Planting a fall vegetable garden is a great way to extend the growing season and enjoy some cool weather crops after the heat of the summer fades away. Some vegetables love cooler weather!
It’s important to know about the average number of days to harvest for each crop, the cold temperature tolerance of vegetables, and the average anticipated date of the first frost in your area (around October 15th for Northwest Ohio). If you have questions from an online presentation, please contact Amy Stone stone.91@osu.edu or Patrice Powers-Barker powers-barker.1@osu.edu (information updated summer 2020 – thanks going out to Pam Bennett and Carri Jagger for their assistance on garden content).
Fall Vegetable Garden Charts
The following charts give general information on when to plant vegetable seeds for a fall garden harvest in Ohio:
- What Seeds to Plant for Fall Vegetable Harvest in Ohio? (chart with a-z order of plants with anticipated dates to plant and average days until maturity)
- Frost Tolerance of Fall Vegetables (chart of tender, semi-hardy and hardy vegetables)
- July Seed Planting Chart
- August Seed Planting Chart
- Late Fall Vegetable Garden Tasks Chart
PowerPoint Slides for 2020 Fall Vegetable Garden lesson
OSU Extension Resources related to gardening and vegetables:
- To find your county OSU Extension office: extension.osu.edu/lao#county
- To submit garden questions online, Ask A Master Gardener Volunteer: https://extension.osu.edu/ask-an-expert/ask-master-gardener
- To learn more about home food preservation, Family and Consumer Sciences https://fcs.osu.edu
- To order 4-H garden project books, search https://extensionpubs.osu.edu
- To read more about Home Vegetable Gardening, Ohio State University Extension (Factsheet with general information on vegetable gardening)
- Food Preservation, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, https://fcs.osu.edu/programs/major-program-areas/healthy-people/food-preservation
Additional Resources
The following blogs and factsheets are from neighboring states and share additional information about fall vegetable gardens. Note for Ohio growers, the seasonal calendar dates will be different for different growing zones so take that into consideration when reading recommended planting and harvesting dates from other areas.
- Home Vegetable Gardening in Kentucky (this is a thorough document about vegetable gardening – for specifics on seasonal gardening, including fall gardening, see pages 14 – 16)
- Gardening in Small Spaces, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, https://extension.umaine.edu/publications/2761e/
- Fall Vegetable Crops for your Garden by Michigan State University Extension has a chart of vegetables and average days to harvest as well as veggie tips for fall vegetables.
- Freeze damage in fall vegetables: Identifying and preventing by Michigan State University Extension has information listed by vegetable as well as information on methods for protecting sensitive crops and extending the growing season.
- Healthy Seasonal Produce, What’s In Season This Month? University of Wisconsin Extension shares a one-page overview of each vegetable, including how to select, store and prepare fresh recipes. https://learningstore.extension.wisc.edu/products/healthy-seasonal-produce-whats-in-season-this-month
References
Cool Season Crops, (2020), Seed Savers Exchange, Retrieved from https://www.seedsavers.org/cool-season-plants
Durham, R., Strang, J., Williams, M., Wright, S., Bessin, R., Lee, B., Pfeufer, E. (2019). Vegetable Gardening in Kentucky. Retrieved from http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/id/id128/id128.pdf
Gardening in small spaces, bulletin #2761, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Retrieved from https://extension.umaine.edu/publications/2761e/
Jonael. (2017). Growing fresh cilantro in your garden or small farm. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and University of Florida. Retrieved 06/23/20 from http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/hardeeco/2017/10/26/growing-fresh-cilantro-garden-small-farm/
Lerner, R. (2020). Versatile vegetables for fall gardening. Purdue Agriculture. Retrieved from https://www.purdue.edu/hla/sites/yardandgarden/versatile-vegetables-for-fall-gardening/
Lilley, J., (2017 April 20). Succession planting. University of Maine Extension. Retrieved from https://extension.umaine.edu/cumberland/2017/04/20/succession-planting/
Planning for the garden. (no date). Ohio State University Extension, Excerpted from OSU Extension Bulletin 287 Home Vegetable Gardening, (1991, out of print) Utzinger, Brooks and Wittmeyer. Retrieved from https://wayne.osu.edu/sites/wayne/files/imce/Program_Pages/ANR/Garden/Planning%20and%20Planting%20%20the%20Garden.pdf
Ulry, L. (2019). Growing with the seasons. 4-H 692. Ohio State University Extension. https://extensionpubs.osu.edu/growing-with-the-seasons/
Voyle, G. (2012). Fall vegetable crops for your garden. Michigan State University Extension. Retrieved from https://www.canr.msu.edu/uploads/files/E3172_-_Fall_Vegetable_Plants_for_your_Garden.pdf
When to Plant Vegetables: The Garden Planting Calendar (2020). The National Garden Association. Retrieved from https://garden.org/apps/calendar/
