Our Top 10 Fall Garden Flowers, Crops and Herbs to Plant in September

September marks the sweet spot in the gardening calendar—a time when the summer heat begins to mellow, and the crisp promise of fall lingers in the air. For green thumbs, it’s an exciting opportunity to refresh garden beds and plant crops, flowers, and herbs that thrive in the cooler months. Whether you’re looking to add pops of seasonal color or grow hearty vegetables and aromatic herbs, we’ve rounded up our top 10 favorite picks to plant in September.

Let’s dive in to the Top 10 Fall Garden Plants and get our hands dirty!

1. Blueberries (zones 3-10): It may surprise you that this delicious spring through summer treat makes the list for fall planting! Blueberry bushes go dormant in the fall to prepare for the winter season, so planting them out in the fall gives them the benefit of extra time for their roots to develop before all of their energy is focused on foliage and fruit. This will give you a healthier, stronger plant come spring!

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2. Broccoli (zones 5-9): Planting broccoli in the fall is a great way to get around the common pest problems that brassicas face during the spring and summer. Depending on your growing season you have the opportunity to harvest delicious spears well into November!

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3. Zinnias (zones 2-11): Fall growing conditions are perfect to add a pop of zinnias to your garden. These beautiful flowers are extremely low maintenance, favor the dryer weather that fall often brings, and as an added bonus you don’t need to winterize them. As annuals, you can simply save the seeds from open-pollinated varieties and replant come spring.

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4. Garlic (zones 3-10): Garlic is an excellent allium to be planted in fall to yield a larger and earlier harvest come spring. A good rule of thumb is to not plant until the autumnal equinox in late September.

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5. Lettuce (zones 3-10): I love to get lettuce going year-round. It’s healthy, fast growing, refreshing, and simple. Because I live in a hotter climate, my spring harvest tends to putter out faster than I like, but fall is time to shine for my greens! Lettuce loves the cooler weather, and because it grows so quickly (30 or less days to harvest!) you can have multiple sowings before the frost hits, making the most of your fall garden beds. Another bonus to plant in the fall is the absence of some of the more devastating pests that are prevalent in spring.

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6. Radishes (zones 3-10): Radishes are quick and easy to grow, with harvests ready in 30-45 days. Some varieties such as the Daikon that can grow between 12-20 inches long and 2-4 inches in diameter are an excellent growing choice for those looking for a way to break up clay or otherwise compacted soil. Excess can also be left in the ground over winter if you choose as a cover crop, allowing them to break down and nourish the soil for spring.

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7. Zucchini (zones 4-11): These fast growing, fast producing members of the squash family are must-have addition to your fall garden. These and other squash varieties such as butternut, spaghetti, and pumpkin varieties favor the cooler weather shift and will spread out and begin to give fruit in plenty of time before the frosts. Fall planting adds the extra benefit of having pests such as squash beetles and vine borers out of the picture as they tend to disappear mid August. Powdery mildew may try to pop up with the change of weather, but fortunately it’s an easy fix! Check out tips here to get rid powdery mildew on your squash plants quickly and naturally.

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8. Carrots (zones 5-11): Carrots are delicious, nutritious, and versatile when it comes to cooking. Delaying planting, or succession planting into fall allows for a longer harvest as well as avoids pests such as carrot flies which are active through the summer months.

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9. Basil (zones 4-11): Basil is a timeless favorite well suited to add zest to any garden space. It prefers temperatures 50 degrees F and above, but because it is fast growing, it can easily be planted out through the fall. Cuttings may also easily be taken from your plant to be grown on in a sunny windowsill or under grow lights, giving you fresh herbs to use throughout the winter months, and then planted back out in spring.

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10. Sage (zones 2-11): Fragrant autumnal sage plays a critical role in supporting local ecosystems, attracting pollinators like bees and butterflies, which are still extremely active during fall. Providing sustenance and shelter for our pollinators and small birds in the months where many plants and gardens begin to die back is extremely beneficial not only to the animals themselves, but to your garden as well. These creatures will learn to recognize your garden as a fall haven and will return season after season.

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We’d love to hear your favorite fall garden flowers and herbs!

Let us know in the comments, and as always –

Happy Growing!