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There are many
which can be
vegetable crops
which may be grown in the fall garden. Indeed, the fall garden can be quite productive with just a bit of planning. But how do you plant a fall vegetable garden?
You will want to know the approximate date of the first fall frost in your area to time the planting of the vegetables. In Indiana this can be found at the nearest extension office. Other states will have a similiar resource. In general you will want to add a week or two to the maturity times to most of the vegetables to allow for the shortening days. Use the seed packet as a guide as to planting times to maturity. You will want to time them so the tender crops are mature a couple of weeks before the first frost and the hardy to semi-hardy types mature sometime around the first frost date. There is usually a few weeks of good growing weather after the first frost to allow these hardier types to mature before the harder, killing frosts occur.
Make sure that you remove all the weeds from the plot you wish to grow the vegetables in. Insects and other pests may use standiing weeds to hide in. They emerge from such areas to eat your vegetables when they are young and developing.
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Here is a table of vegetables grouped by frost hardiness:
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Tender Vegetables
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Semi-Hardy Vegetables
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Hardy Vegetables
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(damaged by light frost)
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(tolerates light frost)
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(tolerates hard frost)
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Beans
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Beets
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Broccoli
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Cucumber
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Carrot
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Brussels Sprouts
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Eggplant
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Cauliflower
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Cabbage
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Muskmelon
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Celery
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Collards
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New Zealand Spinach
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Chard
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Kale
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Okra
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Chinese Cabbage
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Kohlrabi
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Pepper
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Endive
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Mustard Greens
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Pumpkin
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Lettuce
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Onion
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Squash
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Parsnip
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Parsley
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Sweet Corn
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Potato
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Peas
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Sweet Potato
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Salsify
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Radish
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Tomato
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Spinach
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Watermelon
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Turnip
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The biggest challenges to the fall seeded crops are the very high soil temperatures of summer and high insect populations. Some of the vegetables, like cole crops, lettuce, and endive may be started in a shady area in pots where temperatures are cooler and watering can be controlled. Move them to a sunnier area when they germinate and you move them to larger containers. Place a screen over them to protect them from insects. Transplant to the garden when the seedlings are big enough.
Crops planted directly in the garden, like carrots, beets, peas and turnips need irrigation to keep the soil from drying out. This can be provided using a lawn sprinkler, soaker hose or an old fashioned watering can. If it is very hot and dry, these vegetables will need to be watered daily as they germinate and grow. You can also use plastic milk jugs to water the developing seedlings. Poke a very small hole in the bottom of the jug and fill it with water. place it near the plant you want watered. The water will slowly leak out, soaking the ground around the seedling, keeping the soil moist and somewhat cooler than the surrounding soil.
Learning how to plant a fall vegetable garden isn't hard, but does take a bit of planning. The plants must be started in mid-summer in weather not usually conducive to growing seedlings. But if you can shepherd the small plants through the first couple of weeks when they are small and vulnerable you can be on your way to a productive and rewarding fall vegetable garden.
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