Your Fall Garden

Do you want to plant a fall garden? If you live in the southern United States where it is warm throughout the autumn season, you can plant a successful fall garden.

Many people do not realize that here in Texas and in a lot of other places, we get a second garden season! In fact, here in very hot San Antonio, we get our best garden in the fall. I usually pick fresh green beans from the garden on Thanksgiving morning and again on Christmas Day for the green bean casserole.

What do we grow during the fall? So many things. The key is choosing the right variety of vegetable that you want to grow as the weather begins to get a bit cooler.

Seeds For Your Fall Garden

The list below is what we think should be grown in the Fall in/around San Antonio, Texas.  Some of the recommended plants will die or stop producing when the temps drop below 40° Fahrenheit. Others will thrive. The root crops (things growing under the ground) will be protected from the cold. You can overwinter some of them.

• Blue Lake 274 Bush Bean
  
• Royal Burgundy Bush Bean
  
• Fordhook Lima Bean
• Detroit Dark Red Beet
  
• Red Acre Cabbage
  
• Imperator Carrot
  
• Snow Crown Cauliflower 
  
• Bright Lights Swiss Chard
  
• Vates Collards 
  
• Diva Cucumber 
  
• Black Beauty Eggplant
  
• Giant of Italy Parsley
  
• Azur Star Kohlrabi 
  
• Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce
  
• Red Sails Lettuce
• Tendergreen Mustard Greens
  
• Texas 1015Y Yellow Onion
  
• Aladdin Ornamental Pepper
  
• Anaheim Chili Hot Pepper
  
• Cayenne Hot Pepper
• Big Jim Hot Pepper
  
• Habanero Hot Pepper
• TAM Jalapeno Pepper
  
• Serrano Hot Pepper
  
• New England Pie Pumpkin
• Champion Radish
  
• Texas Cream Southern Pea
  
• Crookneck Summer Squash
  
• Acorn Autumn Mix Winter Squash
  
• Waltham Butternut Winter Squash
  
• Spaghetti Winter Squash
  
• 7-Top Turnip (Leaves only)
  
• Toyko Cross Turnip
  
• Black Beauty Zucchini

As you can see from the list above, there are a lot of things you can plant this fall. You don't have to plant just the varieties listed above. Most vegetables and herbs have some varieties that are made to plant in the spring. Other hardy varieties like the cool, crisp temperatures that autumn brings and will do better as the hot weather begins to cool down.

You can also add certain types of spinach, kale, broccoli, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, rutabaga, certain leafy greens, and peas.

Regarding any of the hot peppers, you may want to put those in pots that you can take in on an extra cold or freezing night. If you can keep them alive, they will continue to produce peppers indefinitely, for years to come. Bell peppers do not have this ability.

During the final weeks of August and the first week of September, put your seeds in the ground, just one fourth of an inch deep. Unless there is a freak cold snap, you have plenty of time to grow a lot of delicious veggies if you live in a warm climate.

Also June is a good time to start your fall tomatoes.  This is according to Bob Webster who is host of "The Gardening Show" on KTSA in San Antonio, Texas.

Return from Your Fall Garden To Buy Vegetable Seeds