A fall garden requires careful planning. Planting must be timed to allow frost-sensitive vegetables to mature and to be harvested before frost. Those that will tolerate frost can be planted so that harvesting can continue after the first fall frost.

Vegetables adapted to fall gardens can be divided into 4 groups, based on their tolerance of freezing temperatures.

Some warm-season vegetables adapted to fall gardens—but killed by frost—are snap beans, southern peas, summer squash, winter squash, cucumbers, sweet corn and early-maturing pepper and tomato varieties.

The second group includes cool-season crops usually damaged by light frost when mature, such as lettuce, cauliflower, kohlrabi, celery, cabbage and broccoli.

The third group contains those that are moderately tolerant of repeated light frosts: carrots, parsnip, beets, leaf lettuce, endive, radishes, rutabagas and turnips.

Members of the fourth group, which tolerate night after night of freezing temperatures and have even survived a mild winter, include bulb onions, Brussels sprouts, shallots, spinach, parsley, collards, kale and Romaine varieties of lettuce.

Fall Planting Dates

Even if you don't yet have a garden, THERE IS STILL TIME TO PLANT.
FINAL RECOMMENDED SEEDING DATECROP

Buying transplants of vegetables at local nurseries to set in the garden at the right time and with the right spacing will insure success. It is NOT too late to begin fall gardening and enjoy the production of quality produce for Thanksgiving and Christmas.