Twinkle's Garden | Fall garden staples

Fall is upon us. But don’t fret about precious gardening time growing shorter. After you’ve cleaned your garden and yard, you still have plenty of time to grow some wonderful plants before the frost hits.

The best thing about fall gardening is that there are many foods you can grow that work in most growing regions of the States.

Broccoli:
Start seeds indoors three months before your first fall frost. It’s best to plant your seedlings once they are about 4-6 weeks old.

This plant is best placed on the westerly side of the garden. It has a thicker skin, and its shade will protect plants that aren’t so hardy.

For better flavor, fall is the best time to grow broccoli, when cool nights sweeten your crop. Best in zones 7, 8 and 9 fall.

Where to find your zone

Lettuces:
Even though my lettuce survived the grueling summer heat, the cool, crispness of fall is a better growing environment for this tender plant.

Lettuce is great for container gardens. I’ll be posting a handy hanging lettuce garden project this month that is perfect for creating “rows” of mixed lettuces and greens.

For better plants, make sure you have some source of shade, like taller plants, or you can use a wire screen shade to keep lettuces and the soil from drying out. Best in zones 5 thru 7 for fall.

Related articles: Twinkle’s Kitchen | Heads up, it's lettuce and greens!

Root vegetables:
Fall is the perfect time for producing amazing carrots and beets. These hardy fall plants grow best in cooler soil temps, without the heat sucking out the moisture from the roots.

For sweeter carrots, plant in a raised bed, filled with a good organic soil mix, at least eight to ten inches deep. This works well for beets as well.

It’s best to start both of these in mid-September through October, when temps can maintain an even 60-65 degrees.

Best in zones 5 thru 7 for fall. 

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Twinkle VanWinkle ponders, creates and discovers cool stuff about music, movies, food, fashion and so forth. Her thoughtful writings and interactives give great advice about healthy food, cooking tips, DIY projects, fashion and more. She’ll teach you a thing or two about music as well. Along with producing dynamic entertainment content for LIN Media, she is a mother, musician and social media fanatic.