Even as autumn strips your garden of foliage, these 5 Types of Plants are perfect to Grow in Fall, sprouting fresh life in cool weather!
Fall is a time for change—short days, long nights, and gardens preparing for dormancy. But as nature slows down, certain cold-hardy plants come alive. As summer fades and before frost sets in, get these amazing plants in the ground for a generous fall garden!
Types of Plants to Grow in Fall
1. Start these Cool-season Vegetables
Cool-season vegetables thrive in the mild temperatures of early fall, giving you a steady supply of fresh, homegrown produce as chilling fall winds and winter keep you cozied up indoors! These veggies are also great for rotation, improving soil structure for the coming year.
Here are some vegetables to plant this fall in pots. Salad greens like arugula, spinach, collards, and lettuce grow fast and can be harvested in the fall itself. And some more, like radishes, turnips, and onions, are also perfect for the harvest.
Check with your local nursery or gardening community to verify the best varieties for your region and zone. For fall vegetables, it is best to sow seeds at least 90 days before the first expected frost date. If you’re going with young transplants, you have some more flexibility.
2. Plant Spring Flowering Bulbs
Fall’s the time to plant the most exquisite spring-blooming bulbs! Think tulips, daffodils, crocuses—autumn’s cool weather is the only signal you need to start planting these bulbs so you get a timely flush of gorgeous blooms in the coming year’s warm weather!
Cooler soil temperatures are less stressful for these bulbs, so they easily establish roots without the risk of drying out. Plus, they get time to establish a strong root system before the ground freezes in winter.
Remember to pick sturdy, healthy spring-flowering bulbs and plant them at the correct depth according to their size.
3. Grow Perennial Flowers
Some good perennial flowers to plant in fall are asters, mums, and sedums. They push out the prettiest colors, and are perfect for a cut-flower garden.
It goes the same way as bulbs. If you plant perennials in early fall, when there are fewer weeds and pests, they can develop roots undisturbed. They won’t just stop there—many of these perennials return year after year, enabling your flower garden to grow on auto-pilot!
As you scope out the best perennials to plant in the fall, check out those that bloom multiple times a year and these tall varieties for some height and drama!
4. Time to Introduce Cover Crops
Cover crops are essentially any crop used to cover the soil, and the ones we suggest for fall are clover, rye, and winter wheat. These crops help prevent erosion, suppress weeds, improve soil fertility, moisture retention, and aeration, and add organic matter.
You should also rotate cover crops to break the life cycle of soil-borne pests and diseases.
5. Herbs
Fall is a great time to plant herbs like lavender, rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley, chives, cilantro, and many more that can withstand mild winters.
Herbs like rosemary and lavender make perfect hedges and borders as well. Most are great companions to veggies, and if you live in a warm climate, it’s a good time to plant them.
Aromatic, delicious, and hardy, they also keep away pests and grow pretty well in pots and containers indoors, on a compact patio, or even on a sunny windowsill in winter.
Well, don’t keep waiting. Plant these today, and you’ll reap the benefits soon. Do let us know how it goes for you in the comments below.
