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Fall Vegetable Garden for Beginners: What to Plant in August, September and October

The second season most beginners skip: greens, roots, garlic and a $20 row cover.

Updated 2026-09-10

Why fall is the easy season

Fewer pests, fewer weeds, cooler nights that sweeten greens and roots. Most beginners miss it because seed packets say “spring”.

Count back from first frost

Take your first fall frost date and count back the days-to-maturity on the packet plus two weeks (growth slows as days shorten). The planting calendar shows the fall column once you enter a first-frost date.

By month (zones 5–7; shift 2–3 weeks later in 8–9)

• Late July–August: broccoli, cabbage and kale transplants; direct sow beets, carrots, bush beans, chard.
• September: spinach, lettuce, arugula, radishes, turnips, Asian greens, cilantro. Sow every 10 days for a steady supply.
• October: garlic cloves (see when to plant garlic), mâche and spinach for overwintering, cover crops in any empty bed.

Extending into winter

A floating row cover on hoops adds 4–6°F and keeps kale, spinach, carrots and leeks harvestable well past the first hard frosts. It costs about $20 and folds up for spring.

Clearing and feeding beds

Pull spent tomatoes and squash (compost only if disease-free), top the bed with 1–2 in of compost and leave it. Do not dig. Mulch bare soil with leaves.

What I'd buy first

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