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Planning out your garden each season is more than just fun – it gives you the chance to plant new varieties and experiment each year.  What are you going to grow this fall?

In warm winter climates, fall gardens thrive.  In cooler climates, you can still plant a fall garden with protection.  Using cold frames, insulated floating row cover, and greenhouses, you can grow cool weather crops all winter long.  Here’s what to grow:

Root crops, broccoli (Italian broccoli shown left), kohlrabi, peas, chard and celery are just some of the crops you can grow this fall. Other crops include kale, most herbs except basil, cover crops like fava beans, lettuces, spinach, mustard greens, garlic, onions and shallots.

When planning out your garden, group families together (like brassicas, members of the beet family and lettuces). It will make crop rotation easier in coming seasons.  Here is what we’re planting this season:

In another section of the yard:

We’re planting another garden in a community garden filled with broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, cabbages, Brussels Sprouts, as well as parsnips, beets, carrots and radishes.  We’re also planting cover crops in both gardens to build materials for the compost bin.

After all is said and done, we still have one empty bed in each garden. Here’s your chance to weigh in:  What should we grow? Post your comments below. Our current ideas include some beneficial insectaries like nicotiana an cosmos.

If you need help planning out your fall garden, join us for the Fall Garden Planning Workshops on September 10 or October 4, 2011.  We’ll walk you through the step by step process of figuring out where to put everything.  Details and registration are on the website:

Fall Garden Planning Workshops – Fall 2011

Got plans?  Share your garden dreams here.