Planting a Fall Vegetable Garden — Seattle’s Favorite Garden Store Since 1924 – Swansons Nursery

Planning the Fall Vegetable Garden

Missed planting peas last spring? No problem. In the PNW, we can grow peas for a fall harvest! Have some space where your newly-harvested lettuce used to grow? It’s the perfect spot for fall beets, broccoli, or even more lettuce.

Let’s look at where to plant, how to improve the soil, and whether you should plant seeds or starts (baby plants), then I’ll provide a list of vegetables suitable for the fall/winter garden and tell you when to plant each one.

Where to Plant

When planting for autumn, it’s a good idea to practice crop rotation. If you can, plant something different than what you had in that spot in spring and summer. This is especially important for crops in the Cabbage family (broccoli, kale, radishes) and Beet family (beets, swiss chard, spinach), as well as carrots and onions. Some of the pests that attack these vegetables could still be around and planting the same thing in the same spot makes it all that much easier for them to feast.

Remember also that you can sow seeds or even plant starts (baby plants) in tight spaces if the vegetables that are currently growing there will be harvested soon. Radishes and carrots can be planted in between rows of maturing lettuce or bush beans, for example. And you can sow lettuce between rows of overwintering cabbage or cauliflower.

Improving the Soil

Your summer vegetables have most likely used up essential nutrients in the soil, so adding a natural vegetable fertilizer (we like Dr. Earth or Espoma brand) will give your new plants a much-needed boost. You can also amend your soil with high-quality compost, such as E.B. Stone Planting Compost or Gardner & Bloome Harvest Supreme. For containers, always use potting soil (again, E.B. Stone and Gardner & Bloome offer excellent options) mixed with fertilizer, added according to package directions.

Now is also the time to mulch your soil, after planting, with several inches of compost (Gardner & Bloome Soil Building Conditioner is great as mulch) to keep summer’s heat in the soil and help retain soil moisture.

If you decide not to plant your entire space, consider sowing a cover crop such as crimson clover, vetch, winter peas, or favas in the fall. These legumes are nitrogen fixers and will improve your soil. Let them grow through the winter, then till them into the soil in spring before they go to seed (I can’t emphasize that enough) and voilà – improved soil!

Starts or Seeds?

Planting starts will allow you to harvest earlier in many cases. For many of the edibles mentioned below, starts are preferable to plant in August. However, fast growers like lettuce, parsley, radishes, arugula, or vegetables you will harvest small (baby carrots and young leaves of spinach, kale, and Swiss chard) can easily be grown from seed or starts, depending on your preference. If sowings of seed fail to germinate in early August because of heat and inconsistent water, try again in late August and September when they may germinate more easily. 

Note: plant starts can be planted up to 2-3 weeks later than seeds must be sown.

Many vegetables have varieties that are best suited for fall and winter. At Swansons, we carry fall gardening varieties of plants and seeds in July and August. You can also check seed packet information to see if a variety is recommended for fall gardening.