20 Vegetables You Need to Plant in the Fall for Spring Harvest
Sep 25th 2025
Late summer is the time to start planning vegetables to plant in the fall season for a spring harvest. In the fall, the soil is still warm enough for roots to develop before winter arrives. There is something satisfying about knowing your garden will be full of harvests as spring comes. Vegetables you plant in the fall season will be used for spring snacks, side meals, and pickles. Many vegetables survive in winter, benefit from the chill, and make the perfect crops to plant in the fall. Cool season crops like radishes, carrots, asparagus, and collard greens grow or remain dormant during the winter and produce a bountiful harvest in the following spring.
In this gardening blog, we'll talk about 20 vegetables to plant in the fall for an abundant spring harvest. We'll also share some helpful tips to make your fall gardening and spring vegetable garden a success.
Why Start Fall Planting for Spring Harvest
Fall gardening offers several benefits, as many plants thrive in cooler weather with proper care and attention. This time of year, allows plants to develop robust root systems and prepare them for a large harvest in spring, as the soil stays warm for some time during the fall.
Pests and diseases that are common in summer are less active in fall, so fall planting reduces the likelihood of an infestation. Also, there are fewer weeds in the ground during the fall season, which means your plants will have less competition for essential soil nutrients and rain. Many vegetable plants can survive the winter cold, making fall an excellent time to start planting veggies and enjoy fresh produce in the spring.
Best Vegetables to Plant in Fall for Spring Harvest
Here are the 20 best vegetable plants to plant in the fall for a vibrant and flavorful spring garden.
1. Beets
USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-11
Days to Maturity: 55 to 70 days
Winter-grown beets are a delightful treat that can be harvested all winter and early spring. You can plant beets in the fall or even in winter and harvest when their rounded red tops emerge from the soil. They are perfect for salads and can be pickled and preserved for later use. Beets have shallow roots, so they may require a mulch layer as insulation to protect the roots from freezing.
2. Asparagus
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-10
Days to Maturity: 2 to 3 years
Gardeners with a lot of patience can plant asparagus in the autumn. But don't just expect your first harvest of this fibrous vegetable in the coming spring season. Asparagus needs at least two years to fully grow, but all the patience will be rewarded. This is a hardy perennial crop that requires minimal maintenance and yields harvests for an extended period.
If you plant asparagus in the fall, it will develop roots in spring when the soil temperature hits 40°F. You can harvest the crop when the shoots are 5 to 7 inches long, which is mostly in the third year. Once planted, asparagus can produce for more than 25 years.
3. Cabbage
USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-11
Days to Maturity: 60 days
Cabbage is another wonderful crop you can plant in the fall as long as it stays moist all winter. Cabbage tolerates cold well but can't survive a harsh winter, so you should cover it with a row cover when temperatures fall below 45°F. This vegetable requires a lot of energy to grow. Add some extra compost to the soil before planting cabbage and rotate them across your garden next season. You can harvest cabbage between 60 and 70 days after planting or when cabbage heads are firm and no longer bouncy.
4. Carrots
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-10
Days to Maturity: 50 to 75 days
Plant this hardy root vegetable in early fall to give it plenty of time to grow. Carrots grow most during the autumn season when the soil is warm, so they're good for planting in early fall. They need around six to seven hours of sunlight daily, so plant them in a sunny location in your garden. A light frost in winter will increase the sweetness of carrots. The earlier you plant carrot seeds in the fall, the bigger the harvest you'll get in the spring.
5. Broccoli
USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-11
Days to Maturity: 100 days
Looking for another delicious ingredient to add to your salads and garden-fresh stir fry? Mix some broccoli florets for an amazing texture, color, nutrients, and taste. Broccoli can be a healthy addition to your lunch and dinner plate. It grows moderately and takes over three months to mature. This tough vegetable can survive through moderate and mild winter climates. Harvest broccoli in the spring season when the heads reach the size of a fist.
6. Brussels Sprouts
USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-11
Days to Maturity: 80 to 100 days
Brussels sprouts are an excellent vegetable to sow in the fall for a spring harvest because they thrive in cold conditions, and their taste improves after a light frost.
Winter-grown Brussel sprouts taste sweeter than the ones grown in warmer weather. Certain vegetable varieties, such as Long Island Improved, may tolerate freezing well. If you live in a frost-free zone, you can harvest it between December and March.
7. Bok Choy
USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-11
Days to Maturity: 45 days
If you're craving something from the Brassica family earlier for your winter salads, add Bok choy to your fall garden. This is another easy-to-grow vegetable that grows well in cooler temperatures. Bok choy grows fast and can be harvested in as little as 45 days, depending on the zone and weather. However, it doesn't handle frost well, and it's not best for areas with harsh winters, so cover it during frost to prevent damage.
Read More: Gardening: Understanding How and When to Plant Vegetables
8. Cauliflower
USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-11
Days to Maturity: 30 to 90 days
Cauliflower loves cooler weather. It is an excellent snack when paired with the right dip. If you're in a frost-free area, you can plant cauliflower in the fall and even as late as February. Just like broccoli, cauliflower can survive moderate winters and is ready to harvest in the spring. If you want to get the most out of your efforts, plant a cauliflower variety that can be cut and grown again rather than a one-time harvest variety.
9. Fava Beans
USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-10
Days to Maturity: 80 to 100 days
Fava beans, aka broad beans, are an impressive cool-season vegetable, making them perfect for fall planting and spring harvest. Fava beans can tolerate temperatures as low as 21°F. By sowing these beans in the fall, you can save time over spring planting. Although they're hardy, they can be burned by frost, so cover the crop with fabric when hard frost is expected. Fava beans establish quickly before temperatures drop, then they enter dormancy in winter, but start growing again when temperatures rise in spring.
10. Collard Greens
USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-11
Days to Maturity: 75 days
Collard green is a cold-hardy vegetable that is easy to grow, fast-maturing, and can handle light frosts. This is like a cabbage that doesn't form a head. It requires full sun and well-drained, porous soil to grow well. If there's a possibility of long, hard freezes, protect the collard greens with a covering. They grow well in in-ground beds, containers, and raised beds.
11. Garlic
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9
Days to Maturity: Up to 270 days
It's always great to have some fresh garlic in the kitchen to flavor your food. Plant garlic in the fall at least one month before the first frost and harvest your garlic bulbs in the spring when the lower leaves turn brown. Fresh home-grown garlic will add incredible flavors to soups, pastas, roasts, and all kinds of dishes. It also contains antioxidants and is known to have anti-inflammatory effects.
Tip: Add a mulch layer on top of garlic cloves to protect them from frost damage.
12.. Turnips
USDA Hardiness Zones: 2a-11b
Days to Maturity: 60 days
Turnips make an excellent healthy snack on their own, and they also add a flavorful crunch to your salads. Plant turnips in late autumn or early winter. They're low maintenance but require about an inch of water per week. Since this root crop grows underground, it can survive colder temperatures. Harvest them in spring and use them soon after harvesting, as they dry out quickly.
13. Kale
USDA Hardiness Zones: 7-9
Days to Maturity: 90 days
Want some fresh, nutritious greens for your salads and smoothies this spring? Kale is prized for its nutritional benefits and hardy nature. Plant this tough vegetable in the fall and grow all winter. This healthy vegetable can thrive in the winter temperatures and even survive freezing conditions. Even if the kale heads die in cold temperatures, don't worry, as the roots can survive the freeze and will regrow in spring. Kale grows best in the southern US, which includes states like Georgia, Florida, Texas, Alabama, and Mississippi.
14. Onions
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9
Days to Maturity: 90 to 120 days
Onions live underground, so their roots are strong enough to survive the chilly winter season. They are planted in the fall, enter dormancy in winter, and start growing when spring comes. Just remember the onion planting space by placing markings over your onion seeds. Keep the onion planting area weed-free and water it when the soil feels dry. Harvest them from late spring or early summer, when they're large enough to eat or the leaves have turned brown and started to wither. Evergreen Hardy Whites, Bridger's, and Talons are the best overwinter onions to harvest in the spring.
Learn how to plant and grow onions.
15. Swiss Chard
USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-11
Days to Maturity: 60 to 65 days
Swiss chard is another one of the best vegetables to plant in the fall. It is low-maintenance, easy to grow, and super hardy, making it ideal to add to your fall vegetable garden. Continue to irrigate consistently and slowly via drip irrigation throughout the winter. When the chard leaves reach full size, harvest them and enjoy them in salads, soups, and other dishes.
16. Lettuce
USDA Hardiness Zones: 2a-11b
Days to Maturity: 150 to 240 days
Lettuce is the best vegetable to overwinter, but it can be a temperature-sensitive crop. So, when growing lettuce in the fall for spring harvest, plant it only in areas where temperatures fall no lower than 45°F. Plant lettuce in a sunny location in your garden to give it an early start in the spring. This way, you start harvesting it for salads sooner rather than later. Lettuce varieties that can survive cold weather include Arugula, endive, radicchio, watercress, and winter gem lettuce.
17. Peas
USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-11
Days to Maturity: 60 to 65 days
Peas can tolerate frost well and thrive in areas with a mild winter. However, too many days and nights of freezing temperatures can kill them. Therefore, it is crucial to protect them in freezing conditions. The best thing about this delicious vegetable is that you can plant it in the fall and spring to get two harvests of peas. Harvest the peas when the pods are firm and plump.
Read More: Fall Gardening Tips That Actually Work
18. Spinach
USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-11
Days to Maturity: 30 to 45 days
Spinach is a low-maintenance, cool-season vegetable that can be planted in the fall for a spring harvest. Before planting spinach, the soil temperature must be lower than 70°F for seed germination. You can sow hardy spinach varieties, like 'Giant Winter', directly in raised beds or in-ground beds. Keep the soil moist and weed-free. Cover the crop with a fleece or a low cloche to protect from frost. This healthy leaf provides you with plenty of roughage for your salads and side dishes.
19. Radishes
USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-11
Days to Maturity: 20 to 60 days
Radishes are a wonderful root crop to plant in a fall garden and harvest in the following spring. They grow exceptionally well in temperatures as low as 40°F. Sow radish seeds in well-prepared, moist, and weed-free soil. Harvest the radishes when the roots reach about an inch in diameter.
20. Shallots
USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-10
Days to Maturity: 100 days
If you want a vegetable from the allium family, plant some shallots in your fall garden. They can grow in soil as cold as 32°F, but love slightly warmer temperatures of around 35°F. These crops usually mature in early spring and can continue to ripen throughout the growing season, so you always have some crunch on hand to add to your salad. When the leafy tips of shallots turn brown, it means they are ready to pick.
Tips for Successful Fall Planting and Spring Success
Plant at the Right Time: It is best to start planting your fall crops around six weeks or more before the ground freezes because fall plants must establish themselves to survive the winter chill and grow through spring. The planting date will vary depending on where you live and the weather conditions in your area.
Start with Root and Allium Crops: Focus on growing allium crops such as garlic, onions, and shallots, and root crops like carrots, turnips, beets, and radishes. These veggies are hardy and easy to grow for beginners, and they increase your chances of a bumper crop in the spring.
Enhance Your Winter Landscape: When you decide to work in the fall for spring harvest, you can also brighten your winter garden by adding some plants that thrive in the fall and winter months. In addition to your fall vegetable garden, consider adding some gorgeous fall plants such as lavender, licorice, yellow archangel, and silver poplar.
Protect Sensitive Crops from Frost: It is important to protect tender fall crops such as cauliflower or broccoli from winter frost. Use floating row covers during extreme cold spells to protect crops. Remove these covers on warm sunny days. You can also use cold frames to protect the greens and extend the growing season. Mulching is another way to protect your crops from frost. Add 2-4 inches of organic mulch around plants to insulate the soil.
Prepare the Soil: After the summer, the soil becomes depleted of nutrients. As fall arrives, prepare your garden soil before planting. Add compost, aged manure, or other soil amendments to the soil to improve soil structure and replenish nutrients. This will allow plants to absorb more water and nutrients for optimal growth. For soil preparation and sowing, you'll need digging and planting tools like a hand trowel, a dibbler to sow seeds, and a garden rake to level the surface of beds.
Enjoy Delicious Spring and Fall Harvest with DripWorks
It's so exciting to see how a little fall preparation yields a colorful, flavorful vegetable garden when warmer weather arrives. Planting a fall garden is highly rewarding as it is a fun gardening activity to do over the cold winter months, and it can give you something amazing to look forward to when spring arrives. Now you know which vegetables to sow in the fall for spring harvest, so plant your favorite crops and have lots of tasty and nutritious vegetables on hand for the spring season. All you need for fall planting is a little knowledge of vegetables, planning, well-prepared garden beds, and planting tools like a trowel and a dibbler.
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