MOUNT VERNON – If you live in Knox County, it's not too late to get the shovel out and plant a fall crop garden that will bring you vegetables late into November.

Although there's still time, people "have to do it pretty quick here," Fred Forster, manager of the Knox County Garden Center in Mount Vernon, told the Mount Vernon News.

Most people plant in September around Labor Day, he said. So folks can plant their fall crop in the next few weeks. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower will flourish in Knox County.

"You can plant now and pick them up until Thanksgiving," Forster told the News. "If you plant them in the fall you don't have the insect problem like you have in the spring. The insects disappear when it freezes."

Aside from plants, a variety of seeds can also be planted.

"You can still plant a number of seeds— radishes, peas and carrots," Forster said. The key is to check the back of the packaging to see if it says a 60-day harvest; and if it does, "you can still plant now and harvest within 60 days since you have September and October." For those who want to plant seeds, "the best bet is to go with the cold, hearty type."

Ironically, fall crops have made a comeback, Forster remarked. 

"Fall crops used to be real popular, about 50 years ago. Then they've been dying off. Now this year more people are getting back into gardening," he told the News.

According to Forster, the pandemic is behind people's renewed interested in gardening, and he saw an uptick in the spring.

"We planned to have more this year because [of] the way people were planting in the spring," Forster said. "The pandemic— a lot of people turned to gardening. They gave it up for years and it's increased incredibly. Seeds and plant sales increased incredibly."

In a revival of the old Victory Gardens, which arose during World War I, the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) and The Ohio State University Extension are now encouraging Ohioans to plant and enjoy what they grow, a release issued on the ODA website said.