What Can I Plant Now for Fall Harvest?

Tis Fall Harvest Time! Do you find that a lot of your effort is put into planting things to harvest during summer? You could extend the joy of harvesting some delicious fruits and vegetables and use the available space in your garden more efficiently. When do you start though? Once you get through summer, you need to start thinking about things you might like to plant to harvest in the not-too-distance future during fall. 

Fall gardening is more enjoyable in some ways than summer gardening because the humidity levels and temperature have dropped by harvest time. You also don’t need to worry about those pesky summer pests bothering you and your produce. 

If you are looking for some great ideas of what you should plant, check out our suggestions below.

Starting From Seeds

There is a wide variety of different vegetables you can start planting from seed towards the end of summer for a fall harvest. The selection we have provided below are all fast growers and not only survive but thrive when the weather is cooler.

Broccoli 

If there is one thing broccoli loves, it’s cooler weather, which is why it’s something that will always do well in a fall garden. Although it can just be sown directly into your garden, the summer heat may prevent It from germinating properly. If you want to avoid this, you could start broccoli seeds indoors where it’s much cooler and then move them outdoors once the temperatures at night drop below 70-degrees. The key thing with broccoli is that it requires a lot of water, so keep a close eye and ensure you hydrate the plants adequately when you put them outside.

Kale

Kale is another great plant to try for fall harvest because it has a high tolerance against frost. If you have never been a fan of spring kale, you may, like many others, prefer the taste of this green when it’s grown in fall. This is because, in the cooler weather, a lot of the starch in kale is converted into sugars, giving it a sweeter taste. It is easy to grow, harvest, and use in meals. 

Cabbage

Like other members of the brassica family, which includes the aforementioned kale and broccoli, cabbage really benefits from cool weather. 

Carrots

Similarly, to what happens with kale, cooler weather helps to make carrots sweeter by increasing the accumulation of sugar and also acts like an organically-produced anti-freeze. Which is good, because as long as the ground isn’t frozen, carrots can stay in and can be harvested as and when you need them. The best way to plant carrots is to sow new rows every fortnight through August and September for a longer harvest.

From Purchased Transplants

When you want to grow crops that are cold-tolerant and have long growing seasons, for a fall harvest, it should be grown either from seed form at home in advance or as purchased transplant form. Some of the great options you can opt for include:

Brussels Sprouts

It is possible to grow Brussels Sprouts into winter, as it is exceptionally cold-hardy. Their growing season is long and can last between 58 to 120 days, depending on the type you are planting, but they need to get started very early.

Leeks

A mild, cold-hardy member of onion’s family, they are best grown when they are started from transplanted forms. When you are choosing a variety to grow, make sure you pick out a winter type or leeks that require fewer days to mature. Harvest time takes between 80 to 150 days. To get that perfectly white stem, you should plant leek transplants in very deep holes or push the soil up around the stems while they grow to maturity.