Though we tend to regard summer as the heyday for growing vegetables, cool-season crops in the spring and fall can be just as rewarding. The cool daytime temperatures and occasional light frost yield the sweetest, crispest, most flavorful vegetables around—stretching the summer bounty into an almost year-round smorgasbord.

Whether you want to get a head start on planting in the spring or extend your gardening season in the fall, cool-season vegetables are the perfect solution.

Knowing When to Plant

• Cool-season vegetables thrive when daytime temperatures average between 65°- 80° F, with nighttime temperatures staying above 40° F. Spring and fall (and winter in some areas) provide perfect conditions for these crops.
• Most cool-season vegetables can tolerate a light frost and are generally planted 2-4 weeks before your last frost date in the spring.
• Since hot temperatures make these vegetables bitter, or cause them to go to seed, plan your growing seasons to avoid harvesting when the temperatures climb above 80° F.
• If you shop carefully, you can buy seeds or plants with detailed information about germination, proper planting times, and maturity for that particular variety. Armed with this information, and your average first and last frost dates, you can plan your fall and spring harvests for just the right time.
• If you live where the summers are cool, you can plant successive crops and harvest straight through until the first heavy freeze in the fall. If your summers are hot, follow up your cool-season crops with a summertime planting of warm-season veggies such as tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers.

Top 10 Easy to Grow Cool-Season Vegetables

Check out our top 10 most popular cool-season vegetables, with tips on how to grow them in your spring or fall garden.

Read More: Next Page >>

Tags: , fall, fall vegetable garden, spring, vegetable, vegetable garden, vegetables

5 Comments on “Vegetable Garden: Growing Cool-Season Vegetables”

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1. DOROTHY SMITH PERSON Says:
   March 22nd, 2011 at 9:11 am

   i would like to see dates and best month the plant field peas, black eyed peas, watermelons, squash okra for Hallsboro North Carolina 28442. exactly what zone is this and when is the last frost date. in other words what can I plant in April what can i plant in January and what can I plant on Good Friday. you read zone 2,4,7 etc. but it do not tell you what state is those zone. exactly what zone is Hallsboro, North Carolina which is 7 miles from Whiteville, North Carolina. so what zone is Whiteville, North Carolina. from Dorothy Smith Person 2348 Red Bug Road Hallsboro North Carolina 28442. I love planting and anxious to plant something NOW.. Thank you

2. 

   Ben Erickson Says:
   March 22nd, 2011 at 9:32 pm

   Hi Dorothy,
   Thanks for the feedback! In response I added links in the article above to Understanding Planting Zones, which includes a color coded U.S. map and a list of the location for all the planting zones. The vegetables you’re interested in planting are summer vegetables, so you might want to check out our article on Growing Warm-Season Vegetables as well as How to Determine Spring Planting Time, which has a map for when to plant a summer garden. Good luck with your garden!

3. DOROTHY SMITH PERSON Says:
   October 17th, 2011 at 3:47 pm

   I had a good and blessed garden because I used this post for my information. I grew a 5 pound collard. It is now October 17, 2011, and I am a little late getting started this year; but since I am using this site again I am expecting to be blessed with a beautiful garden again; because if you follow the plans, you to will have great results. I plan to show my before and after planting from 10/17/2011 when my vegetables start coming up. from DOROTHY SMITH PERSON HALLSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA 28442. SO LET’S PLANT A GARDEN

4. General Hydroponics Says:
   March 22nd, 2012 at 4:39 am

   I have grown asparagus successfully in my garden. If you properly plan the asparagus section of your garden, you can have decades of asparagus year after year. Be sure not to locate the asparagus patch in low-lying areas that are subject to frost or poor drainage. Asparagus likes full sun and needs porous, well-aerated soil for its dense and extensive root network. Proper preparation for growing anything always involves soil testing.

5. Dorothy Smith Person Says:
   April 11th, 2012 at 9:00 am

   I had a good garden crop Last year. At the end of the year on December 13, 2012 I planted some sweet garden peas.Before planting them I contacted Danny Lipford for information in planting different vegetables in my area.I followed the tips he gave to me and on April 13 2012 I picked those garden peas. I got a bushel of peas. They were were a blessing to look at to see how they matured.If in doubt in planting or having a problem I do recommend Danny Lipford for any problem you might have when it come to planting a garden.To see my First Picking Pictures of The Garden Peas I planted go to Dorothy Smith Person On face Book and check Out the size of those peas.when I figure how to post them on this sight I will.And don’t forget let Danny Lipford help you plant your garden. Posted by Evangelist Dorothy Smith Person of Hallsboro, North Carolina on 4,11, 2012. Let’s get that spring garden finished to reap the benefit of the harvest.

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