Now's the Time to Plant Cool Season Vegetables

From the University of Illinois Extension

As the summer winds down, the time is perfect to plant cool season vegetables.

“Based on our climate, we have a tight window to get these vegetables planted and growing before the first frost,” states Grant McCarty, University of Illinois Extension local foods and small farms educator. “Most of August is ideal to sow seeds or plant transplants as the warm soil and weather is needed for good growth. If you wait until September, it is too close to the first frost.”

The fall planting season is dependent on the first frost in the area. This date changes year to year, but is typically the first week of October. “By having this date in mind, you can plant right now and the vegetables will be able to tolerate this cold weather. Some may even tolerate into the low 20s,” continues McCarty.

Cool season vegetables are those planted in the spring and fall. These include lettuce, spinach, kohlrabi, kale, broccoli, cauliflower and others. “Most vegetables are either direct seeded or transplants. You want to choose transplants for vegetables that won’t grow enough before the first frost”, adds McCarty.

Direct-seeded vegetables include spinach, leaf lettuce, peas, radish and others. Transplants are cauliflower, broccoli, kale, cabbage and head lettuce. Plant cool season vegetables as you would warm season vegetables. Proper spacing is needed for both. When the first frost occurs, you can use floating row cover to protect your crop to tolerate even colder temperatures.

“By planting cool season vegetables now, it will ensure that in October and even November, you are still able to eat from the garden,” states McCarty.

Source: Grant McCarty, Extension Educator, Local Food Systems and Small Farms, gmccarty@illinois.edu