Fall Garden Calculator
Enter your first frost date and pick a fall crop. The calculator counts back the weeks - kale ten, beets eight, radishes four - and gives the sow-by date, plus days from today so the window is visible.
The fall garden is the sneak-best garden: August soil is still warm, so seeds germinate in days instead of the spring slog, and June pests are dying off. Kale and spinach shrug off light frost and sweeten after it - the harvest keeps running weeks past the date that ends the tomatoes.
How to use
- Enter your first frost date from the extension table.
- Pick the crop; the weeks-before-frost are built in.
- August sowings need shade cloth for the first two weeks.
Frequently asked questions
When should I plant a fall garden?
Count backwards from first frost by the crop weeks: kale ten weeks, beets eight, lettuce six, radishes four. Most of the sowings land in late July through August, which feels wrong and works.
Why is fall gardening easier than spring?
Warm soil germinates seeds in days, June pests are dying off, and the fall rains water for free. The harvest also keeps - kale and spinach survive light frost and sweeten after it.
What can I still plant in August?
Radishes, lettuce and spinach at four to six weeks out, plus beets and kale earlier in the month. August-sown beds need two weeks of shade cloth so the sun does not cook the seedlings.
Should I succession-sow fall lettuce?
Yes - a short row every two weeks keeps salad running until real frost. One sowing of lettuce is a salad; four staggered sowings are the fall kitchen.