When the majority of people think of vegetable gardening, they instantly associate it with planting seeds in the spring and then harvesting the rewards in autumn. This does not mean, however, that gardening vegetables in the fall is not an option, too. Some plants are quite well disposed for being gardened during the fall.

The cooling temperatures of the fall do not mean that you have to give up on gardening until next spring. Take the following suggestions into consideration this fall and keep your garden producing delicious vegetables through autumn.

Things To Consider

Research is the essential first step when it comes to fall gardening. Learning more about the weather patterns in your local area during the fall is important, as is finding out when the average first frost is in your zone. Zones were determined be gardeners in an effort to categorize which plants can be grown in which parts of the country. Plants receive a rating based off of which zones they are best suited for.

An Internet search for growing zone maps will allow you to figure out which zone your home is located in easily. You can find more helpful information on websites regarding growing zones and what vegetables are best to grow in which zones. Vegetables that tend to be identified as good fall crops include broccoli, carrots, onions, beets, lettuce, cabbage, and radishes. Remember that not all plants can handle being grown in the fall.

Making Plans for Your Fall Garden

The timing must be right for your fall garden to turn out well. This timing includes making sure that you plant your vegetable seeds early enough for them to be able to mature before the first frost comes and ruins them. In order to calculate this properly, check the maturation time of the vegetables you are going to plant. This should appear on the seed packets you use. Then, add twenty one days to that figure. The other figure you need is you growing zone's estimated first frost date.

Then, take that number, and count back from the first frost date to determine your planting date. One problem you might run into is that some cool weather seeds will not germinate well in the hot weather of summer. In this case, start your plants inside, and then move them outside after about 30 days.