What to Plant in September in North Texas

The fall gardening season is now in full swing. Hopefully you’re getting ready to transplant those cauliflower and broccoli seedlings that you started indoors last month. Or perhaps you’re grabbing some brassica transplants from your favorite garden shop. Either way, it’s just about time to actually plant!

I know, I know. It certainly doesn’t feel like fall. But you’ve probably noticed that the days are getting shorter. And the first thing that starts happening in our gardens when daylength decreases is that flowering plants start to bloom again. This is good news for the flowers and good news for our vegetables.

Tips for establishing your fall garden during high heat

Keep seedbeds evenly moist until germination. This may require watering by hand twice daily, once in the morning and again in the evening.
Protect young transplants with shade cloth. Shade cloth can lower ambient temperatures by up to 15 degrees. Look for 40-50% shade cloth, and support the cloth over the plants with stakes or hoops.
Water new transplants daily until established. Once plants are 4-6 inches tall, apply shredded hardwood mulch around plants to a depth of 3 inches. Leave a ring of bare soil around the base of the plant.

Vegetables to Plant Outdoors By Direct-Seed

First Half of September

English/French Peas
Pinto Beans
Bush Beans

All Month

Chinese Cabbage
Swiss Chard
Radish
Turnips
Collard Greens
Lettuce
Kale
Beets
Carrots
Parsnips

Radishes freshly harvested from a Dallas, North Texas garden by student of The Dallas Garden School who attended a spring vegetable growing class. — Radishes are one of the easiest vegetables to grow in North Texas – ready in as few as 30 days!

Vegetables to Start by Seed Indoors

All Month

Swiss Chard
Mustard Greens
Collard Greens
Lettuce
Kale
Spinach

Flowers to Plant by Seed Outdoors

All Month

Wildflowers (for bloom next spring)

Last week of September through mid-October

Ammi
Agrostemma
Bells of Ireland
Bupleurum
Calendula
Centaurea
Daucus
Feverfew
Godetia
Lambada
Larkspur
Nigella
Orlaya
Poppy
Rudbeckia
Scabiosa
Strawflower
Sweet Peas

(The flowers listed above are known as cold-hardy annuals. They grow through winter for an early spring bloom. You can learn how to grow these flowers like a pro in our course “Cottage Cut Flowers“, available to all enrolleds students. Learn more about enrollment here.)

double shirley poppies growing in north texas — Poppies are easy to grow in North Texas when planted in the fall. If you’re a beginner, start with Shirley poppies, the most reliable poppy to grow.

What to Plant by Transplant

Marigolds
Cosmos
Asters
Mums
Ornamental Peppers
Zinnias
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Cabbage
Brussels Sprouts
Kale

Need additional guidance?

Our Best-Ever Fall Vegetable Garden class is a comprehensive guide to maximizing this season. Class is available on-demand as part of enrollment.

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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 has 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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