A Guide to Fall Garden Planning

Now is the time for fall garden planning, and this easy guide will help you get started.

It’s mid summer, which means it’s time to plan your fall garden! If you wanted to start a garden this year, but for whatever reason weren’t able to get started in the spring, I have good news: it’s not too late in the year to start a garden!

Fall gardening does not get advertised the way spring gardening does. At this point in the year, the big box stores are starting to get rid of the gardening stuff. They are bringing in back-to-school and fall stuff, because that is more profitable for them.

Don’t let that fool you. July and August are the perfect times to plan your fall garden. You can even plant a second round of summer crops, if you live somewhere with a long growing season!

If you’ve never planted a fall garden, now is the perfect time to start. In the fall there are less pests and cooler temperatures. There are lots of delicious things that grow well in late summer through the winter. Some of those things you tried planting in spring and had bad luck with? (Like all the pests on the broccoli and brussels sprouts?) They’ll actually do a lot better if you plant them in the fall.

Just because the big box stores aren’t selling gardening supplies this time of year doesn’t mean you can’t start. Check your local gardening centers – they know what’s up. They’ll still have tools, soil, and seeds. You can also order heirloom seeds online!

No room in your garden to start your second summer or fall plants? If you have limited garden space, don’t be afraid to pull out the plants that aren’t producing anymore. In late July, some of your tomato and squash plants may be about done. Pull them up to make room for a second summer planting or to make space for the fall crops.

Second Summer Plantings

First let’s back up. Do you live in a place with a long growing season? If you have warm temps through September, you can put in a second planting of some of your summer plants, like summer squash and cucumbers. In warmer zones you can even put in second plantings of tomatoes.

I’m in Virginia in a little zone 8a spot, and I’m working on rooting some tomato suckers to possibly get more fruit before the first frost. In mid August I’ll be planting more green beans and lots and lots of radishes.

Radishes are an underrated plant that’s perfect for beginning gardeners and children. They’re easy to grow, and they grow extremely fast. They are also delicious roasted. (I halve or quarter them and add them to my roasted cauliflower or broccoli.) Radishes tend to bolt when it’s hot out, so they do better in the spring and fall.

What can you plant in the fall?

Fall in the northern hemisphere is the time to plant your brassicas and root vegetables. It’s also a great time for salad greens. If you tried to plant things like broccoli and kale in the spring and didn’t have much luck, try again in the fall.

Fall is also the time to plant garlic! If you plant nothing else, at least try planting garlic – especially if you already have a garden bed. Garlic is extremely easy to plant. Start with a bulb of garlic, preferably not one from the grocery stores. Those have been sprayed with a chemical that keeps it from rooting. Your local garden center will have untreated garlic bulbs for planting, and they’ll be dirt cheap. Simply separate the cloves, leaving the papery skin on, and plant them individually several inches apart, root side down. Come late spring next year, you’ll have tons of fresh garlic bulbs!

Don’t forget herbs! Fall is a great time for cilantro. It usually bolts in the heat of the summer but does well in the cooler temps. According to Mary’s Heirloom Seeds planting guide (link below in the Resources section), this is a great time to plant pretty much any herb.

Here is a link to a list of cool weather crops from Mary’s Heirloom Seeds. This can give you an idea of what to plant!

Getting your fall plants started

It’s a good idea to start some of your fall plants indoors. Start all brassicas indoors. These are broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and brussels sprouts. The seedlings can’t take the heat, and also they may end up getting eaten by pests if you put them outdoors.

Root vegetable seeds should be directly sown in the garden when the time is right. If you don’t want them to all be fully grown at the same time, you can stagger starting them (this is called succession planting). Check the links in the Resources section below to help figure out what you need to start when.

Once the weather begins to cool, you can transplant them to your garden. Root vegetables should be direct sown in your garden beds. You can also start your salad greens when the weather cools – see below.

Calculate when to start fall plants

In order to properly plan your fall garden, you need to know the first frost date in your area. I’ve made it easy for you. Here’s a link to the Farmer’s Almanac: click the link and put in your zip code and it will tell you the estimated first frost date in your area.

Your seed packet will tell you how many days to plant it before the last frost date. Use a calendar to track how many days you have until your first frost date and use that date in conjunction with how many days it will take your plant to mature. With a little math, you will know exactly when to start your seedlings.

For example: my seed packet for lacinato kale, pictured above, tells me the plant takes approximately 48 days to reach maturity. My first frost date is November 12. I need to plant my kale by September 5 if I want it to be mature before the first frost date.

You can also check this seed planting guide from Mary’s Heirloom Seeds. Select your region, and it will tell you, month by month, which plants to start when.

It’s also good to know which plants do well after a frost or two. Kale, carrots, and broccoli supposedly taste sweeter after a frost. If your plants are frost hardy, like brassicas and root vegetables, they’ll probably survive into the season until the ground freezes. If they’re frost tender, like your summer squashes, cucumbers, and tomatoes, a frost will kill them.

In conclusion…

I keep writing these gardening guides because I believe in the joy and benefits of gardening. Spending time in the presence of growing things is soothing to the mind and body.

If you have a desire in your heart to plant something, I urge you to just do it.

Are you planning a fall garden this year? What are you planting? Leave a comment below!

Resources

Helpful websites:

Old Farmer’s Almanac First and Last Frost Dates – Find the estimated first frost date in your area to calculate when to start your plants

Mary’s Heirloom Seeds Planting Guide – This planting guide will tell you what months to start which plants. They also have a 99 cent seed sale!

Mary’s Heirloom Seeds Cool Weather Crops List – A list of crops that do well in the fall

Renee’s Garden Gardening Resources Page – This wonderful seed company has a lot of useful information here

Baker Creek’s Growing Guide – Extremely helpful information about how to grow each variety of plant they carry

Books:

The Wildlife Friendly Vegetable Gardener – This beautifully illustrated book teaches you how to create a garden that peacefully coexists with the wildlife around you, in ways that will help you increase your harvest with less effort. There’s also an entire chapter on natural ways to protect your plants from pests.

Gaia’s Garden – A book on permaculture gardening at home, that teaches you how to work with nature, instead of against her, and contains tons of fascinating in depth information.

Cut Flower Garden – This book has tons of information on growing your favorite flowers, and it’s beautiful photographs also make it lovely to display.

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