We’ve posted a lot about fall gardening on Instagram recently, and we’ve gotten some thoughtful questions about how our garden advice applies to fall plants in smaller containers or directly planted in the ground. Although raised beds are certainly our jam, the difference in growing plants in raised beds, container, or in the ground really matters in the fall, and it can be helpful to dive deeper. All three approaches can produce a beautiful crop of lettuce, kale, carrots, herbs and other cool-season vegetables. But the soil around those plants behaves differently depending on how much of it there is—and how exposed it is to the air around it.

Here’s what to keep in mind:

Answering the big mid-summer question: when is it too late to plant warm-season veggies?

What to plant, harvest, and tend in your early November garden.

Breaking down the definition of frost tolerance and discussing which plants will and won't survive when temps go below freezing.