You can either start your seeds in pots in a cool shady spot or look for seedlings at your local garden center and then transplant them into the ground when there is space freed up in your vegetable garden in the fall. In order to ensure your fall garden matures before the first frost, get it started in mid-summer (typically late July to early August, depending on your hardiness zone). Get inspiration for your autumn bounty with these 14 fall vegetables that are perfect for your late season garden.

Fall Vegetables List

Beet bulbs will keep growing until a deep freeze, and even the tops can handle a bit of frost.

USDA Growing Zones: 2–11Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial shadeSoil Needs: Loamy, moist

Since they won’t bolt to seed as quickly as they may in warm spring weather, you can harvest the heads as you need them.

USDA Growing Zones: 2–11Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial shadeSoil Needs: Rich, well-drained

Additionally, since the florets are flower buds, they will open more slowly in cool weather, giving you more time to harvest. Keep in mind, broccoli does take several months to mature, so transplant a quick-grower, like Waltham, in mid-to-late summer for a timely fall harvest.

USDA Growing Zones: 3–10Sun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Rich, sandy

Bean plants are too tender to handle frost, so if an early frost threatens, toss a row cover over them until the temperatures climb again.

USDA Growing Zones: 2–10Sun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Rich, well-drained

Most of the varietals in the cabbage family are hardy enough to handle a light frost so, with some protection, you can harvest them well into winter. Though they won’t continue to grow when it’s cold, they’ll retain their freshness and get even sweeter.

USDA Growing Zones: 1–9Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial shadeSoil Needs: Rich, well-drained

Long window boxes with a depth of at least six inches are great for getting your seeds started until you can plant them in your garden in early fall.

USDA Growing Zones: 3–10Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial shadeSoil Needs: Loose, well-drained

Keep in mind that cauliflower can only handle a mild frost (if that), so you’ll want to plant yours in time for a mid-fall harvest. Pluck the cauliflower from your garden when its head reaches the desired size and its buds are still tight.

USDA Growing Zones: 2–11Sun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Rich, well-drained

Start seeds for fall harvesting in mid-to-late summer or transplant in late summer.

USDA Growing Zones: 7–9Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial shadeSoil Needs: Loamy, moist but well-drained

Because lettuce has shallow roots, it will require some protection against frost. If you plant your fall lettuce in pots, it’s very easy to move it indoors to protect it from freezing temperatures—otherwise, you can cover it with burlap or another netting if frost is expected.

USDA Growing Zones: 4–9Sun Exposure: Partial shadeSoil Needs: Loamy, moist but well-drained

By the time they are ready to start flowering and forming peas, the days and nights should be the perfect temperature in fall to keep them going.

USDA Growing Zones: 2–9Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial shadeSoil Needs: Loamy, well-drained

You may also want to experiment with a few varieties of “winter” radishes, like the black Spanish radish, which tends to grow more slowly and prefers to be planted in mid-summer and allowed to develop into fall. Generally, you can harvest radishes in late fall or early winter, or allow them to over-winter in the soil and harvest next spring.

USDA Growing Zones: 2–10Sun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Loamy, sandy

USDA Growing Zones: 2–9Sun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Loamy, moist but well-drained

They may even survive the winter but harvest them quickly in spring before they start to bolt to seed and get tough and bitter.

USDA Growing Zones: 3–10Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial shadeSoil Needs: Loamy, rich

Turnips mature a little faster than their cousin, the rutabaga, and don’t improve if left in the soil too long, so succession plant and use as they mature.

USDA Growing Zones: 2–9Sun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Loamy, sandy