting in your garden.

When you’re ready to plant your garden, keep in mind that summer heat can be stressful on tender crops. Some seeds will not germinate if temperatures exceed 85 degrees Fahrenheit (F). To keep the soil cool and moist, protect newly planted seeds with a moistened layer of burlap or newspaper.

Containers and grow bags are useful for tender greens and lettuces in your fall garden. Begin by filling a planter with good quality organic potting mix. Just thumb the seeds one-fourth to half an inch deep. Then, cover them lightly with moistened soil. Check the soil daily to make sure seeds do not dry out. Sow the seeds every week or two for a steady supply of fresh, tender greens.

If you’re planting in the ground or a raised bed, follow these steps:

• Select a site that gets at least six to eight hours of sunlight a day.
• Amend soil with organic compost.
• Space seeds and seedlings according to the directions on the plant and package labels. Some seeds will need to be thinned after germinating.
• Use an organic fertilizer formulated for edibles. You can use a dry fertilizer or a liquid product.

Newly planted seedlings may show signs of heat stress early in the fall growing season. Keep an eye on them and water frequently.

Tip: Take time to thin root vegetables and greens that are directly sown in the soil. Once the second set of leaves appear, evaluate the plants. You should gently pull out the weakest-looking seedlings and toss them in the compost pile.

The best time to water your garden is early in the day. The second-best time to work in your vegetable garden is late afternoon or early evening. That way, plants can spend the night recovering from the day’s stresses, with an ample supply of water. When you water, soak only the roots. Keep the leaves dry to avoid leaf spots and other fungal diseases. Drip irrigation makes this very easy.

In a small garden, you can hand-water with a hose and long-handled watering wand. In larger gardens, soaker hoses or drip irrigation lines are essential watering equipment. Avoid using sprinklers in vegetable gardens. They are not very efficient and may encourage diseases that develop on wet leaf surfaces.

Even if you’re not watering every day, it’s still a good idea to visit your vegetable garden every day to scout for pests and check on progress. Aphids, cabbage worms and cabbage loopers can cause problems leading into fall. Applications of Bt (Bacillus thurigiensis), a unique bacterium that acts like a natural insecticide, help control caterpillars, like armyworms. And Neem oil is effective against aphids.

When your vegetables are ready to harvest, you’ll need a sharp knife or pruners and a basket. Harvest early in the day, when plants have the most moisture. You can harvest herbs and some greens, like leaf lettuce, and know that they’ll produce until the first frost. However, many fall vegetables tolerate temperatures below freezing. They'll actually bee sweeter because their starches turn into sugars.

Veggies that are sweeter after a frost include:

• Broccoli and cauliflower are vegetables that grow best in extended cool weather. Plan on harvesting varieties, like Early Green Sprouting broccoli or Snowball cauliflower, 50 to 55 days after transplanting seedlings into the garden. These seedlings should be planted in mid-summer, so they have time to grow to maturity. Broccoli and cauliflower grown in USDA Zones 8 to 9 will grow all winter. To be safe, check both seed packets and the frost date calendar to determine exact planting dates. When ready to plant, first turn the soil, removing weeds and dead plants. Then, add organic amendments, such as compost.
• Cabbage has many varieties but select one you can harvest in 55 days. Spray them early in the season with organic Bt to eliminate cabbage moths.
• Carrots and beets are both semi-hardy roots that can tolerate light frosts and temps as low as 29 degrees Fahrenheit (F). You can harvest spring and fall crops throughout the country with proper planning. Carrots are easy to grow from seeds. They do best if they get between 6 and 8 hours of sunlight. The fastest-growing varieties of carrot seeds can yield crops in around 60 days. But slower-growing ones will be ready in around 80 days. If you can't wait that long, harvest and eat baby carrots.
• Collards are hardy greens that do well with frost. Able to handle freezing temps into the teens, they are a winter-long crop in zones 8 and below. When picked, cleaned and braised with seasoned stock, frost-kissed collards are traditional on many Southern holiday tables.
• Kale is a popular green known for its sweet and nutty taste. If harvested in autumn, kale is easy to grow in spring and fall. But it should be grown in cold frames in Northern gardens.
• Leeks, part of the onion family, do very well in raised bed gardens. Plant them deep, covered in soil, in late summer for a fall harvest. They can be harvested throughout the cold season. But in zones 7 and warmer, leeks will overwinter.
• Radishes are generally ready for harvesting a little more than a month from when they're planted. These spicy vegetables, including their greens, are a welcome complement to salads. You may want to look for varieties like Comet and Early Scarlet Globe.
• Rutabagas and turnips can be grown during frosty periods. With both turnips and rutabagas (a cross between cabbages and turnips) you can eat the greens and roots. These plants require a lot of moisture in gardens. Be sure to add compost into the soil to help them hold water.
• Swiss chard is a leafy green vegetable related to beets. It is prized for its tasty, nutrient-rich leaves and colorful, celery-like stalks. And the bright stems and bold veins make for eye-catching displays in window boxes and containers. Set Swiss chard plants in late summer for a fall harvest. Be sure to provide lots of water in hot weather.

A fall vegetable garden gives you another season of edible goodness. Remember, there's lots of ways to share the bounty from your vegetable garden. You can share homegrown vegetables with neighbors and friends. Local food pantries will also accept homegrown produce, distributing it to families in your community. Check out ampleharvest.org for more information.

Veggies like salad greens and broccoli keep their good looks and flavors longer when protected from harsh weather conditions. This can be easily accomplished by using row covers and cold frames in your garden. In fact, these tools will add more than a month to the fall growing season by reducing wind and frost damage.

Row covers allow air, water and light to pass through. They’re easy to install, provide excellent coverage and dry quickly. Plus, hungry deer and other pests seldom bother edibles hidden from view under row covers or in cold frames.

Use a cold frame to protect low-growing lettuce and spinach when hard freezes become frequent. The same cold frame you use in spring to harden off seedlings can be used to protect these and other hardy vegetables from cold, ice and deer all winter long.