What to Plant in a Fall Garden: A Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: When to Plant Fall Garden Vegetables

Timing matters more for fall gardening than it does for spring. Unlike spring, when you’ve got weeks of warming weather ahead, you’re racing the clock—working backward from your first expected frost.

So, your planting calendar depends on where you live. For me here in New England, that frost usually shows up sometime around September 20. That gives me about a month of warm-enough weather to grow quick crops, and even more time if I use row covers or focus on cold-hardy vegetables.

The Almanac’s Fall Planting Dates Calendar will tell you customized dates based on your ZIP code. I use it every year when I’m feeling impatient—or when math isn’t my strong suit.

Or, this is how you can calculate your planting window:

1. Find your first expected frost date using our Frost Dates Calculator.
2. Look at your seed packet and find the “days to maturity.”
3. Count backwards from the frost date.
4. Add a week or two for what we call the “fall factor”—plants grow slower in cooler days.
5. (Optional but wise): Add 7 to 10 days if you want to harvest over time, not all at once.

Even as days shorten, your soil is warmer than it was in spring, so seeds often germinate faster. Don’t waste that warm earth—get planting!

Step 2: What Vegetables to Grow in Fall

Here’s where the fun begins. Fall is ideal for fast-growing, cold-tolerant vegetables. Some of them even get sweeter after a light frost. Here are some of my tried-and-true picks:

Go-To Greens

• Lettuce – Looseleaf varieties are ready in 30–45 days.
• Spinach – Fall spinach thrives in cool soil and doesn’t bolt like in spring.
• Swiss chard – Fast-growing, colorful, and tough enough for light frost.
• Kale – Cold sweetens it. ‘Winterbor’ and ‘Redbor’ are especially hardy.

Cool-Weather Brassicas (They Love Fall!)

(Note: Consider skipping if you’re newer to gardening. Both are slower to mature than quick greens and broccoli is a little fussier—but it’s worth the wait.)

• Broccoli – Cooler weather means tighter heads and fewer pests.  Start from transplants if you’re short on time.
• Kohlrabi  – Quick, crunchy, and great raw or roasted. Like broccoli, it matures well in cool weather and isn’t bothered as much by cabbage moth larvae as spring-planted brassicas. ‘Purple Vienna’ and ‘Kolibri’ are reliable fall picks.

Roots and Quick Picks

• Radishes – Some are ready in just 3 weeks!
• Carrots and beets – Take a bit longer, but cold makes them sweeter.
• Bush beans – A gamble if frost hits early, but worth it in long-season areas.
• Snap and snow peas – Sweet, crisp, and surprisingly frost-tolerant.

Bonus: Asian Greens

Asian greens are my fall garden heroes—fast, flavorful, and frost-hardy:

• Tatsoi, pac choi, mizuna, napa cabbage
• Arugula, mâche, minutina, claytonia, mustard

Tip: Mix in Fall Flowers

One thing I’ve learned over the years is that fall gardens don’t have to look like a plain patch of veggies. Mixing edibles with cool-season flowers like ornamental kale, pansies, and salvias adds color—and a bit of cheer on gray autumn days.

I like to tuck a few pansies right next to my spinach or let ornamental kale spill over the edge of a raised bed. It makes the garden feel alive and festive, even as the days grow shorter. Plus, the flowers attract pollinators and beneficial insects that help keep pests in check—a win-win for beauty and bounty.

Step 3: Where to Plant Fall Vegetables 

Think of this as a garden game of musical chairs—only now, the tomatoes are fading and new crops need a seat. Here’s where I look for space:

• Beds where garlic or onions were harvested
• Rows that held tomatoes or squash
• Rows where green beans have finished
• Anywhere zucchini or cucumbers have slowed down
• Areas cleared of spent or diseased plants
• Even fall containers or window boxes can hold a batch of baby lettuce

Before replanting, freshen up the soil with compost or organic fertilizer. If your summer crops were heavy feeders (like corn or squash), consider adding a little organic nitrogen to help your greens get growing.

Fall gardening is also a good time to practice succession planting—tucking in new crops where others have just finished.

Keep Fall Crops Thriving

Caring for fall crops is easier than spring thanks to cooler weather and less pests and weeds. Here are are few tips:

• Water regularly—soil may still be warm, but fall seedlings dry out quickly.
• Use row covers to protect from chilly nights and sneaky cabbage moths.
• Mulch to conserve moisture and block weeds.
• Stagger your planting—sow lettuce, spinach, or radishes every 10–14 days to keep the harvest going.

Fall Gardening: One More Growing Season

Fall may be the quiet season in the garden, but it’s one of the most rewarding. With a bit of planning—and a willingness to plant while others are pulling up—you can grow sweet roots, crisp greens, and garden satisfaction right through the shortening days. So before you hang up your trowel, take one last lap around the garden. There’s still time. Still warmth. Still a season left to grow.

Want more ideas? Need help picking your plants? Check out our favorite vegetables for fall gardens. (That’s where I share what we plant after the garlic comes out!)

Have you planted a fall garden before? Got a favorite veggie or trick for squeezing in one more harvest? We’d love to hear it—please leave a note in the comments below!