What Fall Vegetables Can I Plant in Zone 6B?

Leaf

• Many leaf-type vegetables grow well in a fall garden in USDA zone 6b. These leaf vegetables include spinach, kale and lettuce. For a fall garden, start the seeds of these vegetables indoors out of the hot sun. Temperatures that are too warm will not allow the seeds to germinate.

Onions

• Onions and garlic both prefer to mature in cooler weather rather than hot. Garlic and onions can even be planted late in the fall, left alone all winter and have a late winter or very early spring harvest. If you want to leave the onions and garlic in the ground over the winter, cover them with cloth or a thick layer of mulch to protect them from the harshest nights. For a fall harvest, plant transplants about midsummer.

Cabbage Family

• Vegetables that belong to the cabbage family all grow well in the fall in USDA zone 6b. Vegetables in the cabbage family include cabbage, broccoli, sprouts and cauliflower. Starting transplants is also necessary for best results in getting a good harvest in the fall. Starting seeds indoors allows you to pick the strongest of the seedlings to plant outside and not bother with the weaker ones that probably will not produce much anyway.

Summer Planting

• Plant transplants for your fall garden in the middle of summer. Start seeds six to eight weeks before planting outside, which for USDA zone 6b would be about mid-June. Harden off transplants before planting them outside just as you would for a spring garden. Hardening off allows plants to get used to the sun and the change in temperatures. Put seedlings out for an hour a day at first, but not at the hottest part of the day. Gradually increase the time outdoors and in the sun until you are ready to plant them in the garden. To figure out what date the plants need to be planted outside, read the seed packaging to find out how many days to harvest. Count backward from the first frost date, which can be anywhere from Sept. 30 to Oct. 30, depending on the weather that year. Start any seeds six weeks before the date to plant them outside.