Fall Container Veggies: 8 Best Fall Container Garden Vegetables To Grow

Fall gardening is a time of harvests and winter preparation, but it can also be a great time to extend the growing season with fall container garden vegetables. While your harvest of hot weather veggies like tomatoes and peppers may be coming to an end, there are still plenty of container gardening opportunities for you to explore at this point in the gardening calendar. You can also be working on growing fall vegetables in containers or even getting some winter veggies started for a spring harvest.

Choosing the Best Vegetables for Fall Containers

Fortunately, you have a lot of choices when picking fall container vegetables. Gardening in pots is great for easy vegetables anyone can grow in fall, because it allows you to move or cover plants as needed if the weather takes a downturn sooner than you expected. You can always move a container to a more sheltered location, bring it indoors, or even grow it under glass or plexiglass to extend your growing season.

It’s best to know when your area’s average first frost date is, identify vegetable cold tolerance, and pick plants accordingly. Be sure to match plants to your hardiness zone. That said, pots give you more flexibility when the weather doesn’t do what you expect. The best fall vegetables for container gardening are small enough to grow in pots, have short maturity times, and tolerate or grow well in cooler temperatures. Here are some ideas for the best fall container vegetables.

1. Lettuce

Greens are classic cool weather vegetables. Lettuce is great for fall because of the cooler temperatures but also because it grows quickly. If you are keen to grow lettuce in containers, select any type of leaf lettuce to get baby greens in a few weeks. You can also now find baby head lettuces, like Salanova and Eazyleaf. These are perfect for containers, and like leaf lettuces, provide you with edible greens in about a month.

2. Spinach

Like lettuce, spinach grows well in cooler weather and grows quickly. You can let it reach maturity, or harvest early to enjoy baby leaves. When growing spinach in containers, sow spinach seeds in containers six to eight weeks before your first frost date. Some of the faster growing varieties include Melody, Regal, Space and Tyee. Some types, including Bloomsdale Longstanding, will overwinter well with mulch or other protection.

3. Radishes

One of the best fall container vegetables, radishes are small enough to grow in a pot and not only tolerate cold temperatures but actually taste better when grown in cold weather. For the best radish container care, plant seeds in late August or early September for a fall harvest. All radishes have short maturity times, but some of the fastest growing are French Breakfast and Early Scarlet Globe.

4. Kale

Kale is a classic cool weather vegetable that actually tastes better when grown in the cold. Kale harvested after the first frost is sweeter. For any brassica lovers looking to grow kale in pots, make sure you choose an edible rather than ornamental variety and sow seeds four to six weeks before the first frost for a mid-fall to late-fall harvest.

5. Garlic

Of all the best fall vegetables to grow in containers, garlic has the longest maturity time. It takes up to nine months to get mature garlic bulbs ready to harvest. But fall is the time to plant them to enjoy next year, and you’ll find growing garlic in containers is both successful and rewarding. Hardneck varieties are best for colder climate, while softneck types are less hardy and better for warmer growing regions.

6. Bok Choy

For something different from the usual fall greens, try container-grown bok choy, also known as pac choi or pak choi. This small, upright brassica is more tender and delicate of flavor than cabbages. Like other brassicas, bok choy tolerates cooler temperatures, but it does need about two months to reach maturity. Sow seeds in late summer. You can also harvest this vegetable early to enjoy a baby version.

7. Beets

Beets, like many root vegetables, grow well in cooler weather. They also store well over winter. To ensure the best care for potted beets, plant them in containers large enough to accommodate their roots about six weeks before your first frost. Varieties with the shortest maturity times include Moneta, Chicago Red, and First Crop.

8. Arugula

This peppery green is an easy choice for a quick harvest if you fancy growing fall vegetables in containers. Maturity times are around 40 days for most types, but can be as short as 25 days. If you’re keen on growing arugula this way, try Surrey, Sprint, or Runway for a harvest of greens in about four weeks. As with other greens, you can harvest baby leaves early.

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