Starting Seeds for Fall Vegetables

We’re moving into late summer across North America, and while this is peak gardening time for many of us, some of us are already looking toward the autumn months. If you’re like us here at the Gardzen Test Gardens and you often get behind on gardening projects, you may be wondering if you can still start seeds for fall vegetables. Well, that depends on the veggie in question, your growing season, and your garden, but in general starting seeds for fall vegetables is something that can be done successfully at this time of the year in many places. Let’s dig in and learn a bit about fall gardening!

When to Start Fall Veggies

The best time to start your fall vegetables depends on the plant and varietal in question, your climate zone, and how your garden setup works. So while we can’t tell you exactly what will work for you, we can offer some general guidelines and tips that you can adapt to your own unique situation. Let’s start by taking a look at some common fall vegetable plants that many of us can start now:

• Beans and Peas:These much loved cool weather garden vegetables are well suited for fall growing in many places. Typically you’ll want to start them directly outdoors—they don’t transplant well—and get them planted at least 12 weeks before your first frost date for best results. Make sure to harvest regularly when they start producing for a bumper crop!
• Carrots: Another easy-to-grow garden favorite, carrots can really be started any time of the year in many locations, but they’re a spring and fall veggie across the US and Canada. Like beans and peas, carrots don’t transplant well. Start them directly in a bed or container at least 11 weeks before the frost arrives and harvest them as they reach maturity for best results.

• Collards and Kale:These hearty, cold-hardy greens are favorites in the American Southeast and have grown in popularity around the rest of North America in recent years. These can be started in seed trays just about anytime but should be transplanted outside no later than 11 weeks before your first frost. Most varietals of collards or kale are cold-hardy to some degree and will grow all winter in milder climates or with some protection. In fact, many older Southerners insist they taste better after a frost!

• Lettuce: A cool-weather green with endless uses, there are enough varieties of lettuce that whole books have been devoted to them. Despite their fragile appearance, lettuces can be started indoors roughly 12 weeks before your first frost date in the fall and transplanted outside no later than nine weeks before the frost arrives. While they’re not as frost-hardy as collards and kale, you can extend the growing season with cloches or row covers.

• Radishes: Like carrots, radishes are a root veggie that’s easy to grow. This makes them a fun choice for younger gardeners. Radishes really do not do well with transplanting, but they make up for it by growing quickly. Start them directly in your containers or beds about six weeks before the frost arrives.

• Spinach: Fast growing, tasty, and healthy, spinach is a welcome addition to any fall garden. It’s easily started from seeds and should be started directly about eight weeks before the first frost. Like lettuce, you can extend its growing season a bit with some protection.
• Rutabagas and Turnips:As with beans and peas, these are different plants but they’re most easily discussed together. Classic root veggies and popular in many winter dishes, both rutabaga and turnips should be started directly—no transplanting—and planted at least eight weeks before the first frost.

Extending the Growing Season for Fall Vegetables

There are a number of different ways to extend the growing season for fall vegetables, mostly by protecting them from the cold. A greenhouse is a classic example of this, proving a more controlled environment to keep plants warmer and happier than they would be outside. Smaller, portable greenhouse solutions are available for patio gardeners, smaller spaces, or those just looking to start early or extend their season a bit. Likewise row covers in various forms can protect plants from the weather. These are better suited to garden beds and larger outside spaces, but with a little creativity we’ve seen them work well for patio gardeners too. And you can always try some indoor gardening if that’s easiest for you—it’s a different approach to a garden but it’s creative and rewarding! Whatever your situation, we hope you’ll keep gardening into the fall and all year long!