As summer fades, gardening doesn’t have to end. The transition between seasons is a great time to plant a fall vegetable garden, offering fresh produce well into autumn. Warm days and cool nights create ideal conditions for many cool-season crops.
These conditions enhance flavor and texture—adding sweetness to late-season sweet corn and cole crops like cauliflower and cabbage, and crispness to carrots.
Fall harvests include two types of vegetables: the final plantings of warm-season crops such as corn and bush beans, and cool-season crops that thrive in lower temperatures and tolerate frost.
When planting, group crops as you would in spring—taller plants should not shade shorter ones. For better germination, water seed furrows before planting and keep the soil moist (not wet) until seeds sprout. Keep in mind that cooler nights slow growth, so fall crops mature more slowly than summer ones.
To extend the season for frost-sensitive crops like tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers, use polyethylene row covers. These trap soil heat and shield plants from chilly nights.
Kentucky often sees mild weather after the first frost. Protecting sensitive crops during this time can extend your harvest by several weeks. Once those crops die off, you can replant with cool-season vegetables. Leafy greens like lettuce and spinach may continue growing into November or December under row covers, as long as temperatures stay above the teens. Be sure to ventilate on sunny days to prevent overheating.
Vegetables you can seed or transplant now for fall harvest include Bibb and leaf lettuce, kale, mustard greens, radishes, spinach, snow peas, and turnips for greens.
For more information, contact the Webster County Extension office.
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Source: Rick Durham, Department of Horticulture professor
Source: Nichole Huff, extension specialist for family resource management
Source: Ellen Crocker, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources assistant professor
Source: Jennifer Hunter, UK financial extension specialist
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