Vegetables You Can Plant in September

No matter where in the United States you live, September is a perfect time to plant vegetables. In southern areas, prime gardening season is just starting after the summer heat is over. In northern regions, there are still fast-growing vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, and other greens you can plant to keep your vegetable garden producing until the first frost and even beyond.

Almost everything you plant in the spring is suitable to be grown in your fall garden, too. Some root vegetables and salad greens grow just as well or even better in the fall as they do in the spring. Spring-sown seeds are considered cool-season plants, meaning they tolerate a light frost, thrive in short daylight hours, and perform best with mild temperatures. Some vegetables such as Brussels sprouts even taste better when nipped by a light frost.

Below are lists organized by U.S. region featuring the vegetables and herbs you can plant in September. Unless specifically listed as "transplants," the items in this list are directly sown in your garden.

Determine the Planting Date

To determine when to plant the vegetables for your fall garden, you must know when your area typically expects its first frost. Next, check the number of days to maturity (the number of days it takes to reach the harvest stage) for the vegetable you want to plant. You will also need to figure in the number of days it takes for the seeds to germinate. This information is usually found on the seed package. Based on these numbers, calculate the planting date. Here is a sample calculation for spinach:

• Days to germination: 10
• Days to maturity: 42
• First frost: October 15
• Total time: 52 days

Counting back 52 days from the first frost date, you will need to plant the spinach seeds by August 24.

Vegetable Planting Lists by U.S. Region