I'm in SE Wisconsin, and I usually start my fall crops around the 1st week in August. I grow sugar snap peas, carrots, kholrabi, turnips, green onions (parade type) and radishes. The radishes need to wait until September, as they are fast growing and it's too hot in August. Basically, you want to try and time your fall crops to mature when the temps cool in late September/Early October. I planted a huge patch of carrots, and left them in the ground through winter. I just went in the garden throughout winter and pried carrots out of the frozen ground as needed. As for beans, I assume you mean green beans, and those are a summer crop, so no go there. I don't grow any other cool weather crops then I mentioned, but like I said, try to time them to mature during the "ideal" temperature range. Be warned though, that Mother Nature doesn't always cooperate, and if it's still hot through September and into October, your crops will suffer, or you'll suffer eating them. I can recall 80's in October ruining my root crops by either cracking, or tasting woody. Also, peas grow great in warm weather, but will just keep dropping their flowers, thus providing no peas. The flowers/pea pods will also suffer with frost, although the plant handles it fine. It's a gamble every year, that can disappoint you, reward you, or a little bit of both. Joe

Are You ready for fall crop now? I started this thread around mid July, a bit too early but now is a good time, I believe, to get it in full swing. I have some chards, chinese cabbage, kohlrabi in flats, kept in partial sun(getting a bit leggy). My garlics, mustard greens and aurugula are up and going. I will plant some more. I just sowed some onions, chives, fenugreek, lettuce, cilantro and parsley. Today I am going to transplant the chinese cabbage, chards and kohlrabies in the garden. I will also sow chinese radishes (big ones) soon. My tomatoes are still going well but cukes are gone. I have few new cukes and tomatoes(from cuttings) for late summer/fall. Last year my late summer cukes produced till first frost. So did the tomatoes. Chines radishes lasted all winter and I had garlic greens all winter as well. But broccolies performance was dismal and gave up on them. Our 15 day weather forcast indicates that day highs are going down to low 80s and high 70s in a week or so, Alreadt the day highs have dropped fro high 90s to high 80s (a 10 deg. drop. So what are you planting or planning to plant? Cyrus

What, no Cali gardeners out there? ;-) Beans, maybe, if you plant a short DTM bush variety... but no guarantees. Peas, certainly. When I gardened near Palo Alto, I planted my Fall crop of peas in August. I grew snow peas (can't remember the variety) and "Green Arrow" shelling peas. I was going to suggest that you try this question in the California Gardening forum... but when I checked it out, there wasn't much discussion of vegetables there.

Lots of things, but I need to plant most seeds in August or early Sept. to grow into the fall. I have a lettuce mix and mache planted late Aug., spinach planted around the same time. I planted some bush beans beginning of August, they are blossoming now and I hope we get a harvest before 1st frost. I planted carrots end of July and they are ready now, but I will leave them in the ground til frost and pick as needed before the ground freezes.