How to Plant Fall Vegetables

Love fresh leafy greens? Fall is a great time to grow your own and enjoy the unbeatable taste and convenience of a homegrown harvest. Greens like lettuce, mustard, cabbage, and more are not only delicious but also packed with nutrients. Ready to dig in? Here are some easy tips to grow a thriving fall veggie garden!

Step One: Gather your Supplies

Before planting, gather your gardening essentials: soil, compost, fertilizer, starter plants, gloves, and basic tools like a trowel or hand rake. Having everything ready makes the process smoother and more enjoyable. Here’s a quick list to get you started!

Supplies:

• Your choice of cool-season vegetables!
• Calloway’s Organic Garden Compost
• Calloway’s Premium Organic Mulch
• Nature’s Creation® Expanded Shale
• Root Stimulator
• Gardening Gloves
• Hand Tools
• Calloway’s Lawn and Garden Food

Step Two: Prepare your Planting Area

Before you start planting, it’s time to show your soil a little love! Start by clearing away any rocks or weeds to give yourself a nice, clean space to work with. Then, spread about 3 inches of expanded shale over the area, followed by 3 inches of Calloway’s Organic Garden Compost. Mix it all together into the top 6–8 inches of soil!

Why this combo? Nature’s Creation® expanded shale loosens compacted soil, improves drainage, and helps retain moisture. Calloway’s Organic Garden Compost adds nutrients and boosts water retention. Together, they create the perfect foundation for strong, healthy plant growth.

Step Three: Plant your Vegetables

Now that the planting area is ready to go, it is time to add your vegetables. Here are some of the fabulous finds that you can pick up now at your local Calloway’s and Cornelius! Be sure to keep your plant tags for specific instructions on how to plant and care for each variety.

Cabbage

Cabbage is a cool-season vegetable packed with antioxidants and essential nutrients. It comes in a variety of sizes, shapes, and vibrant colors, making it as versatile as it is healthy.

Golden Cross Cabbage is a fast-growing, early variety ideal for compact gardens. Its smaller size lets you plant more per row, maximizing space. Plant them 18–24 inches apart in a spot with at least 6 hours of sunlight. They mature quickly, in about 45 days.

Cabbage is versatile and delicious—enjoy it raw, cooked, boiled, or grilled. It’s perfect for soups, salads, sauerkraut, and coleslaw. Packed with flavor, texture, and nutrition, cabbage is a cool-season garden favorite.

Mustard Greens

Mustard Greens are a spicy green that is quick and easy to grow. Did you know they contain more vitamin A than spinach and have more vitamin C than oranges?

Red Giant Mustard is a bold, cool-season variety that’s easy to grow and perfect for spring or fall gardens. Plant in well-drained, compost-rich soil, spacing seedlings 6–8 inches apart. It thrives in full sun but handles light shade, and steady moisture helps it grow fast. The leaves are ready to harvest in about 30 days, offering vibrant color and a spicy kick for your meals.

Mizuna Miz America Mustard Greens bring a mild, peppery kick without any bitterness or heat—just pure deliciousness! With their stunning, red-tinged leaves, they add a splash of color that’s perfect for fall gardens. Give them about 6 hours of sunshine a day, plant them 12 to 18 inches apart, and watch them grow and be ready to harvest in just 56 days.

Ready to get creative? Toss your fresh mustard greens into salads, steam them up, or stir-fry for a tasty, nutritious boost. They’re super easy to grow and even easier to enjoy!

Lettuce

Lettuce is a garden favorite because many varieties allow continual harvest. They are a staple in any salad recipe with many different varieties. Lettuce is a great source of vitamins A and K for stronger bones and better vision. It even promotes hydration in your body as water makes up about 95% of raw lettuce.

Red Fire Lettuce will add gorgeous color to your dishes. This plant produces uniform heads of well-colored frilly leaves. It has good heat tolerance, making it a fantastic choice for your Texas garden. It needs 6 hours of sunlight per day and should be planted 12-18 inches apart. It will be ready to harvest in 55 days from planting.

Buttercrunch lettuce is an easy, rewarding crop for home gardens. Plant seeds or seedlings 6–8 inches apart in well-drained soil with full sun or light shade. It thrives in cool weather and can handle a light frost. Keep soil evenly moist, and you’ll enjoy crisp, buttery leaves in just a few weeks. Stagger plantings for a steady harvest.

Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts are a classic cool-season vegetable, known for their miniature cabbage-like heads that grow along tall, leafy stalks. They thrive in cooler temperatures, which help develop their signature sweet, nutty flavor, making them a great addition to fall and winter gardens.

The Brussels Sprouts ‘Jade Cross’, is especially well-suited for home gardens. It’s compact, easy to grow, and resistant to many common diseases. Plant in rich, well-drained soil with full sun, spacing 18–24 inches apart, and keep the soil consistently moist.

With a little care, Brussels Sprouts produce tender, flavorful sprouts that are perfect for roasting or adding to hearty seasonal dishes.

Broccoli

Broccoli is a nutritious and versatile vegetable that thrives in full sun and well-drained, organic-rich soil. Space seedlings about 18 to 24 inches apart to give them room to grow. With a growing period of 60 to 90 days, broccoli produces dense green heads that are delicious steamed, roasted, or eaten raw, while providing plenty of vitamins and antioxidants.

Broccoli Green Magic is a high-yield variety known for its deep green color and sweet flavor. Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost and transplant outdoors once seedlings have 4 to 5 true leaves and frost risk has passed. This variety requires regular watering, nitrogen-rich fertilization and mulching to ensure healthy growth and tender, flavorful heads throughout the season.

Collards

Georgia Southern Collards are a classic, heirloom variety known for their large, tender blue-green leaves and rich, mild flavor. They thrive in cooler weather and grow best in full sun with well-drained, fertile soil. Space plants 18–24 inches apart to give them room to spread. This variety is slow to bolt and can handle light frost, which actually enhances its flavor.

Collards are hearty, nutrient-rich greens that mature in 60–85 days. Once harvested, their mild, slightly smoky flavor makes them perfect for sautéing, steaming, or adding to soups.

Step Four: Care Tips for your Garden

Once you’ve finished planting, give your veggies a little extra love with Root Stimulator! Just follow the directions by applying directly to the roots and watch Nature’s Creation® work its magic, boosting root growth with natural plant hormones. It’s like a little pick-me-up to help your plants bounce back quickly from transplanting and grow strong and healthy!

Next, cover your garden bed with a thick layer of Calloway’s Premium Organic Hardwood Mulch. Made from 100% organic shredded wood with no fillers, it forms a protective layer that won’t wash away, keeping soil cool and moist. After mulching, give your garden a good watering and maintain a regular watering routine—your veggies will thrive in the cool, damp soil!

To help your garden flourish even more, use Calloway’s Natural Lawn and Garden Food, a natural and organic fertilizer specially formulated to feed your plants steadily and promote a bountiful harvest.

 

SHOP WITH EASE

At Calloway’s and Cornelius, we have everything you need for your fall vegetable garden! Stop by and explore our entire selection of cool season veggies! Vegetables and specific varieties will vary by location. Shop our neighborhood stores or shop online now!

Have questions? Ask our Texas Certified Nursery Professionals; they are here to help!