Summer gets most of the gardening glory, but fall quietly grows some of the best food.
A fall garden is one of gardening's better-kept secrets. The days are generally cooler, pests begin to retreat, water doesn't evaporate as quickly, and crops that struggle through summer heat suddenly find themselves in exactly the weather they wanted.
Lettuce becomes crisp instead of bitter. Radishes grow quickly. Carrots sweeten. Kale seems practically offended that you ever considered summer its season.
But fall gardening has one important difference from spring gardening:
Timing matters because you're racing toward colder weather.
Start With Your First Frost Date
Before buying a single packet of seeds, find the average first frost date for your area.
Then look at the days to maturity listed on the seed packet.
If a carrot variety takes 60 days to mature and your average first frost is roughly 70 days away, don't assume you're safe.
Plants grow more slowly as daylight decreases in fall, so give yourself some breathing room. Many gardeners add roughly a couple of weeks to the listed maturity time when planning fall crops (my default is adding two weeks).
Cold-tolerant plants can continue growing through light frosts, especially with a protective layer, but you still want them established before the days become too short.
Your climate and growing zone determines everything (a quick google search will let you know your growing zone based on your zip code).
In a cold northern climate, fall planting might begin while summer is still blazing.
In a hot southern or desert climate, "fall gardening" may begin much later and can become one of the primary growing seasons (in Arizona, I plant my fall garden in October. When I lived on the East Coast of the US, I would start in August.)
The calendar is a guide but your local climate and growing zone is the boss.
Leafy Greens
If you want quick success, plant greens.
Lettuce
Loose-leaf lettuce is particularly friendly to beginners because you don't necessarily need to wait for a full head.
Harvest outer leaves while allowing the center to continue growing. It's delightful to pick tonight's salad each day as your little lettuce machine makes you more for tomorrow.
Spinach
Spinach loves cool weather and can tolerate frost once established. In some climates, it can even overwinter beneath protection and resume growing when the weather improves.
Kale
Kale is remarkably cold tolerant, and cool weather can even improve its flavor.
Harvest young leaves for salads or allow your plants to mature for cooking applications.
Arugula
Generally, I hate Arugula. My personal tastes don't think lettuce should be spicy. But, it grows quickly and thrives in cooler temperatures, and can be an excellent addition to some recipes. If you're into that sort of thing.
Its peppery leaves can be ready remarkably fast, making it useful when your fall planting window is already getting tight.
Roots
Fall and root vegetables belong together. These hearty plants provide decent calories, and are some of my favorites to both grow and preserve.
Radishes
If patience is not among your horticultural virtues, grow radishes. Some varieties mature in as little as a month and require very little space, making them excellent for containers or small raised beds.
Carrots
Carrots need more time, but cool temperatures can produce wonderfully sweet roots. You'll want to keep the soil loose enough for the roots to grow properly and keep the surface consistently moist while the tiny seeds germinate.
Beets
You get two crops from one plant. Beet roots are wonderful oven roasted and can be used in salads or in a hearty veggie roast with sweet potatoes and parsnips. But don't forget the greens. Beet greens can be treated like other greens (collards, spinach, etc). I love to add beet greens to butternut squash in a saute pan for a delightful fall side dish.
Turnips
Fast-growing varieties are excellent fall crops, and both the roots and greens can be used in similar fashion to beets.
Brassicas
Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and related crops generally prefer cool weather. But they should be started earlier because many need a longer growing window.
If your fall season is short, buying young transplants instead of starting from seed can give you a valuable head start. Check local nurseries to see what's available.
Broccoli is an especially satisfying choice. After harvesting the central head, many varieties continue producing smaller side shoots.
Peas
Peas enjoy cool weather, but timing can be tricky as they dislike intense summer heat, but also need enough time to produce before a hard freeze arrives. Growing zones with long, mild autumns are perfect for peas.
Be sure to give climbing varieties something to grab onto (a trellis or structure of some kind) and let them go.
Garlic: Plant Now, Harvest Later
Garlic is a staple ingredient for a self sustaining household. Garlic takes a while to grow, but is easily preserved by freezing, dehydrating (garlic powder anyone?), or fermenting in honey (my absolute favorite).
In many climates, you plant individual cloves in fall, allow them to establish roots, and don't harvest mature bulbs the following summer.
Plant each clove pointed end up at the recommended depth and spacing for your region/grow zone, then mulch as appropriate for your climate. Months later, one clove becomes an entire bulb. Save a bulb or two in your pantry to replant the next fall. Unlimited garlic!
What You'll Actually Need
Gardening catalogs can make growing six radishes appear to require the logistical infrastructure of a small farm. This is not the case (thankfully!).
For a simple fall garden, start with:
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Seeds or healthy transplants
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A garden bed, raised bed, or containers with drainage (make sure there are holes in the bottom of your pots!)
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Good soil and compost
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A hand trowel (tiny shovel)
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A watering can or hose (or a cup honestly)
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Garden gloves if you prefer them (I use a finger brush when washing my hands to get the dirt from under my fingernails, but definitely prefer working with my bare hands)
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Labels and markers
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Mulch
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A simple row cover or frost cloth if cold weather is likely
That's enough. Only add tools when a recurring problem gives you a reason to need to own them.
Containers Count
No yard? Not a problem!
Lettuce does not care about your property lines. Many fall crops grow beautifully in containers, including lettuce, spinach, radishes, kale, herbs, and some compact varieties of carrots and beets. Make sure to choose containers deep enough for the roots you're growing, make sure they have drainage holes, and remember that containers can dry out faster than garden beds and may require more frequent watering.
You don't need a farm, your patio can produce dinner too.
Plant in Waves
One of the easiest beginner mistakes is planting an entire packet of something at once.
Then suddenly you own 37 radishes. Instead, try succession planting.
Plant a small amount of a quick-growing crop. Wait a week or two. Plant another small amount.
Repeat.
Instead of one enormous harvest, you'll have smaller harvests spread across several weeks. This works beautifully with lettuce, spinach, radishes, and other fast crops.
Your First Fall Garden
If you're staring at seed packets wondering where to begin, make it smaller.
Choose three things:
One leafy green.
Lettuce, spinach, or kale.
One root vegetable.
Radishes are the easiest starting point.
One experiment.
Broccoli. Peas. Garlic. Something you're curious about.
That's a garden.
You don't need ten raised beds, a greenhouse, or a seed library to get started. You just need soil, seeds, water, sunlight, and enough curiosity to put something in the dirt.
Plant what the season wants to grow. Then pay attention and learn.
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