The Benefits of Planting in the Fall

When most people think about planting, they imagine that first break of the soil in the springtime, but you can also plant flowers and vegetables in the fall. There are certain plants that even benefit from that time of planting. Best of all, you can even enjoy certain vegetables in the fall, too. Here are a few reasons why planting in the fall is a great idea for any gardener:

• The cooler weather of fall allows plants to acclimate to their new homes without the stress of heat, water and pests. Where you might fight with bugs, critters and blight during the summer months, the fall can be the perfect time for plants to flourish without those obstacles.
• After they are planted, bulbs and plants have time to establish their roots while the soil is still warm (plant six weeks before the first frost date). Sometimes, planting in the spring can be risky. Maybe you planted too early or maybe the squirrels used it as an opportunity to have an early feast after a harsh winter. In the fall, this is less of a risk, leading to a bigger reward for you.
• Plants will leap into growth next spring due to the roots they established in the fall. This is because plants like to sleep, too. In fact, during the winter, a lot of plants go into a sort of dormancy or hibernation. This means that they’re focused on just getting nutrients and staying alive, not putting out flowers or vegetables. Because they have this extra time given to them, they come back stronger in the spring.

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• Fall is also the perfect time to sow many perennial flower seeds. The seeds need their chill time (vernalization) to germinate the following spring. Take your perennial seeds and ensure you store them in a cool, dry and dark place. Then, when spring comes, you can plant them using our Bio Dome seed starter kits so when it’s time for them to go into the ground, you’re ready to plant!

What to Plant in the Fall

We have a few favorite plants and vegetables in our cool-weather planting guide that will show you a bunch of different plants to add to your garden, but we’ll sprinkle a few here to help you get started:

Vegetables

Greens: Spinach, arugula, mustard greens and leaf lettuce are all great options to grow during the fall. They love the slightly cooler soil and, moreover, they grow fast so you can eat fresh salads throughout the fall and into early winter (depending on your zone).
Root veggies: Beets, turnips and even radishes grow pretty quickly and enjoy the fall soil. The cooler weather helps them thrive, and they’re easy to harvest when they’re popping from the garden. If you love root vegetables, you should also be sure to check out this root veggie roast—a delicious addition to your plate in the fall and winter.
Garlic and onions: Before you get too excited, these are both things you plant in order to harvest them in the spring of the following year. They benefit from being able to put down roots in the winter and will greet you with chutes when the thaw arrives.

Perennials

Shrubs: If you love planting shrubs in your garden, fall is the perfect time for you. Deciduous shrubs love being planted in the fall and seem to thrive when they are. Things like azaleas, rhododendrons and other broadleaf evergreens enjoy putting their roots down in the fall, and it gives them a chance to strengthen over the winter months before they start to bloom in the spring and summer.
Flowers: Bearded irises, coreopsis and even some species of lavender like to be planted in the fall. You might not see much happening during the fall and winter, and you may even think you lost your planting, but that’s just how flowers focus on establishing their roots. Before long, you’ll have a stunning flower popping up in the springtime.

Just because fall is around the corner, it doesn’t mean you don’t still have time to put a few things in the ground–both to enjoy this year and to be surprised and delighted by in the coming year. There’s nothing quite as fun as seeing how your garden grows from year to year, and fall plantings ensure that’s exactly what happens.