Planting a fall garden is a great way to continue harvesting fresh vegetables throughout the colder months, and there are actually quite a few plants that prefer cooler weather.
Before you plant a fall garden, always look up the first frost date for your area. Click this link and type in your zip code to get an estimate of when your first frost date will be. Once you know your first frost date, do a quick google search of “number of days until your first frost date“. This is how many days you’ll have before your garden is at risk of frost. You can use this number to determine if you have time to grow particular plants from seed to harvest before the danger of frost. You will compare the number you get from your search to the number of days until harvest/maturity listed on your seed packets to determine if you will have enough time.
In southeast coastal Virginia, our first frost date is usually predicted for mid-November/early December. From my search, the 2021 first frost date for Virginia Beach is November 10th, so we have just enough time to grow plants from seed to harvest.
If you want to enjoy a fall harvest, you need to start planting your fall garden today!
Here’s a list of vegetables and herbs you can plant in your fall garden, as well as their days to maturity to prove that you have time to plant and harvest a fall garden!
What to plant in your fall garden?
| Plant | Days to Maturity | Notes |
| Arugula | 45-60 | |
| Beans | 50-70 | Bush varieties are ready to harvest before pole ones. |
| Beets | 45-65 | |
| Broccoli | 70-105 | Can handle light frost |
| Brussel Sprouts | 100 | Can handle light frost |
| Cabbage | 60-105 | Can handle light frost |
| Carrots | 70-80 | |
| Cauliflower | 55-100 | |
| Collard Greens | 85-95 | |
| Kale | 70-80 | |
| Lettuce | 45-55 | |
| Mustard Greens | 30-40 | |
| Peas | 60-70 | |
| Spinach | 35-40 | |
| Swiss Chard | 55-60 |
Don’t want to start from seed?
Starter plants are the answer! We already have some fall vegetable plants in stock and will be receiving more over the next month or so. Make sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook – we always post about new plant arrivals.
Want to enjoy fresh veggies without the work?
We’ll come to you and do the hard work – preparing the soil and planting. Then you get to enjoy the harvest! Call us today or fill out the contact form here to schedule your FREE estimate.
Originally posted 8/22/2019. Updated 8/26/2021.