🍂 My Fall Garden Plan: What I’m Growing, How I’m Growing It, + Where It’s All Going 👀

Let’s Get Into This Garden Plan

Fall is coming on September 22nd!

I’m sharing my EXACT container garden plan for the season:

⚫ What I’m planting
⚫ Where it’s going
⚫ How I’m keeping it low-effort using stocks tanks + 20-gallon pots.

If you’re planning a Fall garden—or thinking about it—this post is for you.

First off, my husband and I are SO hype.

To be honest, I’ve been excited about fall gardening since June.

Because last year’s fall and winter garden?

It was a top-tier experience! ☝🏽✨

So, let’s get right into it.

Here’s what I want to plant. 👩🏽‍🌾🌱

🤭 I’m sure this list will grow.

CROP	SOW DATES	DAYS TO MATURITY	NOTES
Broccoli	7/29 – 8/5	60 days	Frost tolerant 🧊💨🥦
Carrots	8/12 – 8/19	70 days	Frost tolerant 🧊💨🥕
Beans	8/12 – 8/26	55 days	Tender + not frost-friendly 🚫🥶
Kale	8/19 – 9/2	60 days	Frost hardy 🥶
Lettuce	9/2-9/16	60 days	Frost tolerant🧊💨🥬
Peas	8/19 – 9/2	55 days	Tender + not Frost-friendly 🚫🥶
Spinach	9/9 – 9/30	30 days	Frost hardy 🥶

I’ll start my seeds indoors and write down the date I sow my seeds.

That quick scribble goes a long way—helping me keep up with when things are ready to harvest.

Here’s What Cold Weather Means for My Garden ❄️

My first fall frost isn’t expected until October 2025 — YAY. 🙌🏽

And that’s great news.

Because it gives most of my veggies time to mature before the cold really hits.

But you know what’s better than that?

Some of them can keep growing the entire winter.

I grew Dinosaur Kale all winter last year—even in the ice and snow!

Still, it’s good to know what frost does to different plants.

So, here’s my reminder:

🌱 Tender – will die when it gets cold.
🧊 Frost Tolerant – can handle light frosts.
🥶 Frost Hardy – survives extended cold weather.

I used a website to check frost dates + get a planting calendar with my zip code.

The Plan (Kinda)

Not gonna lie…I’m still figuring my fall garden out.

My summer garden is still growing strong.

I thought about growing cover crops (I haven’t tried this yet).

But this year, I’ve already started SO many new projects.

And new projects = more energy.

So that means I need to chill. 😅

This is why I’m focusing on what’s easy:

My steel stock tanks and 20-gallon containers.

Because I’m not about to push myself to keep up with something I’ll probably wanna ignore later.

That said…here’s what I’m working with:

⚫ A sunny plot that gets sun all day.
⚫ 3 stock tanks that are deep + wide.
⚫ 5 large nursery pots (See them here).

Next, I need to map out a layout.

Something that gives me enough:

✅️ Room to move without tripping over stuff.

✅️ Easy access to water.

@lolacabaya 🌱 Growing Pole Beans in a Small Pot! 🤤 These are the prettiest veggies I’ve grown. ✨✨✨ I grew Trionfo Violetto and Blue Lake FM-1K Pole Beans in a 12-inch pot 🤯 AND they’re thriving! 🙌🏽 Bamboo sticks help them climb. 🌿 Turns out, beans can grow in 8-10 inch pots (at minimum). I thought their roots were deeper! But I guess not. 😆 #thesmokingprophet #hardlyfarmers #thingsiwishiknewyesterday #startingagarden #ContainerGardening #PoleBeans #GrowingVeggies #SmallSpaceGardening #UrbanGardening #BotanicalInterests #FallGardening #PlantLover ♬ original sound – Lola Cabaya

🖍️ Visual Layout

Here’s a sketch of how I might lay it out.

The sketch is mostly for me and my husband.

But if it helps you too — cool.

Where Everything Might Go

I’m not promising this is final, but here’s my working layout:

⚫ STOCK TANK 1 (24”W, 48”L, 24”H )

→ Kale + Bush Beans
I’ll add some simple flowers (like pansies) around the edges.

⚫ STOCK TANK 2 (24”W, 36”L, 24”H )

→ Lettuce + Kale
Our family really loves Dinosaur Kale.

⚫ STOCK TANK 3 (24”W, 48”L, 12”H)

→ Spinach + Pole Beans
Cold weather is perfect for spinach and beans soups.

⚫ CONTAINERS (C1–C5)

A mix of broccoli, carrots, lettuce, and herbs — all within arm’s reach.

If your plants are struggling in containers, root depth might be the reason.
I’ve got a quick guide in this blog:

Where Should You Plant Your Garden? Here’s the Easiest Answer!

Doing the Most… and Still Feeling Behind?

Remember when I said I started a lot this year?

Well, I wasn’t exaggerating.

I’ve been in my building era.

I overhauled our veggie garden: new soil, pine bark fines to improve drainage, pathways, weed barrier, pine bark mulch — the works.

I even built two more garden beds. Plus, several no-dig beds for a few camellias, arborvitae, and viburnums.

I made a terrace with pavers and stone.

And don’t get me started on what we’re planting this fall.

Wanna see the list?
It’s so long.

The biggest thing we did at home?

I got six chicks. Then three more.

It’s our first time raising chickens.

Honest review? 10/10 I recommend (after you research things and make sure it could work for your life).

I never imagined raising chickens was something I could love so much.

But it’s also a lot of work.

And I’m still figuring out how to make it work for our family.

Some days?
It feels like I’m winging it (pun intended 🐣).

The life we’re building is rewarding — but it’s draining too.

And that’s the thing no one really tells you:

This work can be fruitful and frustrating, exciting and exhausting, meaningful and mundane — all at the same time.

My point is:

My husband and I have done a lot.
And that’s easy to forget…when you’re building.

So, here are some gentle reminders for myself — and maybe for you, too.

Gentle Reminders (For Myself)

• Girl, start the seeds. Even if you don’t feel like it.
• Label your seeds and mark the date.
• Make things easy for future you to keep up with.
• Fall gardens are fun — forget perfect.
• Rest is a garden chore too.

Final Thoughts

Welp. That’s the plan… for now.

This is where I’m starting, and (for me) starting is enough.

Thanks for hanging out while I figured this out in real time. 💭

My prayer?
That everything grows better than I hoped or expected —and that even the mistakes make my garden feel magical. 🌱✨

But on the slim chance something doesn’t work out,
I pray God gives me grace to adapt.

Because for me, gardening is more than pretty flowers or food.

It’s literally plotting peace, planting joy and growing beyond what I see.

I’ll share more updates as they come.

For now, you can find my gardening shenanigans (and see my flock 🐔) over on Threads, YouTube, and Facebook.

Fall Garden, Round 2 — here we go. 🍂🌿

If you’re planting too — tell me what’s going in your fall garden! ♡♡♡