Autumn beds, spring harvest

Fall Planting Plan for 4–6 Beds

A practical, soil-friendly plan for 4–6 beds that keeps your ground busy over winter and rewards you early in spring. We cover timing, frost windows, spacing, a gentle feeding strategy and a week-by-week checklist for garlic, onion sets, spinach, kale and carrots.

Timing Bed layouts Feeding Week plan FAQ

Timing: plant before hard frost, but after peak heat

Fall planting is about striking a balance: give roots time to establish, but avoid a growth burst you can’t protect. As a rule of thumb, leafy greens go 2–4 weeks before average first frost; garlic and onion sets a little earlier while soil still works easily. Carrots tolerate chill if the seedbed stays evenly moist.

Typical windows

• Garlic: −2…−4 weeks before first frost
• Onion sets: −2…−3 weeks before first frost
• Spinach & kale: −1…−3 weeks before first frost
• Carrots: sow −3…−5 weeks and keep surface moist

Adjust by microclimate. Raised beds cool faster; heavy soils hold heat longer.

Visual timeline

Bed layouts for 4–6 beds (raised or in-ground)

Keep it simple and repeatable. One productive pattern for small farms and large gardens is 75–120 cm wide beds with clean edges and compact paths. That supports dense greens, tidy alliums and straight carrot rows.

Bed A — Garlic

Straight, evenly spaced lines reduce weeding time and make watering predictable.

Bed B — Onion sets

Straight, evenly spaced lines reduce weeding time and make watering predictable.

Bed C — Spinach

Straight, evenly spaced lines reduce weeding time and make watering predictable.

Bed D — Kale

Straight, evenly spaced lines reduce weeding time and make watering predictable.

Bed E — Carrots

Straight, evenly spaced lines reduce weeding time and make watering predictable.

Bed F — Flex (greens/cover)

Straight, evenly spaced lines reduce weeding time and make watering predictable.

Spacing & sowing notes

Garlic: 15–20 cm in row, 25–30 cm between rows; plant cloves 5–7 cm deep, tip up.
Onion sets: 10–12 cm; thin for bulb size; ensure firm seedbed for good rooting.
Spinach & kale: broadcast in dense rows for cut-and-come-again, thin gradually.
Carrots: shallow, even sowing; keep the top 1–2 cm uniformly moist for 10–14 days.

Gentle nutrition

Feeding without burn

Use mild organic blends before sowing to build a buffer of slow-release nutrients. In short, cool days avoid heavy nitrogen spikes. For pots or new plantings, apply diluted, water-soluble feeds and always water first.

Safety rules (avoid burns)

Dissolve water-soluble fertilizers fully and apply to moist soil.
Start light: split doses; watch foliage color and growth rate.
Never exceed label rates; rinse leaves if contact occurs and label advises.
Run a yearly soil test to calibrate rates and pH (lime/sulfur) decisions.

Watering & mulch

The top centimeter of soil dries quickly in fall winds. Carrot and spinach germination hinges on an even, damp surface — use gentle daily sprinkles or a breathable row cover that slows evaporation. After garlic and onion sets root, add 3–5 cm of mulch to ride out temperature swings and reduce winter heave.

Week-by-week schedule (relative to first frost)

−5…−4 weeks
Prepare beds; incorporate a light organic blend; sow carrots; pre-soak dry soil.
−4…−3 weeks
Plant garlic and onion sets in firm, moist soil; label rows; set up irrigation pattern.
−3…−2 weeks
Sow spinach and kale; keep surface evenly moist; thin early if overcrowded.
−2…−1 weeks
Check emergence; spot water; add light mulch to alliums once rooted.
0…+1 week (frost arrives)
Have row cover ready for young greens; avoid heavy feeding; tidy labels and paths.

Related products

Garlic seed

Hardneck varieties for cold-hardy fall planting; big cloves, robust flavor.

Onion sets

Reliable fall rooting for early spring bulbing; tidy rows, easy weeding.

Spinach & kale seeds

Cold-tolerant greens for cut-and-come-again harvests through early spring.

Carrot seeds

Fine, uniform roots with sweet flavor — just keep the seedbed evenly moist.

FAQ

Do I need a soil test?

Yes — even a simple pH and NPK snapshot once per year removes guesswork and keeps you from over-feeding.

Should I cover beds?

Lightweight row cover improves germination, shields tender greens from early snaps and cuts wind-driven evaporation.

What about pests?

Cold slows most pests, but slugs stay active under mulch. Use simple traps, keep edges tidy and avoid over-watering.