These cold-weather champs are kale, spinach and collards. Other hardy vegetables include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, English peas, kohlrabi and leeks. Hardy root crops are radishes and turnip, which also yields some greens from the tops. Other hardy greens include kale, mustard greens and collards.
Autumn is a great season for annuals, low-maintenance perennials and evergreen shrubs to shine. In fact, some of the most popular flowers, like colorful mums, roses, dahlias, purple pansies and yes, even bright yellow sunflowers, all bloom around September and October.
Fast-growing root veggies such as radishes, beets, and turnips also thrive in cool conditions and take less than two months to mature. Fall is also a good time to plant onion sets and garlic cloves for harvest in late spring or summer of the following year.
"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.
Optimally, seeds should be started in late summer, but nursery seedlings transplanted in early fall will still do well. Some plants, such as onions, leeks, and cole crops, take a while to become established.
In general, aim to finish your fall planting about 6 weeks before your first expected frost date (8 weeks for evergreens). In Zones 3 and 4, you would count back from the latter half of September.
In temperate parts of the country (USDA zones 4 to 8), planting can even continue into November and December, especially crops like spinach, Swiss chard, broccoli, and kale! In colder climates, some of these same vegetables are frost-tolerant.
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.
Rudbeckia, also known as Black-Eyed Susans, are cold-hardy flowers that offer long-lasting blooms spring through fall. They're easy-to-grow, survive as perennials in zones 4-10, or can be grown as annuals. Cut back the stems and faded foliage when they naturally fade in winter, and they should return next spring.
We can't think of anything better than fall flowers. From marigolds to coral bells (aka heuchera), standby blooms like chrysanthemums and pansies, and so many more, what's not to love? Hardy fall flowers allow you to fill your garden with color even as the nights get chilly and your favorite summer flowers fade away.
Still, some other plants can grow in mild winters. Root vegetables like garlic, carrots, and radishes grow well in cold temperatures. So do leafy greens like collards, kale, and cabbage. However, even most cold crops grow best if they're protected from frost and freezing temperatures.
Asters. These beautiful fall-flowering perennials are a lovely companion planting to chrysanthemums, the other stars of the autumn garden. Give asters full sun, and water to get them established (but don't overdo it; they don't like soggy feet).
Good choices are summertime kitchen garden staples like squash, beans, cucumbers and melons. Beans (Zones 3-10): You can plant both bush and pole beans now that the soil and air are warmed up as beans should not be started indoors. Try a continual 7-10 day sowing of different varieties.
Fall and Winter LEAFY GREENS
A beautiful sampling of some of the leafy greens you can grow in your fall and winter garden, including different varieties of kale, spinach, lettuce, chicory, and even wild chickweed! Spinach is a very fast-growing, cool weather vegetable.
Radish. Radishes are probably the fastest growing vegetable in your garden, being ready to pick in as little as 30 days from planting the seeds. Their peppery flavor is a hit on the vegetable tray or added to a fresh lettuce salad.
You need to be planting seeds and seedlings for your fall and winter garden between 6 to 8 weeks before your average first frost date. Some even as early as 10 weeks.