Fall Gardening in North Texas Starts Now

Fall gardening in North Texas starts long before the weather cools down. Important fall crops need to be started while summer is still at its hottest. For example, broccoli, cauliflower, and other brassicas should be started indoors in mid-to-late July, while August is the ideal time to sow winter-hardy flowers like foxgloves and snapdragons. I’ll be planting pumpkin seeds for Halloween pumpkins this weekend.

If you’re hoping for your best fall vegetable garden yet, now is the time to prepare. On Saturday, July 18, I’ll be teaching Best Ever Fall Vegetable Garden live online. We’ll cover exactly what to plant, when to plant it, and the techniques that produce successful fall harvests in North Texas. The class is included with enrollment in The Dallas Garden School, and if you can’t attend live, you’ll receive the replay.

Two things to do before fall planting season arrives

1. Learn how to start your own transplants.

Our Indoor Seed-Starting class is the most popular class we offer, and for good reason. Once you know how to grow your own seedlings, you’ll have access to hundreds of varieties instead of just what’s available at the nursery. You can watch the complete course on demand right now inside The Dallas Garden School, and you’ll also have access to future live classes and ongoing support.

2. Order your seeds.

Much of the country is winding down its gardening season, so many seed companies are offering excellent sales this time of year. It’s the perfect opportunity for North Texas gardeners to stock up.

Below are some of my favorite fall-performing varieties and where to find them.

Expert-approved plant varieties for the North Texas fall growing season

Each year I grow thousands of plants to determine which varieties perform best in our harsh climate. I honed my plant-testing skills as an intern for the Dallas Arboretum Plant Trials program. Now (many years later) I put those skills to use for the benefit of my students.

The following are selected vegetable and flower varieties for fall that I have tested and loved:

Vegetables

Mini Broccoli: Happy Rich

Once I tested Happy Rich mini broccoli, I stopped growing regular broccoli all together. Mini broccoli (often referred to as “sprouting broccoli”) produces many small florets in comparison to standard broccoli, which forms a single head. This allows me to harvest broccoli over time, as needed. The stems are also more tender than regular broccoli. I highly recommend Happy Rich after multiple seasons of growing. Available from Johnny’s.

Chinese (Napa) Cabbage: Minuet

Did you know that Chinese Cabbage is one of the healthiest vegetables you can eat? Also known as Napa cabbage, it’s a more tender, delicate cabbage than the traditional green cabbage. ‘Minuet’ is surprisingly easy to grow, and has now replaced lettuce in my kitchen for making fresh salads. I also use it in place of traditional cabbage. Available from Johnny’s.

Pumpkins: Black Bear and Shiver

What could be more fun than growing black and white pumpkins for Halloween?? I fell in love with Black Bear pumpkins in 2024, and added white Shiver to my Halloween pumpkin mix in 2025. Both grew very well and produced beautiful pumpkins. These particular pumpkins are excellent choices for North Texas because they have semi-bush growth habits. This means they grow more like summer squash plants (upright, bushy) than long-vining pumpkins. This saves space in home gardens, and also makes them more tolerant of our heat. Available from Johnny’s.

From left to right: ‘Shiver’ pumpkins and ‘Black Bear’ pumpkins

Parsley: Giant of Italy

Giant of Italy is a must-have in my kitchen herb garden. With large, deep-green leaves and a good resistance to bolting, I grew it all winter long and into the summer months. Start indoors in July or August. Seeds available from Johnny’s Seeds.

Flowers

Marigolds: Durango Series or Favourite Blend

To add bright pops of color, I plant marigolds along the borders of my vegetable garden beds. My favorite varieties are Favourite Blend from Botanical Interests and the Durango Series from Johnny’s Seeds. Start marigold seeds indoors in late July or early August and transplant into the garden in mid-to-late September.

Sunflowers: ProCut White Lite and ProCut Plum

ProCut sunflowers produce a large bloom on a single stalk which is why they are a favorite of cut flower growers. There are many reasons that I love growing ProCuts, but I especially enjoy the wide range of color choices. My two favorite ProCut colors are White Lite and Plum. You can direct sow ProCut sunflowers now through August 15th for a fall bloom. ProCuts are available from SunflowerSelections.com (the original breeder) or Johnny’s Seeds.

Zinnias: Cactus Blend

To shake things up for fall, give cactus-flowered zinnias a try. These unique zinnias are some of my favorites to grow. (You won’t find these in nurseries.) Cactus-flowered zinnias are characterized by angular petals that look like colorful brushstrokes, and they create remarkably artistic bouquets. Blends (a mix of colors) of cactus-flowered zinnias are available from many different seed companies.

Amaranthus: Hot Biscuits

An ornamental version of the ancient grain, Amaranthus flowers are tolerant of heat and drought and make an excellent cut flower for growing in North Texas through summer and fall. For fall floral arrangements, I grow Amaranthus ‘Hot Biscuits’. With upright bloom stalks of a deep golden brown, they are perfect for Thanksgiving tablescapes. Seeds are available from Johnny’s Seeds.

Tips for fall seed-starting

For strong seed germination and healthy seedling growth during hot summer months, keep seed beds evenly moist. This may require watering the area twice a day or more until seeds germinate and seedlings become established.
Keep air temperature around your indoor seed-starting station below 75 degrees to prevent seedling stress. Never use a heat mat during summer months, and keep a fan on seedlings to reduce humidity around plants. Step-by-step seed station setup is available in the Indoor Seed-Starting course, included with enrollment in The Dallas Garden School.
Protect tender seedlings from intense sun with shade cloth during the first few weeks of growth after germination or after transplant. Look for 40-50% shade cloth, and support shade cloth with metal t-posts or hoops. Don’t allow cloth to touch plants. A distance of at least two feet over plants allows for sufficient light to reach them.

Ready for a better fall garden?

Choosing great varieties is only part of the equation. Success comes from knowing exactly when to sow, how to grow strong transplants during the heat of summer, and when to move them into the garden.

When you enroll in The Dallas Garden School, you’ll get immediate access to the complete Indoor Seed-Starting course, every live class, our growing library of on-demand courses, and year-round help whenever questions come up. Instead of figuring it out alone, you’ll have step-by-step guidance through every stage of the North Texas gardening season.

If you’re planning a fall vegetable garden or cut flower garden this year, now is the perfect time to join.

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Callie Works-Leary

Founder of The Dallas Garden School, Callie is an expert garden educator with 20 years of personal and professional gardening experience. She specializes in growing food, small-space gardening, managing community gardens, and plant propagation. She holds an MBA from Southern Methodist University, a bachelor's degree from Skidmore College, and served as a horticulture intern for the Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Gardens. Callie is a member of the Native Plant Society of Texas, The Herb Society of America, the National Garden Bureau, and is a Certified Texas Master Gardener.

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