This summer has been great for growing your own vegetables. The hot weather mixed with adequate rain was near perfect in some areas. There were some times we had to water, but it wasn’t all summer. That’s a relief!

Now as you pull your spent summer plants from the garden, August and September are the perfect time to plant the seeds or plants for your fall garden.

Yes — you can still plant!

Turn up the soil, apply a vegetable garden fertilizer and turn it under. You want the fertilizer to be down where the roots grow.

Rake the soil and set your rows for planting seeds. Most fall planting seeds are very tiny, so it helps to have a string or a hoed row. You might find it easier to sort seeds inside so you do not lose any while planting. Follow the directions on your seed packet for proper spacing and germination time.

Here are some great fall vegetables, including the number of days it takes from plants or / seed planting till maturity:

Bush beans, 65 to 75 days; carrots, 70 to 80 days; collards, 55 to 60 days; radishes, 25 to 30 days; spinach, 40 to 45 days; broccoli, 60 to 80 days; cauliflower, 60 to 80 days; and Brussels sprouts, 60 days.

You will need to plant the actual plants, not seeds for fall planting. These fall plantings will need six to eight hours of sunlight, water, fertilizing and weeding, the same as summer vegetables do. All these vegetables are sown directly outside in the garden. There is no need for heat mats or hardening off because the soil is already warm and easy for the seeds to germinate. This is the time of year we have the warmest soil.

In the fall crops like lettuce, spinach, kale and collards don’t regrow once you cut them. In the summer, these vegetables will regrow a few times before they die out.

The frost date in this area is around Oct. 15. Seeds such as carrots, kale, peas and Swiss chard can be planted every two weeks up to the end of September. This is because of their short germination and maturity time. Beets, carrots, Swiss chard lettuce and potatoes can tolerate a light frost. Crops such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, collards, kale, onions, radishes, turnip greens and spinach can tolerate a light frost as well.

After a light frost, cover your crops with straw to help protect them. The root vegetables — carrots, radishes and beets — can be left in the soil till the ground freezes. With mother nature’s help, we can have fresh Brussels sprouts and carrots for your Thanksgiving dinner.

For details on growing fall veggies, go to http://go.osu.edu/fallveggies.

Delisio is an Ohio State University Mahoning County Extension Master Gardener volunteer.