Fall Vegetable Gardening
Presented by Kent Phillips
Howard Co MG
kent.a.phillips@gmail.com
2
Maryland
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What Do We Mean By
Fall Gardening?
Planting crops for harvest prior to frost
or a hard freeze
What Do We Mean By
Fall Gardening?
Planting crops that can be overwintered
for winter or spring harvest.
What Do We Mean By
Fall Gardening?
Planting cover crops on unused beds to
increase soil fertility and minimize
winter weeds
What Do We Mean By
Fall Gardening?
Extending the season by using a cold
frame, greenhouse or low tunnel.
Why Plant Fall Crops?
Fewer harmful insects
Fewer weeds
Extended use of garden space
Fresh vegetables for the table for a
longer time
Fall (Cool Season) Crops
•Brassica crops: broccoli, cabbage,
collards, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi,
Brussels sprouts
•Greens: leaf lettuce, spinach, arugula,
Asian greens, mustard, Swiss chard,
some herbs
•Root crops: rutabagas, beets, carrots,
turnips, parsnips
Half-hardy vegetables
Survive light frost
– Beets
– Cauliflower
– Chard
– Chinese Cabbage
– Kohlrabi
– Lettuce
– Mustard
– Peas
– Potatoes
– Rutabagas
Hardy
Survive heavy frost
– Broccoli
– Broccoli Raab
– Brussels Sprouts
– Cabbage
– Collards
– Kale
– Radishes
– Spinach
– Turnips
Overwintering Crops
Garlic
Kale
Leeks
Shallots
Spinach
• Leeks
Preparing the Site
Remove waste from previous crop.
If ground is dry, give it a thorough soaking.
Work compost into top few inches of soil.
Add recommended amount of Nitrogen
(.20#/100 sq. ft. of garden.
Nitrogen Calculation
 Soybean meal – 7-3-1
• .2/.07 = 2.85 #/100
 Blood Meal – 15-0-0
• .2/.15 = 1.3 #/100
 10-10-10
.2/.1 = 2 #/100
Using Seeds and Transplants
 Direct seeded vegetables
• Turnips, spinach, kale, lettuce, Swiss
chard, beets, carrots, rutabagas, parsnips,
etc.
 Transplanted vegetables
• Broccoli, cauliflower, collards, kale, Swiss
chard, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, etc.
• See HG 16 for vegetables that are
normally transplanted. They have an *
• Shortens length of time to harvest.
HG 16 Planting Dates for
Vegetable Crops in Central MD
Crop
Beets
Broccoli*
Brussels sprouts*
Cabbage*
Cabbage, Chinese
Carrots
Cauliflower*
Chard, Swiss
Collards*
Garlic
Kale
Lettuce, head*
Lettuce, leaf
Radishes
Spinach
Turnips
Planting dates
Apr 1-June 15 June 20-Aug 1
Apr 1-May 1 July 20-Aug 20
Apr 1-May 1 July 1-Aug 1
Mar 15-Apr 10 July 10-Aug 20
Mar 15-May 1 July 1-Aug 5
Apr 10-June 1 June 15-Aug 1
Apr 1-May 1 July 1-Aug 1
Apr 15-June 15 June 15-July 25
Apr 1-June 1 July 10-Aug 10
Oct 15 – Nov 15
July10 – Aug 10
Aug 1 – Aug15
Jul 15 – Sept 1
Jul 20 – Sept 15
Aug 1 – Sept 5
Jul 10 – Sept 1
Fall Days & Cooler Temps
Cool nights slow plant growth but you
can speed up growth using row cover.
Vegetables take longer to mature.
Days grow shorter, less sunlight energy
for plants.
These environmental conditions add
sugar to cole crops.
Lettuce and spinach will not bolt.
Calculating Planting Date +
Short-Day Factor
First frost date for your area (early October)
Days to maturity and germination time
Add 14 days for Short Day Factor
Information on back of seed packet
Formula:
Frost date - Days to maturity - days to
germinate - SDF (14 days) = Days to
plant before frost
Calculation For Bloomsdale
Long Standing spinach
• Days to germination:
• Days to maturity:
• Short Day Factor (SDF):
7 to 10
40 to 48
__14__
61 to 72
• Counting back from Oct. 19-26 the dates to sow are
about Aug. 8 to Aug 19.
• Seeds sown later in early Sept can be wintered over
for a spring crop
Calculation For
Premium Crop Broccoli
• Days to maturity:
• Short Day Factor (SDF):
60
__14__
74
• Counting back from Oct. 19-26 the dates to
transplant broccoli plants are about Aug. 6
• Plants put in earlier will yield earlier
• After central head is picked, broccoli will produce
many side shoots
• Low tunnels can be used to extend season (thru Dec.)
Seeds to Sow
Direct seed:
 Beets
 Broccoli raab
Chinese cabbage
Cilantro
Collards
Endive
Kale
Kohlrabi
Lettuce
Mustard greens
Spinach
Turnips
Sowing Seeds
Water soil before sowing.
 Sow in the late afternoon so
germination will begin overnight.
Direct Sow
Plant seeds slightly deeper. Depth may be 1 ½
to 2 times deeper than spring.
Cover seeds in furrow with compost, soilless
mix, or vermiculite.
Keep soil cool and moist. Cover seeded area
with burlap, newspapers, or boards.
Can shade soil, or use light mulch.
Slow growing beets and carrots will suffer
setbacks if soil is dry.
Germinating Seeds
Another tip is to pre-germinate seeds.
Soak seeds overnight in a moistened
paper towel enclosed in a plastic bag. Do
not soak longer or delicate seedling
parts will be damaged in planting.
Putting out Transplants
Seedlings need
gradual exposure
to direct sunlight
Will benefit from
light shading for
the first few days
Keep them soaked
Row Cover Protection
Throw a bed sheet
over row cover for
a few days to
provide shade.
Row covers deter
insects and larger
critters.
Row covers can
extend season by
warming crop.
Interplant
Use shade from
existing plants.
Sow lettuce,
carrots, arugula,
beets, collards.
Planting Schedule
10-12 weeks before
hard frost:
Set out
transplants
Direct sow beets,
carrots, collards
& more lettuce,
radishes,
Planting Schedule
8 to 10 weeks before hard frost, mid
to late October.
Sow Asian greens, arugula, turnips,
spinach, mustard
More lettuce, radishes, beets,
collards
Planting Schedule
6 to 8 weeks before hard frost:
 Sow spinach.
 Sow half-hardy vegetables under
protective cover.
Mid October plant garlic, shallots,
multiplying onions.
Protected Gardening
Moving a zone South
• Floating Row Cover
– Provides 4-10
degrees of
protection
• Cold Frame
• Hoop House
• Greenhouse
Cover Crops
• Check out GIEI website for info on cover crops
– GE006_CoverCrop2.pdf
• Different cover crops do different things
– Break up clay soil (forage radish)
– Deep root systems to capture nutrients (winter rye)
– Add nitrogen to the soil (legumes)
• Plant a legume and cereal together to get additional
benefit.
Winterizing the Garden
• September – Pull up and compost undiseased spent
plants
• October - Pull up and compost undiseased spent
plants. Cover pepper and tomato plants to prolong
production. Remove and store stakes and cages.
Plant cover crop in empty areas. Till in organic
matter.
• November – Cover empty beds with shredded leaves.
Mulch overwintering carrots, leeks, winter onions,
strawberries, radishes and parsnips with clean straw.
• December – Get soil sample for spring planting
Resources
• Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC)
– 800-342-2507
– www.extension.umd.edu/hgic
– Grow-It-Eat-It website
– www.extension.umd.edu/giei
• Master Gardener state website
– www.extension.umd.edu/mg
This program was brought to you by
Maryland Master Gardener Program
Howard County
University of Maryland Extension