Veggies You Can Grow in the Fall

What do you think of when you hear the meteorologist say, "Fall is just around the corner"? Most people that I know, myself included, think of pumpkin spiced everything and most gardeners that I know would think, "Oh, it's time to put out the mums and ornamental cabbage," and that is partially true but I also start thinking about what vegetables and fruits I can grow in the fall and how I can push my growing season out just a little bit. We touched on that a little bit when I talked about the hydroponic system but now I'm going to talk about things you can do without the hydroponic system. And that's not a typo. There are ways to extend your growing season. Today I'm just going to focus on one aspect of this, which is fruits and vegetables you can grow in the fall garden.

One of the more obvious ones is pumpkin. Yes I've heard of the grow a pumpkin by Halloween thing, but you're really pushing your luck with that. Don't wait until July 30th. Get them in the ground before then so you have a bit of a cushion if something goes wrong.

Another option is what we call brassicas. This includes swiss chard, broccoli, brussel sprouts, lettuce, and cabbage. I actually bought my starts at Tractor Supply this year but I've also bought them at Home Depot and the local nursery in years past.

Carrots are also a good choice. I got mine from Baker Creek and planted them in a self watering system. I plan to do a second planting.

Tomatoes can also be grown into the fall. I have 3 tomato plants to take me into the fall. Two have tomatoes on them. Peppers can too. My Mammoth Jalapeños are still going strong. 

Now while you aren't actually producing fruit right now this is a great time to start planting fruits like muscadine, grape, blackberry, and your stone crops like apple and peach. Some of them may look a little ragged, like this muscadine, but it'll come out in the spring. This particular muscadine was purchased at a local nursery. It was a clearance plants but it did show some life in it. It overwintered very well.

Garlic can be started in the fall and harvested in the spring. This is a hardneck garlic that I grew this year. The picture was taken after I dried it.

This does not mean that all of these vegetables and fruits will be found growing in the dead of winter. What you will have to do is keep a record of the lowest temperature the plant can take, and listen to the weather forecast. Be ready to put on a row cover if needed. It's getting cooler here already. Dress accordingly and happy gardening!