Grow Your Garden Through Fall

Grow Your Garden Through Fall

It’s easy to ‘ghost’ your garden once late summer hits—but don't abandon that dirt just yet! The "third act" of your growing season is where the real magic happens. Pests are packing their bags, and cool fall nights act like a natural flavour booster, making your veggies extra crisp and sweet. Plus, with back-to-school madness around the corner, any excuse to stick your hands in the soil is the ultimate (and cheapest) therapy session.

Why keep the growing party going?

  • Maximize Your Patch: Double down on space! As soon as one plant retires, pop a fresh baby green in for non-stop action.

  • Ditch the Veg Avalanche: No one needs 20 heads of lettuce all at once; staggered planting keeps the salad bowl full without overwhelming your fridge’s crisper.

  • Built-in Backups: If one crop throws a tantrum, having another batch close behind means you still get your homegrown wins.

  • Happy, Healthy Dirt: Living soil covered with growing plants is a regenerative flex—it keeps weeds down, stops erosion, and feeds the subterranean microbe-party!

What to Plant Now?

With cooler temperatures, the priority is fast-maturing crops that establish themselves before the first frost.

Leafy Greens:

  • Lettuce & Spinach: Ideal for late-summer seeding but germination is tricky in heat; grow in a shaded area or use a burlap cover to reduce soil temperatures

  • Arugula & Mustard Greens: These spicy fall favourites grow rapidly, providing harvests in a few weeks

  • Kale & Swiss Chard: Both are highly cold-tolerant and perfect for fall sowing as they grow well in cooler autumn months

Root Vegetables:

  • Radish: Fast-growing varieties like 'Cherry Belle' or 'Sparkler' are ready in as little as 25 days

  • Turnip: Salad turnips like 'Hakurei' grow quickly and can be harvested in 45–50 days

  • Scallions (aka. Green Onions): Super easy to direct-seed now for maximum late Oct/Nov harvests

Tips for Success in Late Augus

Germination Management: August heat can inhibit germination for cool-weather seeds. Water daily until seedlings emerge, and consider using shade cloth to keep the soil cool.

Soil Preparation: As you clear out spent summer crops, reinvigorate the soil with a bag of Soil Booster to support vigorous fall growth with biology and nutrients.

Frost Tolerance: Crops like kale, spinach, and carrots sweeten after a light frost. Extend your harvest further with row covers or low tunnels as the season progresses.

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