If you missed out on growing a summer vegetable garden – or are enjoying homegrown produce right now and would like to extend your bounty — it’s time to start planning.
In most temperate regions, the window of opportunity for growing cool-season crops is opening. Take advantage, and you’ll be positioned to harvest vegetables long after your neighbors have packed up their gardening supplies. Homegrown Brussels sprouts for Thanksgiving, anyone?
The process for starting seeds and planting starter plants is the same year-round. But when planting fall crops in regions that experience frosts and freezes, timing needs to be precise. If you plant cool-weather crops too early, they’ll wilt under the summer sun; too late, and frost could kill them before they reach maturity.
To get it right, you’ll need to know your region’s first average frost date. I like the tool posted on The National Gardening Association’s website (
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