I plant spinich,collards, and most green leafy vegatables around Oct. right out in the garden. If it's dry you have to keep them watered but it's worth the trouble. I usually have spinich all winter. The cold weather here does not seem to hurt it, (25 Miles East of Atlanta.) Kale will grow here all winter. You may wants to try the fava bean as it does good in the winter. It taste kinda like a lima bean.

Check with your state's Extension Service. Each county should have it's own Cooperative Extension Office which provides free publications and information for the asking. They will have valuable vegetable/gardening tables available specifically for your area determined by universities and horticultural research scientists who have collected data from growing those crops in your state. Your tax dollars are already paying for this service so you may as well get some use out of it.

Vegetable Planting and Planning Calendar for Missouri (download the pdf) complete with spring and fall planting dates (underneath the spring planting dates for appropriate crops), how much to plant per person, etc. They can also tell you the average last frost date for your area and ideal planting times for specific crops and varieties in your area.

See how detailed this example is:

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I'm in zone 5, so I start my fall plantings when our Monsoon season starts--any day now. I live in alpine desert, but our rainy season usually starts in July, so I won't have to water as much to get things started.

I always plant carrots, lettuce, and cabbage, although the cabbage has never been a success for me. Last year we planted winter radishes and turnups, and those worked great. This year I also want to put in some kale. And, of course, I do put in a lot of garlic every year, but that doesn't go in until October.

Catherine

I'm on the cusp of zone 8, and we don't get too much freezing in the winter. No snow.
So I grow loads of greens. Asian greens, collards, cold tolerant lettuces, spinach, all sorts of radishes, kales, (several kinds), chard, arrugula, various Italian greens, Johnny jump ups for edible flowers, mustard, turnip greens, mizuna grows better in the fall/winter than in the spring here (too many bugs in the spring). This year I want to try some flat head cabbage and rapini.
Our winter gardens are so beautiful and overflowing!

GGG