Fall Garden Planting Tips For The Late Summer

August is the time of year gardeners start to harvest their summer garden but most would still follow late summer planting tips looking forward to their fall garden. Still, it’s a great feeling when you and your family sit down to eat a delicious meal and your plates are filled with fresh vegetables from your beautiful summer garden!

Improve Your Fall Garden With These Planting Tips

Planting at this time would most probably give you a harvest by fall. There are actually more than a handful of vegetables that thrive in cool weather conditions. These kinds of vegetable can be stored after every harvest for future consumption. If you are new to fall gardening, there are a few things you’ll need to accomplish first before you decide on what vegetables to plant.

Getting the Garden Beds Ready

Make every effort to clean the beds of your garden before you start planting. Clear it of weeds, plants, fallen fruit, and debris. This is to prevent insects and fungus growth. If you've just planted peppers or tomatoes or other plants, it is best you add more nutrients in the soil. This is vital if you're replanting on the same garden bed. You could add plenty of aged manure or compost as you till the beds in order to make any future crop to flourish.

Starting the Seed Indoors

Starting your seedlings in a controlled environment will give them a greater possibility of germinating and growing through the first weeks in preparation for your fall garden. You can actually practice planting and growing seedlings indoors for different kinds of seasons.

Reading the Seed Packets: What to Look For

Your seed packets contain essential information as to what time of the year you should plant them. Read every packet carefully to ensure you have ample time for your garden plants to grow before you even start planting.

Checking For Frost Dates

If you plan on planting your fall garden, you must be able to determine the frost dates for your area. This will aid you in determining when would be the best time to plant the variety of plants you want for your garden.

Let’s Talk Which Vegetables to Plant in Your Fall Garden

Root Vegetables

There are a lot of root veggies that thrive in colder conditions. They can even be planted straight into your garden beds without having to go through the indoor planting and caring for seedlings. Carrots are one good example for you. You can just leave it out for the winter and dig it up when you need them.

Beets

Beets are a great vegetable to grow in fall since they can survive frost and near-freezing temperatures. They grow quickly and have many different varieties of shapes and colors.

Turnips

Turnips are a fantastic choice for fall gardening. They can survive a light frost with no problem, and fall crops are often sweeter and more tender than spring crops. They also grow quickly, reaching maturity in just two months.

Radishes

Radishes are an easy vegetable to grow, and they grow well in cooler weather, making them perfect for a fall garden. They would also make a great addition to your stockpile of food for the winter.

Carrots

Carrots are a great late-season crop that can easily withstand frost, making them perfect for your fall garden. And since they're a staple in so many dishes, you can never have enough!

Leafy Greens

These crops grow very easily and are best grown during the fall and spring because of the summer heat. You would be reaping your harvest in a matter of weeks!

Spinach

Spinach is a cold-hardy crop that can be grown in any season and will have no problem surviving the early fall frosts. As a bonus, spinach is great for you — it's high in iron, calcium, and vitamins A, B and C.

Lettuce

Lettuce thrives in temperatures between 45 and 65 degrees F, making it an ideal fall crop for much of the U.S. What's good about this vegetable is it will tolerate a light frost and grows quickly.

Kale

Like spinach, kale is rich in vitamins and minerals and is a favorite of health food enthusiasts. It can tolerate frosts, making it perfect for your fall or winter garden.

Learn more on how to plant a fall garden with this video:

So there you have it! I hope this list will help you like it did for me. It may sound like a lot of work but with dedication and a goal in mind, you will never regret it. So start planting soon before the summer ends and you'll have a good harvest by fall!

Do you have any fall garden planting tips for the late summer? Please share them in the comments below!

Check out our urban gardening tips for growing a garden on your patio or balcony.

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Editor's Note: This post was originally published in August 2016 and has been updated for quality and relevancy.