I've tried fall veggies from time to time, and had the best results when I started right now - early Aug. As the days shorten, the plants grow more slowly and don't yield in the number of days on the package, but later.

You will have to protect anything you plant becuase the insects are full grown and the sprout are not - one chomp and it's over!

However, if you make it past the tender stage, and the plants get full sun, fall veggies can be very yummy.

Garlic - about 2 months before the first freeze. Then mulch well and mark the spot because sometimes the top disappears during the winter.

Good luck!

It's a little late now, but I started lettuce around Aug. 10 in flats. Transplanted into beds in late august, and am expecting full sized lettuce in two weeks (mid october). I plant garlic around columbus day( mid october) spaced 6 inches apart in each direction in 5x20 ft (100 sq. ft.) beds. Had excellent yield this year. probably 140 lbs. out of 2 beds. Will be planting more in a few weeks, around 70 lbs.
My spinach is almost ready. I direct seeded around august 20. To my surprise, spinach was able to germinate in the heat(upper 80s, lower 90's). Afternoon shade may have helped. Expect good sized plants in 1 to 2 weeks. hard to gauge, everything grows so slow this late in the season due to shorter daylength and lower sun angle.
I also planted some snow peas mid august, some plants are around 2 ft. high, I've only seen one flower, don't think I'll get anything out of these unless it stays warm through October, If not, there will be no pollinators to make the peas.

Thanks for the info! I decided not to put in any fall veggies. My bean plants rebounded and have been putting out tons of beans (still). In fact, I almost wish they were done! But it has slowed down.

I'd like to plant garlic. Do you guys just plant what is in the grocery store? When I planted it in the fall before, I bought it from the nursery. Haven't seen any in the nurseries around here.

Thanks again!

Yeah, It's been a rough year for beans. One good early crop, poor production most of the summer, but better since early-mid september. Most growers I've spoken with agree.
Don't know where you are, but try to buy organic garlic(may be hard to find in some parts of Iowa). Conventional garlic(common grocery store varieties) is likely treated with an anti-sprouting chemical and won't work for you. I bought my garlic from seeds of change (seedsofchange.com). Kinda expensive at first, but good investment since you save some each year for planting for the next season. You could check out the Garlic Seed foundation online. Or check out a local farmers market for bulbs of garlic that you can break up and plant.
I planted around 40 lbs. last year. Sold a bunch this year and still have 70-80 lbs. to plant this year. When you save your own garlic, the quality/yield should improve over time, as each generation becomes more acclimatized.
Good luck , will be planting garlic in 2 weeks, even though it was ~90 degrees today.

Thanks again for the info - that's exactly what I thought about the store-bought garlic. I'll check out the organic section at Hy-vee (I'm in CR) and if can't find any there I'm sure the food co-op store in Iowa City probably has some.