Fall Gardening in North Florida: What to Plant Right Now

Fall is our second spring in North Florida and along the Emerald Coast. By the time the summer heat finally lets go, the garden is ready for a fresh start, and the cool-season plants I look forward to all year can finally go into the ground. If you have a raised bed, a few containers, or even just a sunny patio, October is the month to plant.

Why fall is the best planting season here

Our summers are hard on a garden. Between the heat, the humidity and the afternoon storms, plants spend a lot of energy just surviving. In fall, the soil is still warm from summer, the nights are getting cooler, and the light is softer, which is exactly what young seedlings need to root in quickly.

The first frost usually shows up in late November or December, and often later right on the coast, so you get months of growing ahead of you. Dates shift from year to year and depend on how close you are to the water, so keep an eye on your local forecast.

Start by clearing and refreshing

Pull out summer crops that are finished, like tired tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers.
Work a couple of inches of compost into your beds or top up your containers with fresh potting mix.
Harvest your basil in one big batch before the nights dip below about 50 degrees. It does not like the cold, and it makes a lovely last round of pesto.
Add a fresh layer of mulch to hold moisture and keep the soil steady.

Young lettuce and greens growing in a raised garden bed in North Florida in fall

Tiny seedlings sprouting in a galvanized raised bed in a fall garden

Your fall planting cheat sheet

Here is what I would plant now. The timing is a general guide for North Florida and the Emerald Coast, so adjust it to your yard and your weather.

Plant	Start from	When to plant	Good to know
Lettuce and salad greens	Seed or transplants	September (seeds) \| October (transplants) through February	Give new seedlings a little afternoon shade while it is still warm
Kale and collards	Transplants	September 15 to November 30 and again January 15 to February 28	Tough, productive, and sweeter after a cool night
Broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower	Transplants	Mid-September (mid-August for cabbage and cauliflower) through mid-February	Watch for cabbage loopers and cover with a light row cloth
Carrots, radishes and beets	Seed, sown directly (never transplant)	October through March (ideal time is early fall for carrots)	Radishes are the fastest win, ready in about a month
Spinach	Seed	September through February	Prefers cool soil, so wait for the heat to break
Cilantro and parsley	Seed or transplants	September through February	Cilantro bolts in summer heat and thrives now (try slow-bolt varieties)
Dill, chives, thyme and oregano	Seed or transplants	October and November	Easy to tuck into containers near the kitchen door
Pansies, violas and snapdragons	Transplants	October through December	Color that lasts all winter here
Calendula and sweet alyssum	Seed or transplants	October and November	Friendly to pollinators and easy to grow

Herbs that love the cooler months

Fall is when my herb garden really comes back to life. Cilantro is the star, and if you have struggled to keep it from going to seed, this is your season. My guide to growing cilantro walks through it step by step. Thyme and rosemary settle in happily too, and if you are short on space, my list of the best herbs for container gardening is a good place to start.

Flowers for color and pollinators

I like to tuck a few flowers in among the vegetables. Pansies and violas bring color through the winter, and if you grow them without pesticides, the blooms are pretty on a salad or a cocktail. Calendula and sweet alyssum keep the bees and other pollinators fed. For more ideas, see my post on edible flowers to plant.

Black Ray petunia with near-black blooms at a North Florida garden center

Colorful zinnias blooming along a white picket fence in a fall garden

Keeping things thriving through fall

Water deeply, and in the morning. Fall can be surprisingly dry here, and new seedlings need steady moisture to get established.
Check the undersides of the leaves. Aphids and cabbage loopers love broccoli, kale and cabbage. A quick weekly check keeps small problems small.
Keep a frost cloth handy. Most of what you plant now is hardy, but tender container plants will want cover or a spot indoors on the coldest nights.
Avoid the usual slip-ups. My post on 10 mistakes that might be killing your herb garden still applies in fall.

A simple way to start

If you are new to gardening, or new to fall planting, start small. One raised bed, or a few big pots, is plenty. I am a big fan of the raised beds from Vego Garden, and they make it easy to get a fall garden going quickly. If you are still building your foundation, my guide to starting a kitchen garden covers the basics.

Whatever you plant, I hope this season brings you a little more time outside and a lot more fresh flavor in your kitchen.

Shop the fall garden

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These are the places I shop for garden gear, from raised beds to tools and supplies.