TOMS RIVER, NJ – The summer growing season is nearing its end. Your tomatoes, cucumbers, and other vegetables are probably not looking too good at this point, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to call it quits on your 2022 gardening season.
We’re still picking radishes, tomatoes, turnips, beans, beets, and other great crops here in late September in New Jersey as the weather cools, but we’re also getting ready for the next part of our growing season, fall.
Yes, fall is a great time to continue your garden. Gone are the days of being on your hands and knees in sweltering heat picking weeds and picking vegetables. The weather in New Jersey is mild, and we’re still about a month away from the first expected frost date between October 20th to 31st. And guess what, those are just estimations. A warm fall could extend your growing season into mid-November, especially if you get these fall crops in the ground as soon as possible.
Some of the fall crops listed here not only do well in the cold but taste much sweeter after a few nights of cold weather. To extend your growing season, you can look into cold frames or frost row covers for your garden.
If you live by the Jersey Shore, you can extend your growing season a few more weeks as the surrounding ocean and bay waters tend to keep the temperatures a bit warmer than the rest of the state.
Here’s what you can grow in fall in New Jersey
PEAS
It’s not too late to plant peas, but it soon will be. Pick a quick-growing variety and get them in the ground today.
RADISHES
Radishes like the cold weather. Once again, most varieties are fast growing and usually take three to five weeks from sowing to harvesting.
SPINACH
Spinach loves the colder weather. You can plant spinach now and harvest it as the leaves mature. In a worst-case scenario, you can just harvest all your spinach leaves if you’re expecting a major frost coming through.
TURNIPS
Turnips are another root crop that loves colder weather. Get them in the ground and pick them through early November.
BEETS
Beets are another crop that will grow in cold weather and can be used for a number of fall recipes.
GREENS
Collards, kale, and mustard greens are all cold-hearty crops you can grow in the fall.
HERBS
Revive your bolting and wilting herb garden. You can plan parsley, sage, rosemary, cilantro, mint and thyme. All of these do well in the fall and if you put them in pots, you can bring them indoors for the winter.
FRUIT TREES
Fall is a great time to get those fruit trees in the ground and you can usually find them with a big discount at the big box stores at the end of the season. You can get apple and peach trees for about $30 at many big box stores.
BROCCOLI
If you want to be adventurous, plant some broccoli. This could be a bad decision if a frost comes too early, but if your broccoli can mature before the first frost, you’ll be good to go.