As promised we’re back again to discuss planting a heirloom fall vegetable  garden. What vegetables or fruits can I plant for a Fall vegetable garden? When to plant, I don’t want to plant them too late, I’m really not sure how to do this? These are the big questions on the mind of those who want to try their hand at planting a heirloom fall vegetable garden. You may have always hesitated thinking that Fall crops of veggies were for the experts to grow, “I don’t know how to do that”, but really it’s easy, and no harder than planting in Spring. We’ll give you some helpful starting tips, and this year you could have more of your favorite heirloom vegetables right up until the Fall frosts! All you need is a little space. By Mid-summer, when it’s time to plant a fall vegetable garden, the early harvests of your heirloom vegetables, such as peas, lettuce, spinach, radishes, or bush snap beans will be wound down so you can reuse that space, or you may have a bit of space you never got planted(life happens!), it’s not too late. On the fence about whether to try it? We’d really encourage you to give it a shot, as many gardeners have found their fall vegetable garden crops are their favorites. Many of the typical vegetables planted in Fall crops love the warmth of the soil heated by the Summer sun to give them a great a start, thriving once the hat of Summer cools down, and many finish off with great flavor enhanced by the cool weather and even first frosts of Fall.

First, “What can I plant in my Fall heirloom vegetable garden?” Typical Fall vegetable garden favorites are: carrots, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, bush beans, peas, cucumbers, lettuce, turnips, rutabagas, swiss chard, kohlrabi, or kale. For those in the North the list will be a little different for than the list for those in the Southern U.S., as our season is shorter. In the North you can plant arugula, asian greens, basil, beans, broccoli(early varities), brussels sprouts transplants, cabbage, carrots, chicory, cilantro, cucumbers, dill, endive, kale, lettuce, mustard, parsley, peas, radishes, summer squash(early maturing varieties), swiss chard, and turnips. In the South you can add to the list collard greens, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, and even winter squash.

With all varieties you will want to make sure you have enough time for them to mature before your typical First Fall Frost dates. An easy place to find out the dates for your area is the Dave’s Garden Freeze/Frost Dates page, just enter your zip code and it will give you these dates specific to your own zipcode. Very handy!

If you are replanting in a spot already use this season, we recommend amending the soil a bit first to maximize your Fall vegetable garden harvest, to replace the nutrients already used up by the first round of plants. Mixing in compost, or worm castings can go a long way to helping keep your soil healthy, and not using up all the nutrients needed by your fruits and veggies to grow healthy and lush.

Need one last push to seal your decision to try out a fall vegetable garden? Fall crops tend to beat out the pests, as most of their season is passed by the time later plantings of veggies comes around. Can’t beat that for an incentive!

May God bless and reward your gardening efforts!