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Fall Vegetable Planting |
By Carl Wilson, Horticulturist, Denver Cooperative Extension
Squeezing a second crop of vegetables in before fall frost makes good use of garden space.
Once spring crops are harvested, fertilize and prep the soil for summer planting. The
following suggestions are made based on the mid-October average killing frost date
for Denver. Check the last frost date for your area before trying these suggestions.
Remember that Colorado's weather varies a lot from year to year and frosts may come as
much as a month earlier or later.
- Crops that can be planted until mid-July include: cabbage, collards, endive, green
onions, New Zealand spinach, bush beans, cucumber, cauliflower, edible podded peas and
summer squash.
- Plantings that can be made until the end of July include Chinese cabbage, small length carrots like the Nantes varieties, broccoli and turnip.
- Vegetables that will produce crops if planted until early August are kale, turnip greens
and beets.
- Ones good until mid-August are leaf lettuce, mustard greens, spinach and Swiss chard.
- Radish can be planted as late as the first week of September.
Note that many greens make particularly good late crops as they can be harvested at any stage of growth. Try a second crop of vegetables in your garden this year.
Photograph of summer squash courtesy of Judy Sedbrook.
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