When to Plant Crops in Fall
Fall planting cool season crops only takes a little planning beforehand. To get plants that produce in cool weather, you’ll have to start them in late summer. Look up the average frost date for your area and count backward in time the days until maturity for your plant. (This will be printed on your seed packet. For the best yield, pick seed varieties with a quick time to maturity.) Then go back an additional two weeks for the “Fall Factor.” This refers to the fact that days in fall are shorter and make for slower growing plants than high summer. Whatever date you come up with is roughly when you should plant your fall crop. At this time in the summer, most stores won’t still be selling seeds, so it’s a good idea to plan ahead and buy extra in the spring.
Plants That Grow in Cold Weather
Plants that grow in cold weather can be split into two groups: hardy and semi-hardy. Semi-hardy plants can survive a light frost, meaning temperatures around 30 to 32 degrees F. (-1 to 0 C.), but will die if the weather drops much colder. These plants include:
Beets Lettuce Potatoes Collards Mustard Swiss chard Green onions Radishes Chinese cabbage
Hardy plants can survive multiple frosts and weather down into the 20s. These are:
Cabbage Broccoli Cauliflower Brussels sprouts Carrots Turnips Kale Rutabaga
All of these will be killed off if temperatures drop below 20 degrees F. (-6 C.), though mulched root vegetables can be harvested into winter even if their green tops have died, as long as the ground is not frozen.
