What to Plant Before First Frost
Last-call fall sowings by weeks left before your first frost. Fast greens and radishes first; roots need more time.
Published by ThriveThyme
fall planting first frost radishes beets cover crops
What to Plant Before First Frost
Lead with your weeks left, not the calendar month. Set first frost in My Garden, then match crops to that window.
If You Have About 3 to 5 Weeks
- Fall radishes
- Quick salad greens if nights are already cool
- Skip long-season roots from seed
If You Have About 4 to 8 Weeks
- Fall arugula, lettuce, spinach
- Fall kale and collards
- Fall turnips on the shorter end of this window
If You Have About 8 to 12 Weeks
- Fall beets and carrots
- Fall cabbage and broccoli as transplants when possible
- Direct seed is often too slow in colder zones once September starts
Garlic and Cover Crops
- Garlic usually waits until soil cools, often later than these last sowings.
- Cover crops fit spent summer beds when there is still time to establish before a hard freeze.
Zone Reality Check (Early September)
These are typical patterns, not yard forecasts:
- Zones 3 to 5: last-call. Favor radishes, fast greens, and cover crops. See September guides for zone 3, 4, and 5.
- Zone 6: still room for many fall greens and some roots. September zone 6.
- Zones 7 to 8: more runway, but still count from your frost date. Zone 7, zone 8.
Hub: What to plant now. Explainer: What is first frost.