Raleigh Fall Vegetable Gardening begins in the Summer

Hey friends! While it’s blazing hot outside, it is time to be planning and planting your fall garden. We are in USDA plant hardiness zone 7b and have a relatively long growing season: April 9 through October 27. These dates are our average last and first frost dates, meaning half the time the first frost of Fall will start up to two weeks before October 27, and half the time it will start up to two weeks after October 27. This may also vary depending by where in the county you are located.

Using the average date of October 27 and Clyde’s Garden Planner, I’m going to share week by week what you can be planting outside.

By this weekend, July 31 – August 1, is the last one to safely, without fear of frost cutting the growth short, plant the following outside: cabbage, cucumbers, okra, pumpkins and summer squash.

By next weekend, August 7 – 8, plant your last round of carrots, cauliflower, chard and peas.

By the weekend of August 15 – 16, you should finish planting beets, broccoli and green beans.

By the end of August, finish planting radishes, turnups, leaf lettuces and spinach.

Here a a few caveats: 1) Many of these need to be protected from heat: cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, peas and broccoli. Personally, I will plant these in areas that get a little mid-day shade. 2) Cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli might be more successful if started from transplants rather than seed. 3) Spinach, broccoli and chard can handle the frost, so you can continue to harvest them later in the season. 4) Clyde’s Garden Planner is conservative with the dates (so I’ve been told). If you miss planting by a week, don’t stress.