Ahh fall… ya gotta love it. When this time of year comes we may use one less ice cube in our sweet tea but it remains one of our most beloved times of year. The air has a chill and the leaves are quickly falling. But don’t let the bare trees fool ya!  Even though the warm months of summer garden full of plentiful and colorful fruits and veggies are long gone, the garden and garden veggies can still grow, and grow, even well into the winter months. It’s true!  Let us tell ya, there is nothin’ better or more rewarding than harvesting your own fresh produce. Hale and hearty vegetables are packed full of good nutrients and when hand planted AND picked by you, the benefits are even sweeter! Yay!

If you are like us, the garden is always prepared for planting with lush, healthy soil. Gardening can be done all year ‘round depending on where you live and you can even take the garden indoors too! Don’t have a green thumb? Well the trick to planting outdoors in the fall months is beating the dreaded frost. A light frost happens is when the temperatures drop below 32 degrees and that can wreak havoc on the soil and on your perfectly planted crops-oh no Sweeties!

Don’t you worry. Planting a fall garden CAN be done and done well. Given a little time, sunlight, and TLC, hardy veggies can grow in your garden in a jiffy! Here are our top 5 vegetables to plant this fall even in the heart of fall y’all. Let’s get our hands dirty folks! Let’s start our list!

5 Vegetables To Plant This Fall:

Lettuce:

You don’t have to wait for summer to enjoy a crisp green salad. Lettuce actually grows best when the temperatures range from 45 to 75 degrees (approx.). To prepare for lettuce growin’, make sure you get planting about 4-8 weeks before the first frost is set to hit your zone and it will be growing in no time! The lettuce crop enjoys full sun and partial shade-that’s the best of both worlds y’all!  Choose a spot in the ground that is sunny but that also can catch some shade during the day too! Lettuce just hates growing in the oh-so- hot weather and the deep cold it will freeze, ruining the crop. Planting in the cooler months is ideal for green, happy lettuce (yay!).

Cauliflower:

Cauliflower rice? This vegetable is oh-so-popular these days. You can use it to make “rice” and even add it to smoothies! Whatever you like to use cauliflower for, make room for this versitle veggie in your fall garden! You will be happy you did. You may want to plant your cauliflower seeds starting indoors before transferring them in your outdoor garden. This way they establish good, strong roots that will be ready to take on the much cooler ground. Transplant them outdoors about 6-8 weeks before the first frost hits. Did you know that the mighty cauiflower needs about 6 hours of bright sunlight a day? That’s right, pick a sunny spot in the soil for this crop to grow and grow! Cauliflower is actually frost tolerant when the heads are mature AND they enjoy a good amount of moisture-so sprinkle on that H2O and frequently too. Don’t be shy! Isn’t culiflower just wonderful? We surely think so!

Broccoli:

Don’t forget the broccoli y’all. Broccoli is one of those veggies that is on the table for every holiday. Everyone has a broccoli recipe!We know we have quiet a few y’all!

It’s recommended that you should start growing broccoli about 3 months before the first frost is projeted starting indoors. When they are about a month old and have grown a bit,establishing strong roots, move them to your outdoor garden in full, bright sunlight. The broccoli crop is very hardy and may even suvive hash temperatures so the chances that it will stay alive all winter is prrrretty good! This is why we love to grow broccoli so much! Don’t forget, broccoli doesn’t like overly hot tempereatures but they loooooove water. Keep this crop moist and keep your watering can close by to water frequently!

Scallions:

Don’t you just LOVE scallions? They add a certain zest to a dish-YUM! Scallions add that certain “something” to a dish, it’s almost like the icing on the cake for recipes- if you ask us. This is why there is always room in our garden for the mighty scallion! If you have 8 weeks before the projected frost date in your zone then you’re in luck! Grow some scallions starting indoors so the roots can get established and strong. After it has grown some, transfer them to your outdoor garden with a spot that has full sun but gets a little shady too. How about next to the lettuce? What we love about growing scallions is that they can survive below freezing temperatures and even snow –wow! Take that frost! Who would have known that scallions would be so resilient?

Radishes:

Radishes anyone? Pickle em’, eat em’ raw, toss them in a pan, we are radishes biggest fan! Gotta love a raddish y’all. If your craving these for your fall soups, you are gonna wanna pay attention to these steps on how you can grow your very own right in your backyard. A month before the first frost is due to arrive in your zone, you can get started on growing robust, red radishes. They are hardy and are even frost tolerate too! This makes it ideal for growing in the cooler months! We just love growing radishes in our garden! Know that this crop does matures quickly so you will be able to enjoy before you need to put another comforter on the bed! Again, they sure do grow fast so keep an eye on them to make sure the crop is thriving and happy.

There you have it! Just a little preparation and you can have yourself a garden filled with veggie essentials. Feeling overwhelmed at the thought of gardening?  Hey, that’s okay! If you need some help on how to prepare your garden, we have you covered here.  Don’t worry y’all, just keep in mind that a great garden starts with well prepared soil. Good soil equals good crops-that is our sweet gardening tip! Sprinkle in some love, water,sunshine, and your garden will be so plentiful, you will be wishing you started a fall garden sooner! Work up a thirst when gardening? We sure do! Just thinkin’ about gardening has us thirsty already. Did you know that our Southern Breeze online store is always open? Even in the colder months! Our advice is to always stock up on zero calorie Southern tea before the harvest and cheers to your crops when they are ready for pickin’

Tell us Sweeties, what do you plan to plant in your fall garden? Do you have any favorite vegetables that you find yourself planting every year? We’d love to hear about them! Leave us a line in the comments below. Happy harvesting y’all!