Fast-growing vegetables are a friend during transitional seasons. As we round the corner from late summer into early fall, some of us carry lingering warm days while others already experience chilly conditions. Fortunately, quick crops are ready to step in to bridge the gap between summer and fall with adaptability in fluctuating conditions. They offer nutritious yields to harvest before heavy frost.

To grow vegetables before frost, we rely heavily on leafy greens and selections we can pick early and young. Cool-season crops that are best small and tender make excellent options to sow now for healthy returns before freezing conditions. They’re also frost-tolerant, withstanding light frosts and cool weather dips. 

In a pinch for time before frosty weather? Microgreens make a nutrient-packed, crisp salad addition or topping. Harvest any of the crops on our quick list as microgreens (sprouted seeds) after just a few days. Or, grow greens on the kitchen counter for a continual harvest within reach throughout the season.

Gauge the Timing

Frost dates guide planting to avoid ruined crops.

To make sure there’s ample time to enjoy what we sow now, check the days to maturity of your vegetables in coordination with your area’s first anticipated frost date. This ensures you will be able to grow those vegetables successfully before frost.

The first frost date is an estimate based on climate data that provides a scope of when heavy frost is likely. It doesn’t account for microclimate or specific site conditions, but it is a useful benchmark in determining what to sow now.

The “days to maturity” indicates the length of time it takes the crop to produce in optimal conditions. The seed packet or varietal information lists the number of days to production. Use this length of time in coordination with the first frost date to gauge the harvest timing.

Add in several days as a buffer for variables like local seasonal conditions that may impact development. In cold climates with short growing seasons and early frosts, consider crop covers or a cold frame to extend the season, whether in the ground or raised beds.

Spinach

Sow thickly in spring for lush, leafy harvests.

Spinach is a staple of the cool-season vegetable garden and brings nutrient and protein-rich greens. Sow multiple rounds in spring and fall to grow these vegetables before frost, stopping about four weeks before the first anticipated frost. The historical hearty green may overwinter in sub-zero temperatures with mulch for insulation.

Spinach is fast-growing, tender, and matures at two to four inches tall in about 20-25 days. Place seeds close together in containers or beds for a high yield.

‘Matador’ is a top choice as a fast-growing vegetable for a fall sowing. Harvest the productive crop young or mature for smooth, sweet leaves, fresh or cooked. ‘Oceanside’ has small, uniform leaves with good flavor and a high nutrient profile. The reliable variety is downy mildew resistant. ‘Bloomsdale’ is a dependable heirloom from the early 1800s with thick, crinkled leaves. It’s slow to bolt in lingering warm temperatures, leading into cool weather.

Broccolini

Nutritious florets cluster tightly on compact, handsome plants.

Quick-maturing varieties of broccoli, broccolini, and broccoli raab bring a fast turnaround in late summer and fall before heavy frost. Allow at least 50 days to grow these vegetables before frost, depending on the selection. Seeds germinate during the warm days of early fall and take off as temperatures cool. A light frost makes them taste even sweeter.

‘Di Cicco’ is a 1890 Italian broccoli heirloom that produces blue-green florets on small to medium heads. It’s ready to harvest in about 48 days. Broccoli raab, or ‘Rapini,’ has stems and small crowns that are tender, mild, and slightly peppery. Ready in 45 days, both the leaves and florets are rich, nutritious, and tasty.

If you have a bit longer before freezing conditions, broccolini is ready in just 60 days, and is a delicacy in both its small florets and long, slender spears. Chinese broccoli ‘Kailann’ produces small florets and leafy greens with a rich broccoli flavor. The thin stalks and florets are ready in 60 to 70 days. 

Radish

Late-season sowings still reward with tender, colorful bites.

Fast-growing radishes are the perfect vegetables to grow before frost. ‘Cherry Belle’ in bright red is an All-America Selections winner and heirloom from Holland. The classic has crisp white flesh and an exceptional crunch factor. As salad radishes, they’re a chef and gardener’s favorite.

Pluck ‘Cherry Belle’ when the rounds reach one inch in diameter after about 24 days. Sow them several weeks before the anticipated first frost for a final round. ‘Easter Egg Blend’ delights in red, white, pink, and purple. It brings colorful little rounds in under one month. 

Radishes relish cool weather and are frost-tolerant. If you have eight to ten weeks before fall’s average first frost, try ‘Mantanghong’ watermelon radish seeds. The larger (three-inch) mild rounds have pretty flesh that resembles the favorite summer melons. Mild climates can continue sowing until soil temperatures drop below 40°F (4°C).

Lettuce

Succession sowing ensures a steady bowl of leafy goodness.

Lettuce is one of the fastest growing vegetables to sow in fall, relishing the cool weather. Leaves are ready at multiple stages of development, harvestable loose or from the outside of heads as the interior continues to grow.

A mesclun blend is an easy way to grow complementary lettuces with diverse flavors and textures. Mesclun blends offer a combination of young lettuces, including ‘Black Seeded Simpson,’ ‘Buttercrunch,’ and ‘Red Oak Leaf,’ among others. They spring up quickly for a blend of soft and curled textures with buttery and crisp flavors. 

Harvest new leaves at four to six inches tall for tender, flavorful qualities. To grow these vegetables before frost, sow multiple rounds of seeds for a continual supply. Provide regular moisture, well-draining soil, and protection from hot afternoon sun. Grow them in containers with herbs and edible blooms like pansies and calendula for a showy seasonal display.

Bok Choy

Early harvests bring sweet, delicate heads to the table.

Bok choy, or pak choi, is a mild, sweet, tender Asian cabbage with crisp white stems to enjoy fresh or cooked. The quick-developing, nutrient-rich green is ideal for an early fall sowing to harvest as a baby green or mature heads. Add them to salads, wraps, stir-fries, and stews. Or, roast them for caramelized goodness.

Dwarf cultivars bring the swiftest harvest with good heat and frost-tolerance. ‘Toy Choy’ is a miniature variety that grows five inches tall and is ready for picking in just 30 days. ‘Choko’ matures in 35 to 60 days. It reaches 20 inches tall at full size, but is delicious early as young, tender greens.

Salad Turnips

Cool autumn soil swells roots into tender little globes.

Turnips are historic root vegetables that make hearty stand-ins for potatoes. Salad turnips, a chef’s favorite, bring a sweet delicacy to the group, perfect for enjoying raw or sauteed.

‘White Lady’ turnips are Japanese baby salad turnips with smooth white skins. Pick them early for two-inch roots that are ready in 30 to 40 days. The adaptable roots grow well in the ground, containers, and raised beds, and make good companions to beets. 

Vitamin-packed turnip greens are edible, too. Harvest up to one-third while the vegetables continue to develop underground. At harvest, clip the leaves to gain all their nutritive value while preserving the roots. In mild climates, plant turnips in fall as the weather cools.

Swiss Chard

Jewel-toned stems pop beautifully against rich green leaves.

Like lettuce, Swiss chard is an ornamental leafy green that shines in combination plantings and annual displays. It brightens cool-season pots and containers and bridges the edible and ornamental garden. Varieties with bright stems and lush, tender foliage offer vibrant color and a mild flavor.

Sow seeds frequently to grow these vegetables before frost for a continual supply. Varieties like ‘Bright Lights,’ ‘Ruby Red,’ and ‘Peppermint’ feature brightly colored stems against deep green or purple leaves.  

‘Celebration’ brings bold, multicolored stems and fresh, green foliage. Pair Swiss chard with violas, calendula, nasturtium, and snapdragons for an edible arrangement. 

Baby Beets

Small red globes brighten dishes with natural color.

To plant beets for a fall harvest, aim for six to eight weeks before the first frost. The ideal soil temperature for germination and growth is between 60°F and 85°F.

Baby beets are ready early and are versatile in containers and raised beds. ‘Robin’ produces small, deep red, two-inch globes, beginning at 45 days. ‘Early Wonder’ is a 1911 heirloom and stands out for its abundant leafy tops, which many gardeners deem to have the best flavor. An early producer. ‘Early Wonder’ yields one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half-inch globes in about 40 days. The roots are smooth, shiny, and plum red.

Like turnips, beets pack the nutrition, including in their leafy tops. They’re rich in vitamins A and C and iron, potassium, folic acid, and antioxidants. Grow these vegetables before frost (six to eight weeks before) for autumn picking. They grow throughout the winter in mild climates.

Kale

Cold-hardy kale thrives even as temperatures drop.

Kale is the quintessential nutritious, rich, leafy green of autumn. Not only delicious and versatile in cuisine, kale is textural and colorful in a pot or the border. Leaves may be curly, feathery, or leathery, in deep green, purple, or red. Like other greens, picking early yields fast rewards of tender leaves. The flavor sweetens after frost as starches convert to sugars.

‘Dwarf Blue Curled’ is an 1800s heirloom with early readiness and exceptional cold hardiness. Ruffly leaves mature in 21 to 55 days. ‘Red Russian’ has mint-green leaves that contrast with reddish-purple stems and midribs. The 1885 heirloom is cold-hardy and quick to mature, with young leaves in just over 20 days and full plants in less than two months from seed.

Tatsoi

Dense rosettes pack nutrition into every tender leaf.

Tatsoi is an ancient Asian green that forms a flat rosette of spoon-shaped leaves. Soft, full, and smooth, they boast exceptional flavor and are eye-catching in pots or along a bed edge.

Tatsoi is more cold-tolerant than its bok choy relative, hardy to 15°F (-9°C). It also contains higher calcium and vitamin levels. Some find it has a superior flavor, with more mustard notes for richness.

Rosette tatsoi is a fast-growing vegetable that develops fully in about 45 days from sowing. Pretty in frosty containers, the rosettes expand with ample space between plantings.

Mizuna Mustard

Upright plants hold hundreds of finely dissected leaves.

We round out our list with a highly ornamental and flavorful Japanese mustard. Mizuna has dissected leaves for a fine texture to feature among blooming annuals. Individual plants may hold 200 of the upright, feathery leaves.

Baby leaves, ready to pick a few weeks after seeding, have the best mildly spicy flavor. Mizuna mustard tolerates the fluctuating heat and frost of the season without being quick to bolt.