"Or do you just have a chart already made up that you would be willing to let me try?

"My garden space is ready and waiting, and I still have a lot of good seeds."

--- Jeannette, zone 7, east Tennessee on a gentle southeast slope of a mountain

Jeannette, I've been getting lots of fall-gardening questions lately, so I thought I'd answer yours in a post instead of via email. Persephone Days are most relevant for people who garden in a mild climate, in a greenhouse, or are growing hardy leaf crops like kale and lettuce. The date tells you when these cut-and-come-again crops will stop producing due to lack of sunlight, but it doesn't take into account killing freezes that will completely wipe out your crops. Broccoli, for example, is going to kick the bucket at 25 degrees Fahrenheit unless you cover it well, so the Persephone Date (which comes much later than the hard-freeze date for most of us) is irrelevant.

My favorite chart for fall planting is here, and I give you lots more information about how to choose planting dates and how to make easy frost-protection in my book Weekend Homesteader. The short version is --- it's too late for you to plant carrots, cabbages, and broccoli from seed, but you can still have a great fall garden with leafy greens (kale is our special favorite) and lettuce, which grow much faster than other fall vegetables. If you buy big sets, you might also get away with planting out brussels sprouts, cabbage, and broccoli now since you live further south than we do. We don't like radishes, but I believe they're pretty fast so planting another round of those as well as some turnips could fill in the gaps. Just be sure to check the days-to-maturity date on your packets and add two weeks for safety --- some varieties grow much faster than others!

I hope that helps, and good luck with your fall garden. I always feel like I get more food for my effort with the fall garden than at any other time of year, so it's definitely worth figuring out.