The vegetable grows fastest fall is the radish, ready to harvest in just 18-25 days from seed. You can plant radishes as late as four weeks before your first frost and still get a full crop. No other vegetable gives you results this fast when time is running short.
I plant quick fall vegetables in waves to keep fresh produce coming as the season winds down. My first radish planting goes in eight weeks before frost, with new seeds every two weeks after. This timing gives me radishes all through October and into November with row cover help.
Fast maturing autumn crops work for fall because they finish growing before hard frost kills them. The days to maturity number on your seed packet tells you how long each crop needs. Pick vegetables with low numbers when planting late in the season so they have time to reach harvest size.
Radish varieties like Cherry Belle and French Breakfast perform best in fall's cooling weather. Heat makes radishes taste spicy and tough, but cool temps produce mild, crisp roots. I tested six different types last fall and the round red varieties beat the long white ones for speed every time.
Arugula comes in second place for fast fall results at 21-28 days to first harvest. The spicy leaves taste better in cool weather since heat makes them too strong for most people. You can start cutting baby leaves even earlier if you don't wait for full-sized plants.
Baby lettuce gives you salad greens in about 30 days when you harvest young leaves. Cut leaves at two inches tall and the plant keeps growing back for more harvests. One planting can produce salads for three to four weeks with this cut-and-come-again method.
Succession planting stretches your rapid harvest fall garden over many weeks. Put in new seeds every two weeks until about a month before your first frost date. This schedule gives you fresh vegetables from your quickest crops all the way until hard freezes shut down the garden.
Row covers protect your fast crops from early frosts and extend your harvest window by 2-4 weeks. Light fabrics let in sun and rain while trapping heat overnight. I cover my radish and lettuce beds when forecasts show temps dropping below freezing.
Start with radishes if you've never tried late fall planting before. Their fast growth gives you quick wins that build confidence. Success with radishes shows you that fall gardening works even when you think the season has ended.
Read the full article: When to Plant Vegetable Garden: Ultimate Guide
