Extending the Harvest Season with Fall Production
Robert Hadad, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Cornell Vegetable Program

Sow extra because you never know if the fall will be a mild one or not. A few extra warm weeks in October, November and even December can mean crops have more time to mature, can go later into storage, or can be protected longer under cover.
Several of the seed companies have segments in their catalogs or even separate catalogs to order late season and over wintering crop varieties. Read their descriptions carefully. Go heavy with tried and true types and experiment with a few new ones to see how they work. Some catalogs are from areas of the country where winters are milder so take their descriptions and planting dates with a grain of salt. We need to have things going at a tough time between hot Augusts and Septembers to cold cloudy wet spells in October. With diminishing sunlight, every cloudy day is like losing several sunny days making reaching maturity that much harder.
Set up plantings into beds and after last cultivation, put up low tunnel or Quick tunnel hoops. This will save time later if an early frost is forecasted and you have to cover things in a hurry. If you are using row cover, you probably still have it laying in the aisles next your early planted beds. Pull it out of there, dry it off, roll it up, and put it where you can get to it next fall. Put your sand bags set aside near the beds covered to protect them from the sun. Fill more to replace any old torn ones.
For kale, Swiss chard, cutting celery, and parsley, it might be a good strategy to get these crops started early, like now, so that you have large ready-to-pick plants going into the fall. Growth often slows down on later season plantings especially when the weather is cloudy. These are big plants that can take up room and if they are not ready to produce, they are costing you money.
A planting schedule chart arranged by crop is provided below. It includes days to maturity, harvest date range, seeding date, transplant date, key notes, and over-wintering information.
For more information or if you have any questions, please contact Robert Hadad, Cornell Vegetable Regional Specialist.
Planting Schedule Chart for Fall Production (pdf; 243KB)


Upcoming Events
Chautauqua Winter Vegetable Meeting

February 10, 2023
Clymer, NY
Meeting will feature growers from Ohio sharing their production know-how and thoughts on food safety. Other topics include weed control, pesticide safety, and the impact of poor crop nutrition. 0.75 DEC credits in 1a, 23 plus 0.5 in CORE, which is good for all categories. Trade show booths available.
Meeting cost is $20/person, includes snacks and educational materials. Registration required by 4 pm on Friday, February 3.
Orleans Regional Vegetable Meeting

February 15, 2023
Albion, NY
Offering presentations in pesticide safety, tips for managing diseases in vegetable crops, how to attract beneficial insects to your field, herbicide options for cole crops, and strawberry disease information. Meeting cost is $10 per person, payable at the door via cash or check. Pre-registration requested by 5:00 pm on Monday, February 13.
DEC credits available: 2.25 in 1a and 10; 2.0 in 23; 1.5 in 22; and 0.5 in CORE (used in all categories)!!
NYS Processing Vegetable Industry Roundtable Meeting

March 15, 2023 : Morning Session: Snap Beans, Sweet Corn, and Peas
Batavia, NY
Processing vegetable industry members who grow, manage, or support snap bean, sweet corn, or pea production for Nortera and/or Seneca Foods, should attend this session of the roundtable meeting. You will:
- Network at this in-person meeting.
- Learn the results of industry-funded research.
- Have a voice in Cornell research and extension.
- Earn 2.0 DEC credits in categories 1a, 10, 23 and CCA recertification credits.
This FREE event is followed by lunch! Pre-registration requested.
March 15, 2023 : Lunch Break and Networking
Lunch is FREE to anyone attending either the Morning Session or the Afternoon Session of the NYS Processing Vegetable Industry Roundtable Meeting. Registration is required.

March 15, 2023 : Afternoon Session: Beets and Carrots
Batavia, NY
Processing vegetable industry members who grow, manage, or support beet or carrot production for Nortera, Seneca Foods and/or Love Beets, should attend this session of the roundtable meeting. You will:
- Network at this in-person meeting.
- Learn the results of industry-funded research.
- Have a voice in Cornell research and extension.
- Earn 2.0 DEC credits in categories 1a, 10, 23 and CCA recertification credits.
Lunch is provided before this session. It's FREE! Pre-registration requested.