Some fall vegetables need to be harvested by the first frost, but many are frost-tolerant and even taste better after a kiss of fall frost! Not only is the soil already warm but also there are less pests and it tends to be rainier so you don't need to water as often. Many crops that would be started indoors for a spring crop can just be plunked into the soil directly for a fall crop. Think of this as a second summer! It's easy to keep the crops going if you've already prepared the soil! When we say 'fall,' we really mean planting in summer in time for a fall harvest. Kale and lettuce, for example, or dates for starting seeds, like broccoli and cabbage. Thus, several crops (especially similar crops) may appear to have the same date. The dates provided are based on the number of weeks before or after frost, so we can provide a unique calendar to every user in the country.

For some gardeners, especially in the South, a break to avoid summer heat is needed, but they can start once the heat has passed.

However, note that some cool-seasons crops such as kale and lettuce do not grow well in hot temperatures, which can cause bolting issues. In fact, many crops with short maturity times (such as radishes) can be succession planted all the way through the summer in northern areas. But if you've missed these dates, no worries! This is why we've added 'last planting dates' to our spring calendar this is meant to help new gardeners understand that if they missed the first spring planting window, they could still get crops in the ground. Our spring planting calendar starts with the very first dates that you can plant (based on the last spring frost). The planting calendar below tells you when to plant in the SPRING and also plant in the FALL, based on your zip code or postal code. Enter your location to see your planting calendar Enter your zip code or postal code above.

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