FIRST – it is NOT too late to start a garden. You don’t have to wait until next spring. Start a small autumn garden now! Get a container, fill it with dirt, add a few seeds and try your hand at radishes or beets or leafy greens. Let this plan be a little inspiration.
You might call this part two of our seed starting plan from the spring. Starting at the beginning of July we have some planting dates through Sept 15, which is 30 days from our first frost. Now you might start in areas of your garden that have been harvest or planning to be harvested. Such as onions, potatoes or anything that died. Don’t let failure get that last say – planting something else!
autumn garden PLANTING LIST
This is our list. Not a comprehensive list of everything you could plant. Hopefully it give you an idea of what a first year gardener is planning to put out this fall. Two useful resources I use for all my planting dates are linked here gardening guide for KANSAS and MISSOURI. However, remember the zones have changed for 2024. I do use both since the Missouri guide for Central is the same as ZONE 6 and they put planting dates on the table in the publication. Easier for me.
JULY
| SNAP PEAS | OUT | 07/01 |
| BEANS | OUT | 07/01 |
| BROCCOLI | OUT | 07/10 |
| BEETS | OUT | 07/20 |
We have sprouting coming up of our beans, and broccoli as this is being written. We hope that it is a great opportunity for you to start a few plants this summer. However, it is not always about the food you get if you count the knowledge, practice and joy that comes from just giving it a try.
AUGUST
| KALE | OUT | 08/05 |
| SPINACH | OUT | 08/15 |
I don’t necessarily have a plant for where these plants will go. Hopefully replacing flowers or other plants that have finished or will finish by they time these plants get larger.
SEPTEMBER
We will be planting cover crops in September in areas that are cleared out and the rest of the quarter acre of land we have set aside for a garden. Including Turnips and Beets the beginning of September and Forage Radish going in last on Sept 15. We want to leave these vegetables for winter foraging from deer, chickens or any other animals that find them. Ultimately is that these will feed the soil for the garden next year.
UPDATE
Nothing did well. Honestly, it was a combination of bugs, drought and a newly pregnant gardener. We will try a autumn garden again next year. It will likely be the garden that is given the most attention since I will not have much of a summer garden. I did get [grocery store] garlic planted in some pot around the house. Hopefully we will get some of those heads next summer.
