The days are getting shorter, and autumn has officially arrived. If this summer was as tough for you as it was for me, you may actually find yourself looking forward to giving the green thumb a rest for a little while.

Still, there is some time for a fall vegetable garden. Just think about it: no weeds, no heavy watering and few bugs. Fall is the perfect season to have a little fun, and get some terrific veggies back from your garden. Some of the best fall vegetables include spinach, turnips, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, endive, arugula, leeks and collards.

Prepare the site. First, tidy up the planting area by cleaning out the remains of the summer garden. Most of the produce will be ready for or beyond harvesting, anyway. Remove crop residue and any weeds, and incorporate some organic compost or well-rotted manure into the soil.

Make a plan. Shorter days, lower light and, to some extent, cooler temperatures slow fall vegetable growth. The trick is to give the plants enough time to grow quickly, and be ready to harvest before winter sets in. Find the earliest average frost date and work backward to determine when specific plants should go into the ground.

You should also learn what crops are able to handle some frost without being damaged. In fact, some are known to actually “sweeten up” after being exposed to a few light frosts. Brussels sprouts and broccoli are two of the most popular frost-tolerant choices.

Direct sowing versus transplants. Vegetables such as spinach, collards, broccoli and cabbage are often seeded directly for fall crops. But if you’re anxious for a faster start, transplants are readily available in garden centers and an easy way for instant satisfaction. Fall is also prime time for sowing onion sets and garlic cloves for harvest the following spring and summer.

Water and feed. Young seedlings need more frequent, light watering, but once established, most vegetables only need an inch of water a week. Apply early in the morning or after sunset and let the water penetrate deeply into the root zone. As temperatures cool, evaporation slows, so water less. If you need to fertilize, side dress with a slow-release organic cottonseed meal. It’s high in nitrogen while also providing some phosphorus and potassium.

Insects and diseases. One of the best parts of fall gardening is the minimal level of pest insects affecting your plants. But in the unlikely event you find pest damage or activity beyond your threshold of tolerance, use the IPM (integrated pest management) process to treat food crops with the minimum methods that will work. You can keep plants healthy and strong by using row covers to block out insects, encourage beneficial insects to prey on the pests, interplant different vegetables to slow the spread of diseases, rotate crops and remove plant debris and infected material.

Frost protection. Hardy and semi-hardy fall veggies don’t need much frost protection, but carrots, radishes and other root crops should be harvested or mulched heavily before the first hard freeze. Use floating row covers, portable cold frames or even cloches made from 1- or 2-liter plastic soda bottles with the bottom removed to protect plants overnight.

But be sure to vent or remove the covers before the heat of the sun becomes too strong and cooks your plants.

And don’t be too quick to pull everything up once the snow flies.

Many vegetables held in cold frames start growing again in spring and provide extra early produce and sustenance as you prepare your next garden of summer.