A fall vegetable garden starts in July, not September
Short answer
Fall crops are planted in mid to late summer, counted back from your first fall frost. In zone 6, with a first frost around mid-October, sow carrots, beets, kale, collards and broccoli in July, turnips and bok choy in August, and spinach, radishes and arugula into September. Plant garlic in October.
A fall vegetable garden is planted in summer. The trick is to count back from your first fall frost, not forward from the calendar. By September it’s too late for most crops, so the real planting months are July and August.
The dates below are for USDA zone 6, with an average first frost around October 17. In zones 4 and 5, start two to four weeks earlier; in zones 7 and 8, you have two to four weeks longer. Zones are drawn from winter lows rather than frost dates, so your own first frost is the number that matters.
The fall planting calendar
| Crop | Sow or plant | Days to harvest | Frost tolerance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broccoli | Sow outside by mid-July, or set out transplants by late July | 70 to 100 | Light frost, to about 23 °F |
| Carrots | Sow by mid-July | 60 to 90 | Hard frost, to about 14 °F |
| Collards | Sow outside by mid-July, transplant by early August | 60 to 85 | Hard frost, to about 10 °F |
| Kale | Sow outside by late July, transplant by early August | 60 to 90 | Hard frost, to about 5 °F |
| Beets | Sow by late July | 50 to 70 | Light frost, to about 23 °F |
| Cabbage | Sow mid-July to early August, transplant late August to early October | 90 to 130 | Hard frost, to about 14 °F |
| Turnips | Sow mid-July to late August | 40 to 60 | Moderate frost, to about 19 °F |
| Lettuce | Sow outside by late August, transplant until mid-September | 40 to 85 | Light frost, to about 25 °F |
| Bok choy | Sow late July to early September | 30 to 60 | Light frost, to about 25 °F |
| Spinach | Sow early August to mid-September | 40 to 50 | Hard frost, to about 14 °F |
| Mâche | Sow early August to mid-September | 45 to 70 | Hard frost, to about 14 °F |
| Radishes and arugula | Sow until mid-September | 25 to 40 | Light frost, to about 23 °F |
| Garlic | Plant cloves mid-September to mid-November | Next summer | Very hardy |
Planting in summer heat
The hardest part of a fall garden is getting seeds going in July and August heat.
- Water often. Seeds of carrots and lettuce need the soil surface kept moist until they come up. A board or shade cloth laid over the row for a few days helps, but lift it as soon as seedlings appear.
- Start brassicas in pots. Broccoli, cabbage, kale and collards can be sown in trays in a shady spot and planted out after three to four weeks.
- Sow a little deeper than in spring, where the soil stays cooler and damper.
- Lettuce won’t germinate much above 80 °F. Sow it in the evening, or start it indoors.
Where to fit it in
Fall crops go into the gaps left by summer ones. Beds cleared of garlic, early potatoes, peas or spring lettuce in June and July are ideal. Add a layer of compost before sowing, as the soil has already fed one crop. Rotate where you can, and avoid following one brassica with another.
Stretching the season
Frost doesn’t have to end the garden. Row cover laid over hoops protects lettuce, bok choy and arugula through the first light frosts and buys two or three extra weeks. Kale, collards, spinach and mâche keep going under cover into winter, and a cold frame or low tunnel can keep spinach and mâche growing until spring.
For next spring’s planting, see what to plant in April in zone 6, and for fall-planted garlic, garlic in zone 6.
Questions people also ask
Is it too late to plant a fall garden in September?
Not entirely. In zone 6, radishes, arugula, spinach, mâche and mustard greens can still be sown in September, and garlic goes in during October. Bigger crops like broccoli and carrots needed a July start.
How do I work out when to plant fall crops?
Take the days to harvest on the seed packet, add about two weeks because growth slows as days shorten, and count back from your first fall frost. That's your latest sowing date.
Which fall vegetables survive frost?
Kale, collards, Brussels sprouts, spinach, mâche and cabbage handle hard frosts well, and frost sweetens them. Lettuce, bok choy and arugula take light frosts but need cover in a hard freeze.
Dates set to your own frost dates
VegLog works out sowing and planting times for your town, then reminds you when each job is due.
