Beets, carrots, lettuce are all fun things to try in the fall.

I would suggest spinach and collards for beginners. Both can stand a number of frosts. Spinach is my favorite. It is cheap and you can harvest many times from one fall planting.
Kendra

Thank You! I didn't realize carrots were a fall crop. Beets... eeewww!!! Love lettuce. Never had collards, but heard they were tasty. LOVE fresh spinach! Do you need a lot of space for any of these?

Mike

I'm going to try planting fall spinach myself this year. Any tips?

Planting spinach in the fall got me hooked on the "four season harvest." Its the easiest way to get a good spinach crop.

Just plant some spinach seed any time between Sept - November, depending on your climate and the gear you have to modify temps (cold frames, row covers, etc.). If you are able to plant early (it's hard to get spinach to germinate in warm weather) the plants will get big enough for a fall crop and can be over-wintered for an additional spring harvest. These mature plants can be completely covered with hay, leaves, straw or other mulch when winter comes that will protect the plants from wind and protect the soil from extreme temperature fluctuations. Remove the mulch as soon as consistently warm temperatures arrive that will thaw out the ground.

If you plant late, then the goal is to get the little seedlings through the winter so they can provide an early spring harvest. Row covers work better for protecting small plants. Straw, leaves and other organic mulches while useful for mature plants, tend to smother the seedlings.