Fall Gardening
If you enjoy growing vegetables but have never delved into fall gardening, it’s time to add a new adventure to your list of accomplishments. Fortunately, I think that you’ll discover that planting a fall garden is even easier than gardening during the summer.
The Joy of Fall Vegetable Gardening
It’s the middle of October here in South Central Pennsylvania, prime gardening season. That’s right, fall gardening really does have some advantages for the determined vegetable gardener. There’s no sweating through hot and humid weather, swatting at hordes of knats or mosquitoes, and no need to lug around the hose or watering can.
All of the pictures in this post were taken during the latter stages 
of October here in my Zone 6 region. Regardless of your growing region, it’s a cinch to extend your vegetable gardening far beyond the normal season. My fall gardens continue to be productive well into the month of December.
Great Vegetables for Fall Garden Production
The key to successful fall gardening hinges on planting the right types of fall vegetable varieties at the proper time for your region. Many vegetables prefer the cool growing conditions of autumn, and will even withstand and benefit from exposure to the cold and frosts. My favorite winter vegetables include: leafy kale, collards, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, rutabagas, beets, carrots, Swiss chard, leeks, oriental greens, endive, and lettuce.
I begin planting fall garden crops in mid to late summer, giving the plants plenty of time to mature before winter sets in. Keep in mind that your plants will grow slower as the weather cools and the days become shorter. It may take a little experimenting and tracking of your results to determine the ideal planting times for fall vegetables in your growing region.
Extra Protection for Fall Vegetable Plants
Fall gardening can also help you get a jump on spring by planting crops that will germinate in the fall, survive the winter under a light mulch of straw or shredded leaves, and then resume growth at the first sign of spring arriving. Vegetables that will thrive under this treatment include: garlic, shallots, kale, collards, spinach, mache, and certain varieties of lettuce.
In some areas, growing cold hardy vegetables will enable you to harvest fresh food from the garden year round. Even in a far northern climate, a little protection in the form of a cold frame will provide you with fresh greens when the garden is completely covered by snow. You may be surprised by just how productive and enjoyable your fall gardening escapade becomes. 
For more details on fall vegetable gardening check out my new backyard gardening ebook: “Amazing Secrets to Growing Luscious Fruits and Vegetables at Home” which includes an entire chapter devoted to fall gardening techniques.
Other Related Vegetable Gardening Posts:
October 23rd, 2005 at 9:06 am
Finally I found a blog where its concept of gardening is pretty near to my way of gardening. I am really impressed with your blog and hope you can visit mine also. Wish we can get in touch with each other’s blog consistently. I even put a link to your blog. Keep it up with your good work.
October 24th, 2005 at 8:42 pm
Its wonderful to see someone else not just attempting a fall garden, but telling others how to do it. I simply fell into gardening this fall by accident. The local Big Lots had the summer surplus of seeds for sale. I bought the entire lot of vegetable (40-50 varieties) and perenials (10 or so) for $10.00 USD. I built the 14′ x 9′ raised bed from old fencing materials, the compost was had for $7.00 and about 5 hours to turn the grass over and lay the compost and build the frame. It has changed my life, from being dependent on groceries, to now understanding a bit more about self sufficiency. I tossed in what I thought would be good Fall and Winter growth. Your site along with some others have encouraged me to do a late Fall seeding, today starting with garlic (in the row of chives that didn’t come up, only 1 of my 13 rows didn’t come up quickly). Its been a hoot, and I think I’ll start blogging with photos here as well under a new moniker that reflects my efforts and intensions.
October 9th, 2006 at 9:40 am
I am just starting my fall garden and the information I have read has been extremely informative.
October 24th, 2006 at 1:33 am
Hi Kenny,
I really enjoyed your post on fall gardening. I agree with you, that it can be a more comfortable experience being out in the garden during fall, rather than during the hot summer months. Your tip on the extra protection required during fall gardening was excellent.
Keep up the good work.
Sandy
September 7th, 2008 at 10:22 am
[...] Fall Gardening » Veggie Gardening Tips Hypertufa How To: Create Beautiful Garden Art & Planters Top Quality Fountains for Every Home & Garden Professional Secrets to Growing Stunning Bonsai Trees Tags: Fall Vegetable Gardening, Fall Vegetables This entry was posted on Friday, October 21st, 2005 at 7:20 pm and is filed under Fall Vegetable Gardening, Growing Organic Vegetables. Other Related Vegetable Gardening Posts: Gardening Secrets Newsletter… [...]
September 20th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
[...] Fall Gardening » Veggie Gardening Tips Sandy Says: October 24th, 2006 at 1:33 am Hi Kenny, I really enjoyed your post on fall gardening. 5 Responses to Fall Gardening goliku Says: October 23rd, 2005 at 9:06 am Finally I found a blog where its concept of gardening is pretty near to my way of gardening. Your tip on the extra protection required during fall gardening was excellent. For more details on fall vegetable gardening check out my… [...]
August 10th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Hi Kenny,
I really am enjoying the abundance of gardening information that you provide to your readers. Fall gardening can be just as enjoyable as starting your vegetable garden at the beginning of Spring and Summer. The cool Fall mornings are very comfortable and when the foliage of the trees start turning bright colors along with the growth of your fall garden vegetables it can make for a very relaxing experience.
September 16th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
[...] Prep your garden with Fall gardening tips. [...]
October 12th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
We’re enjoying our first fall garden. After clearing the summer veggie debris in early September, we retilled and fertilized, then planted bush green beans, sugar snap peas, broccoli sets, spinach, romaine lettuce, and turnips. The peas were declared a failure after two plantings didn’t germinate, and only about one third of the romaine seeds emerged, but broccoli, turnips, spinach, and green beans (now blooming) are doing well. I don’t see heads forming yet on the broccoli, but I’m hopeful. Bloom clusters on the beans promise a crop still to form. We’ve been very rainy and cool for this time of year in mid Missouri, but my rows of green veggies in October are gorgeous to me. I hope we’ll be eating fresh green beans, spinach, and broccoli for Thanksgiving this year. ~G