Here’s a handy fall garden guide to help you decide what to plant in the fall garden and when to plant your fall crops! There are two factors to consider when planting crops in August: how fast they grow, and how frost-tolerant they are. Here are a few good crops to plant in August to improve your garden’s annual yield. Find the seeds in the links below…
Fast-Growing Crops
These fast-growing crops can be planted early enough to avoid a frost:
1. Baby carrots – Harvest in 30 days. – The carrots are a smaller version of traditional carrots and are a sweet and juicy addition to your backyard garden.
2. Leaf lettuce – Harvest in 30 days.
3. Radishes – Harvest in 30 days.
4. Spinach – Harvest in 45 days.
5. Bush beans – Harvest in 40-65 days.
Survives Light Frost
If you generally experience light frosting early on, these crops are capable of surviving:
6. Kohlrabi – 50-60 days to maturity.
7. Leaf Lettuce – 30 days to maturity.
Frost-Tolerant Crops (Survives High 20s Fahrenheit)
These three crops can really extend your growing season past the first frost:
8. Beets – 50-60 days to maturity.
9. Green onions – 60-70 days to maturity.
10. Peas – 70-80 days to maturity.
Frost Tolerant Crops (Survives Low 20’s)
These crops are the hardiest of the hardiest. They will survive after everything else has died and is in your canning jars.
11. Cabbage – 50-90 days to maturity.
12. Collard Greens – 40-65 days to maturity.
13. Kale – 40-65 days to maturity.
14. Radishes – 30-60 days to maturity.
Extending your gardening season with a second harvest can dramatically increase your yield—and allow you to enjoy fresh vegetables into fall and winter. In addition, fall gardening is often easier since there are fewer pests and problems in cooler weather. Finally, a fall “cover” crop can organically protect and build your soil.
