Fall garden

Choosing the right vegetables is only half the equation for a successful fall garden. Choosing the right varieties can make the difference between a disappointing crop and weeks—or even months—of dependable harvests. After growing vegetables for decades in Iowa, Massachusetts, Florida, and California, I’ve learned that not every variety performs equally well in autumn. Fall…

One of the biggest challenges in vegetable gardening is starting cool-season crops while summer is still in full swing. It can seem contradictory: you’re sowing seeds for broccoli, spinach, lettuce, and carrots while tomatoes are ripening, peppers are coloring, and afternoon temperatures still reach the upper 80s or even the 90s. Yet this overlap is…

Planting a fall vegetable garden is only the beginning. To enjoy weeks—or even months—of productive harvests, your crops need consistent care as the seasons change. Fortunately, many vegetables thrive during autumn’s cooler temperatures. Leafy greens become sweeter, broccoli forms tighter heads, carrots develop richer flavor, and insect pressure gradually declines. Even so, fall gardens have…

One of the greatest rewards of a fall vegetable garden is harvest season. Cool days and chilly nights transform many vegetables, producing sweeter carrots, crisper lettuce, richer-flavored broccoli, and kale that becomes noticeably more tender after a light frost. Knowing when to harvest is just as important as knowing how to harvest. Pick too early,…

One of the most common questions I hear from gardeners is, “When should I plant my fall vegetables?” The answer depends on where you live. A gardener in Minnesota may begin planting fall broccoli in July, while a gardener in Northern California may wait until September. Both are planting at exactly the right time because…

For generations, gardeners have planted fall vegetables by the calendar. “Plant broccoli in August,” or “Sow spinach after Labor Day,” are common recommendations. While these rules of thumb can be helpful, they often fail because every growing season is different. A cool summer can delay soil warming. A prolonged heat wave can keep garden soil…