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9+ Fall Crops for the Beginning Gardener

in Fall Garden· Gardening Tips & How-to's· In the Garden· The Beginner's Garden Podcast· Vegetables

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I know that starting a fall garden can feel a little overwhelming. It’s hard to know where to start, which crops are best suited for the fall garden, and more specifically, which crops are the easiest for a beginner gardener to start out with.

Fall gardening, more than the summer garden, depends heavily on your location and climate. What grows well in my Arkansas Zone 7b garden may not grow as well for you. And what I struggle to grow well in the fall garden you may have no problems with at all! So, keep in mind that gardening in the fall is very much a testing ground. Get started, test out a few crops, find out what works, and learn what you need to adapt for next season.

With that in mind, I encourage you to begin with fall crops that are a bit easier to grow — most fall gardeners can experience success by starting out with these crops first. Listen below or continue reading:

*links below contain affiliate links, which means if you click through and make a purchase, I earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Garlic

Garlic tops my list of what I couldn’t imagine NOT growing. It is my easiest crop. You plant the cloves in the fall around your first frost (give or take a week or two). Mulch lightly for weed control if you live in a mild climate, and mulch more heavily for cold protection if you live in a more harsh winter area.

garlic growing from fall planting

Then you wait. I start harvesting around June in Arkansas, but your harvest date may vary from May to July depending on your area.

If you grow nothing else this fall, grow garlic. For more detailed instructions on growing and harvesting garlic, check out these posts about growing garlic, when to plant, and how to harvest. And grab your free garlic cheat sheet.

Lettuce

My #2 pick for the fall garden has to be lettuce. I directly sow the seeds in my garden, raised bed, or containers very lightly. Don’t plant the seeds too deep. (I usually just scratch the seeds into the surface — nothing complicated!). Then, make sure and keep it watered.

buttercrunch lettuce

The timing of planting depends on your location, but around 6 weeks before your average first frost is a good place to start. You may even be able to plant multiple plantings to extend your harvest!

Arugula

This is another crop that you can direct sow and is simple to grow. Similar to lettuce but actually in the brassica family, arugula is much more cold-tolerant. In my 7b climate, it will survive the winter without cover.

arugula in raised bed

Plant it the same way as lettuce and about the same time. That way it can get established before the decreased day length slows its growth.

Another good thing about arugula is that you can harvest it very young for small leaves, or you can wait until the leaves are full-grown (around 6″). While arugula bolts quickly in the summer heat, it will provide for you much longer in the fall (and winter, depending on your climate).

Spinach

Spinach is similar to arugula in its growth, but because it loves cold weather even more, you may have to wait a little longer to plant. The seeds do not germinate in the hot soil that many of us have in the late summer.

spinach in fall garden

One option is to wait until the daytime temperatures stay consistently in the 70s or lower 80s (F). Though I have directly sown my spinach with success in my garden, waiting until my temperatures get that low usually means the spinach won’t grow large enough before winter sets in. But, it will overwinter and will start growing again in late winter. Again, keep in mind that I’m in zone 7b, where our coldest temperatures rarely get below 10F.

In order to try to get a fall harvest from spinach, I start spinach seeds indoors. Then I’ll transplant the seedlings when the weather turns mild. Though spinach, in my experience, has a bit more of a learning curve than lettuce and arugula, it’s worth a spot in my fall and winter garden.

Carrots

Most fall gardeners make a place for carrots. They are the perfect fall crop!

fall carrots

But, one of the biggest challenges for a fall planting of carrots is getting the carrot seeds to germinate. Carrot seeds require constant moisture in the up to two weeks it takes them to germinate, and that isn’t an easy task in a hot, dry, late summer. Unless you want to water every day, you might consider covering your planting with something like a cardboard box, burlap sack, or flat floating row cover. I prefer the floating row cover because it lets light in and is easy to keep moist.

carrot seedlings

Plan on starting your carrot seeds about 8 weeks before your average first frost.

Snap Peas

Snap peas do not like the heat so they are perfect for the fall. They will germinate quickly in the warm soil, but by the time they start setting flowers, the worst of the heat has passed. Snap peas are an easy way to get fresh veggies from your fall garden.

Radish

Radish is a quick to grow root crop that is simple to grow. Grow them to toss in your salads or roast with other root veggies.

Easter Egg Radishes

You can start them from seed about 4 weeks before your average first frost.

Kale

Kale is another quintessential fall crop that many gardeners love to add to their gardens. In many areas (like mine) it will survive the winter, giving you fresh kale all season!

Direct sow these seeds about 4-6 weeks before your average first frost.

Swiss Chard

Another popular yet colorful addition to your fall garden is swiss chard. You can direct sow about 10 weeks before your average first frost. This crop has lasted well through my milder winters.

But don’t stop with chard. Most other greens, such as mustard greens and collard greens, are also great choices for the fall.

For the Intermediate Gardener:

Did you notice a few popular fall crops missing from my list of fall crops for the beginning gardener?

There’s a reason for that. There are other crops that I love growing, but they require more of a learning curve in my experience. If you’re wanting simple, perfect the growing of the nine crops above. But if you’re really intent on these fall favorites, keep reading.

Broccoli

Broccoli is a plant that can be difficult to grow, but I love having it. I try to start broccoli indoors and transplant when it’s not so hot (for me, that means starting seeds indoors in July and transplanting into the garden in September). The transplants can go into the garden about 6 weeks before your first frost.

broccoli in raised beds

Keep in mind that broccoli doesn’t like heat. While I haven’t had them bolt in the fall, they have delayed in forming a head in the heat, which kept them from producing before the peak of winter. In my experience, mature broccoli can survive temperatures in the mid-20s, especially with a cover.

Cabbage

Cabbage is very similar to broccoli with timing and growth requirements. They need a lot of very fertile soil so make sure you amend your soil with compost. One thing to keep in mind with cabbage (and broccoli) is that cabbage worms are as much of a problem in the fall garden as in the spring. So I recommend floating row covers as prevention.

floating row covers

Beets

Finally, beets. I know that beets are an easy crop for many gardeners to grow, but for me, they have been a challenge. I think the biggest issue in fall planting is that they don’t love hot weather and they’re hard to keep watered well when they are planted in the late summer.

Plan on sowing beets about the same time as carrots, around 8 weeks before your first frost, and keep them watered. In some areas, beets overwinter for a late winter harvest.


The fall garden can be a great experiment. It’s so different than the spring garden, I would love for you to give it a try.

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Filed Under: Fall Garden, Gardening Tips & How-to's, In the Garden, The Beginner's Garden Podcast, Vegetables

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Richard says

    August 20, 2020 at 4:09 am

    Hi Jill, I wanted to let you know I found your article about fall crops for the beginning gardener very helpful. Thank you, Richard

    Reply
    • Jill says

      August 31, 2020 at 8:30 am

      Thank you, Richard!

      Reply
  2. DOnna Mordis says

    August 30, 2020 at 7:15 am

    Hi Jill,
    I found your pod casts on Spotify… LOVE!!!! You have inspired me… I am so excited to start my first ever gardening experience.. I have been reading books, listening to your podcasts and trying to educate myself as best I can to make my start. Thank you!!! Hoping my zone 10 sunny south Florida weather works with my mini dream garden…Finding you during a covid environment was perfect timing! Have a wonderful week ahead!

    Reply
    • Jill says

      August 31, 2020 at 8:30 am

      Nice to meet you, Donna, and congratulations on your new garden! This is the perfect time to garden in Florida!

      Reply

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Notice a difference between the cabbage seedlings Notice a difference between the cabbage seedlings on the left and the ones on the right?
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I just love testing different things in my garden, and for these seedlings I tested two treatments I’ve never tried before: foliage feeding and a “root dip” using the plant growth product, Organic REV.
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The plants on the left were untreated; the ones on the right were treated.
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A few weeks ago I filled a spray bottle with a diluted Organic REV mixture (per their instructions) and I sprayed the young seedlings on the right. They responded well and began to outpace the untreated group slightly — it was small but definitely noticeable.
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Then last Friday I transferred the seedlings into these larger pots, but before I did it, for the plants on the right, I dipped the root ball in a 50/50 REV/water mixture, saturating the soil and roots before transplanting. Again, the plants on the right were the only ones that got this root dip.
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The soil all plants are growing in is the same: a potting mix plus some Plant Tone organic fertilizer.
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It was after this root dip and transplant that the seedlings on the right started pacing much more ahead of the ones in the untreated group.
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While all the seedlings (treated and untreated) are growing in this fertile soil medium, what Organic REV is supposed to do is appearing to prove true — at least in this test. It helps plants more efficiently take up and use the nutrients that are present in the soil.
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Organic REV is now a brand partner of the Beginner’s Garden. They sent me their product to try first, and I’m continuing to test it in different ways.
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But what I’m sharing with you is my own experience and results. If you’re interested in their product, look them up here: @buyorganicrev Use my affiliate code JILL10 to get 10% off if you want to try it for yourself.
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#organicrev #foliarfeed #foliarfeeding #indoorseedstarting #indoorseedlings #pottingup #cabbage #cabbageseedlings #organicgardening #organicfertilizers
I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to harvesti I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to harvesting from my garden in the winter. It snowed today, even! (Okay, just a dusting, and it already melted, but in central Arkansas, any snow is worth celebrating! 😂)
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Although I’ve grown cabbage in the spring before, this is my first time harvesting a fall crop. (My last two attempts were thwarted by hungry rabbits or rogue hens 😡.)
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I have several more plants that I’m hoping to harvest from now that the days are getting longer and maybe the heads will start growing again. And I also have a new crop started in my grow room.
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Four-season gardening may sound daunting but I assure you, fall and winter gardening is almost a hands-off endeavor. The only thing it really takes is a little planning (and some nurturing in the beginning).
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And the reward of picking from your garden in the winter (when your climate allows) can’t be overstated. It’s fabulous!!
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If you’re interested in learning how to incorporate more seasons in your garden growing, I have several exciting new resources coming up, starting with tomorrow’s first podcast of the new year on deciding if indoor seed starting is right for you!
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As much as I’m enjoying this winter harvest, I’ve already got one eye in spring! You, too? 😊
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#cabbage #growingcabbage #wintergarden #winterharvest #zone7b #arkansasgarden #zone7gardening #gardenplanning
This fall-planted parsley 🌱 has done really wel This fall-planted parsley 🌱 has done really well in my Greenstalk Vertical planter. I recently harvested the lower leaves and dried them for use in the kitchen. But the rest of the plant is still growing well, and I expect to harvest from it for months to come.
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I planted the parsley along with other plants in the Greenstalk planter in September. Although the lettuce is done and I harvested the celery, the herbs like parsley, cilantro, chives, and oregano are going strong!
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I LOVE that I don’t have to buy almost all herbs from the store, even in the winter.
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#herbs #parsley #herbgardening #greenstalkplanter #greenstalkverticalplanter #containergarden #containergardening #containerherbgardening #wintergarden #winterharvest #winterherbs #zone7b #zone7gardening
I’ve spent the better part of two days selecting I’ve spent the better part of two days selecting and ordering seeds for this year. My husband thinks my intensive research is a bit over the top. Maybe.... 🤔
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But here’s what I do:
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1️⃣ Select the seed companies I’ll purchase from. Most of my orders were from @southernexposureseed because I’m in the SE US and the varieties there fit my climate well. Next, I placed a large order from @territorialseedcompany (great selection, informative catalog, and some of the best prices). From there, I supplemented with seeds from @bakercreekseeds (high quality heirloom seeds, highly dependable, free shipping), @johnnys_seeds (unique varieties for different needs than I can get elsewhere), and @seed_savers_exchange (heirloom seeds with a great mission).
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2️⃣ I went through my top 3 catalogs, circling varieties I was interested in.
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3️⃣ I entered each variety in my Seed & Plant Research sheet from my Complete Garden Planner, noting unique characteristics, days to maturity, and price. (Not all seed packets are equal in quantity so it pays to be a savvy shopper.)
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4️⃣ I chose which seeds to purchase.
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I usually plan my entire garden before ordering seeds, but I was a bit nervous about the seed supply (thankfully only a few varieties were sold out), so I did my best in choosing what I’d need.
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The process was LONG but a great way to spend the last two days of 2020 — with HOPE for the 2021 garden season! 💕
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Have you ordered seeds yet? Where do you like to order from?
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(My printable Complete Garden Planner is available in my shop, link in profile.)
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#seedshopping #orderingseeds #gardenseeds #garden2021
#gardenplanning #gardenplans #seedcatalog #seedcatalogs #wheretobuyseeds #gardening #gardeningtips #gardentips
My greenhouse lettuce is coming along! 🥬 I expe My greenhouse lettuce is coming along! 🥬 I expect now that the day length ☀️ will be increasing, the growth will accelerate in the next couple of months.
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I think I planted these in early October, so you can see how slow they grow this time of year, even in the warmth of the greenhouse. But it’s so nice to see signs of growth and hope for future lettuce harvests! 🥬
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I’m almost to the end of my main fall lettuce, so I’ll be glad when these are ready to eat!
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#lettuce #greenhouse #greenhousegardening #wintergarden #wintergardening #greenhouselettuce #falllettuce #growbag #growbags #greenhousegardener #containergardening #containergarden #containerlettuce
Would love to hear your personal experience using Would love to hear your personal experience using shredded leaves as mulch! 🍂
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🌲 The trees on my property are mainly pine trees, so I’ve never had fallen leaves to collect and use as mulch. (That’s mainly why I use wood chips.) But when my dad offered to collect and bag up his leaves and give them to me, of course I said yes!
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Twenty-five bags later I realized I needed to figure out how to best use them. I knew they’d blow away if I just dumped them on the garden and they’d take forever to break down if I threw them in the compost pile. So I watched a few YouTube videos and settled on a leaf shredder.
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(A lot of people use lawn mowers to mulch their leaves but we don’t have a mower like that. I also tried the weed-eater as an immersion blender in a trash can idea once and it was a disaster.)
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I LOVED this leaf shredder! It was really easy to use and I shredded 25 bags in just a couple of hours. Most people shred the leaves into bags but I created a simple wired bin to collect mine, and I shredded the leaves directly into it. I applied the leaves to several beds already but I have half of them still in the bin to use later.
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How do you use fall leaves in your garden? I’m excited to try this method that I have enviously watched so many gardeners use over the years!
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#leafshredder #leafmulch #leafmulching #leafmulcher #fallenleaves #autumnleaves #mulch #gardentips #fallgardening #gardenchores #compost #leavesasmulch #fallgardencleanup @worxtools
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