The Best Time of the Year for Gardening In This Part of Texas is Fast Approaching

It’s time to get ready for fall planting.

In my opinion, fall is the best gardening season in Texas. I love eating greens like mustard, kale, collards and cabbage. But those crops don’t grow well during our hot summers. The same goes for radishes, carrots and most other root vegetables. They like it much better when daytime temperatures stay below 90 degrees. I like it that way, too.

Squash grow well in our fall gardens. In my experience, they don’t grow as vigorously as they do when planted in the spring, but they still produce. If you suffer from squash vine borers or squash bugs, make sure to plant your fall crop in a different location.

It’s probably too late to plant peppers, tomatoes or eggplants for a fall crop. But just about all other spring and summer vegetables can be planted over the next month or two for a fall harvest. You could probably even plant a crop of sweet corn if you get seeds in the ground this week.

Fall Planting Dates

Last year I compiled the chart below with recommended planting dates from Texas A&M University and the Farmers Almanac online planting date tool, which is calculated according to the historical first frost date by zip code, in this case La Grange. Asterisks indicate crops that

Asterisks indicate crops that should be planted from seed directly into the garden. All other crops are best planted from seedlings you grow yourself or purchase from a nursery. If you want to start seedlings yourself, subtract 30 days from the date listed to find your seed starting date.