Most people believe that once the weather begins to cool, gardening must come to an end. However, if you plan things correctly, the autumn can be the perfect time to start a whole new garden. Depending upon where you live, you can use the fall to plant some hardy vegetables and flowers.

Planting a fall garden extends the benefit of planting a garden in the first place – which is to provide for your family and enjoy the process of planting and harvesting. To get the most out of your garden, use cold frames or hotbeds to plant in, as well as your summer garden plot. Check with a local county agent or nursery to see what vegetables and flowers can be grown in the fall and winter.

Cool-season vegetables include carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower. Depending on where you live, the variety of vegetables might be different. The beginning of fall is the prime time to plan and plant your garden. Keep in mind that most plants need 60 to 80 days to mature. Determine the last viable planting date by counting backwards from last year’s first frost date.

Prepare the garden site by removing any of the summer season’s plants and any weeds that might have grown up. Till or spade the soil to at least 6 inches, preferably 8 inches. Don’t forget to add 1 to 2 pounds of a complete fertilizer to the soil.

If you know that you can keep your fall garden adequately watered, you should be able to plant the seed directly into the ground. If you’re not sure your garden will get the water it needs, consider purchasing seedlings from the local nursery. Plant the seeds deeper in the fall than you would during the spring since the moisture and temperature of the soil is different. Also remember that plants need a minimum of one inch of water per week to grow properly.

One consideration for fall planting is how to protect the garden from the first early frosts. Consider covering your beds and rows with burlap or put stakes along the rows and float a cover over the plants to protect them. If you have a smaller garden and only a few plants, you can use milk jugs, paper cups, or something similar to protect your plants from frosts.

Plan your garden based on the type of plants – frost tolerant or frost susceptible – keeping the types of plants together so they can be easily harvested. Some frost tolerant vegetables include beets, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, garlic, lettuce, onions, and spinach. Frost susceptible vegetables would be beans, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, okra, potatoes, and squash. You won’t fill an entire garden with short-term, frost susceptible plants, but you could plant a few if they will have the opportunity to grow and produce.

Fall temperatures don’t have to mean that you can’t still enjoy gardening. Some vegetables are cold-weather hardy and may provide an additional harvest before winter arrives. Make sure you have the time for the plants to mature and produce. Enjoy the process of planning and planting a fall garden, you will be glad that you did.