Fall vegetables don’t require any special care; in fact, you’ll spend less time caring for your fall crops because of the favorable autumn growing conditions. Generally, plants will grow rapidly at first and gradually slow as the days become shorter and colder. Here are some tips and ideas for learning how to grow fall vegetables and what are the 10 best vegetables to grow in fall.

You’ll be happy to discover that destructive insects won’t be as numerous as the summer months.
You will also struggle less with weed control because the weeds will germinate less frequently and grow slower than they do during the warmer growing seasons. Compared to the hot and dry summers, fall usually brings an increase in the amount of precipitation, eliminating another time consuming garden chore of irrigating the garden.

With just a little attention and effort you may be surprised to find that growing fall vegetables in the backyard garden and planters is even more enjoyable than planting a vegetable garden during the spring and summer seasons. Why? It’s simple. Cooler autumn temperatures make it a delight to spend time outside in the garden and also provide an advantage when it’s time to harvest your fall crops.

Maturing crops including cabbages and root crops will maintain their quality and stand much longer in the garden during the fall season. Leafy greens can be harvested a leaf or two at a time from each plant during the season, leaving the smaller leaves in the center portion of the plant to continue growing and producing new leaves. Or you can harvest all of the leaves at once from the mature plants late in the season.

These lettuce-leaf basil seedlings are waiting patiently for the hoophouse to be finished.

Following is a list of fast growing, cold hardy crops that are ideal for fall vegetable gardening. These are our top ten vegetables to grow in fall:
· Kale – Nutritious leafy greens on productive plants that surpass winter easily, even in very cold climates.
· Collards – Another leafy green similar to kale, but with larger, stronger flavored leaves are the collards.
· Lettuce – Plant varieties bred especially for growing during the fall season or in cold frames.
· Turnips – Here’s a quick maturing root crop that’s productive and easy to grow.
· Rutabagas – Larger and sweeter than turnips, plant rutabagas earlier in the summer for a full fall harvest.
· Broccoli – Popular, productive, and much easier to grow than cauliflower. Plus, its high dose of fiber and calcium keeps a body good
· Mustard – Spicy hot leaves; this is a very fast growing vegetable.
· Cabbage – Grow from transplants (like broccoli and cauliflower) or start seeds indoors under lights.
· Arugula – Fast growing leafy greens for salads or gourmet recipes.
· Leeks – One of the hardiest plants in the garden, leeks can even withstand winter freezes.

Hang on, purple cabbage seedlings! It’s nearly time to go into the garden!

Matt Buquoi is the owner of Flower Window Boxes, a custom window box and planter company that specializes in affordable no rot window boxes. PVC window boxes and deck planters are great for showing off an array of beautiful plants, flowers, and vegetables from the convenience of your window, deck, or patio. You can visit their website to see more ideas for growing plants and vegetables from porch and deck planters.