For starters, spring-blooming bulbs should be planted in fall. Trust us: You'll be glad you planned ahead when you see them pop up after a long, dark winter! Get them in the ground any time before the ground freezes, which is from October to mid-December, depending on where you live.
Pansies and Violas
Fall is the good time to plant pansies and their smaller cousins violas because the still-warm soil temperatures give their roots time to grow enough to survive the winter.
Plant Flowers and Vegetables
If you live in a frost-free region, October is a great time to plant cool-weather flowers and vegetables in your garden. Crops such as kale, cabbage, collards, lettuce, carrots, mustard, onions, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, beets, and garlic can all be planted in early to late October.
Plants like chrysanthemums, nasturtiums and asters are wonderful choices for seasonal planting arrangements. While perennials that will survive the winter are great choices, autumn is also a great time to explore new ideas will short-season annuals too.
Although each plant's needs may vary and some will be more winter-hardy than others, in general about a month before the last fall frost is sufficient in giving the plant enough time to establish itself and take root.
Starting too soon can result in a weak, lanky plant, while starting too late can give you one that is just not ready for the outside world—both will struggle to survive!
Spring-blooming perennials, especially in the bare root form, are best planted early in the fall. Planting in the fall while the soil is still warm will give the roots enough time establish properly. This allows the plants to emerge from well established roots, with a stronger start, the following spring.
Gardening in the fall provides a longer period with more 'good' days, as compared to the often tumultuous spring season. Plus, if you plant in fall you'll end up ahead of the game and won't have to rush to get everything done after winter. In fact, a good strategy is to plant perennials when you plant your fall bulbs.
Violas and Pansies
These hardy little flowers not only have gorgeous blooms but can survive almost anything winter has to dish out. Violas and pansies grow best in partial shade but need a minimum of four hours of sunlight a day.
From early fall through most of November is one of the best times of year to plant spring-blooming bulbs, cool-season annuals and vegetables, as well as many trees, shrubs, and perennials.
Vegetables to plant in November: Beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, collards, kale, kohlrabi, onions (seed & sets), radishes, spinach and strawberries. Vegetables to plant in December: Beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, kale, onions (seed & sets) and radishes.
And some of the annuals that are normally considered spring flowers will flourish in the cooler fall weather, if only for a short time. Mums, specifically florists' or garden mums, have become the go-to plants for a fall garden.
Think about ways to add color and draw beneficial insects to your fall gardens. Consider planting nasturtiums, marigolds, asters, cosmos, mums, and anemones. Plan out your fall pots and planters. Summer blooms are fading, but there are many opportunities to add color and visual interest to your landscape.
SNOWDROPS (Galanthus nivalis)
True to their name, these early-blooming bulbs often emerge while snow is still on the ground to provide a breath of fresh air for winter-weary gardeners. In mild winters, snowdrops can flower as early as late January, but February or March is more common.
Grow an Edible Garden With Fall Vegetables
For a cool-weather vegetable harvest, plant lettuce, collards, carrots, Brussel sprouts, spinach, broccoli, radish, and more. The general rule of thumb is to plant fall vegetables from seed 90 days before the first frost.
Most flowers should be planted after your region's last frost date. Planting flowers in spring is the most popular time, but perennials do fine if planted in early fall in the North and late fall in the South.
Flowers that come back up from their roots every year in the springtime are called “perennial” flowers. Some of the best perennial flowers to grow in a garden are peonies, daylilies, coneflowers, and hollyhocks.
While you can plant a late planting to the first frost date, it's always best to allow as much growing time as possible. If you missed the spring planting, then calculate which vegetables you can grow now and still have a harvest before the first frost.
"Fall is an excellent time to plant almost any perennial, with the exception of many ornamental grasses, which are better planted in spring," says Erin Schanen, Troy-Bilt's gardening partner, a master gardener volunteer and creator of The Impatient Gardener blog and YouTube channel.
The newly emerged growth of most perennials can tolerate temperatures in the low 30s and upper 20s Fahrenheit. Freeze damage may occur if temperatures drop into the lower 20s or teens. Most well-established perennials that have been damaged by freezing temperatures should survive.
Being a hardy annual, pot marigold (Calendula officinalis) can be sown direct into the soil outside in March, April, or May for summer flowers the same year. Alternatively, they can be sown direct into the soil outside in August or September for flowers the following year.