British Garden Centres says onions, garlic, spring cabbage and strawberries are among the crops that can be planted during autumn.
The garden centre group says soil retaining warmth from summer can provide suitable conditions for planting a range of crops.
Onion and shallot sets can be planted between September and November. British Garden Centres recommends spacing onions between 5cm and 10cm apart and shallots between 15cm and 20cm apart.
Garlic can also be planted during autumn, with individual cloves planted around 15cm apart. The cold winter period helps the plants form bulbs for harvesting in early summer.
Spring cabbage and purple sprouting broccoli can be planted during autumn for harvesting next year.
Hardy varieties of broad beans and peas can also be sown before winter. The group recommends protecting young shoots with fleece during hard frosts.
Winter spinach and salad leaves including mizuna, mustard greens and lamb's lettuce can be grown in pots or outdoors. Cloches can be used to protect the plants as temperatures fall.
Gardeners can also plant strawberry runners in a sunny, well-drained position during autumn.
Bare-root fruit trees and bushes, including apples, plums, raspberries and blackcurrants, can be planted from November while they are dormant.
Radishes, spring onions and winter turnips are among the quicker crops which can be sown during September.
British Garden Centres also recommends adding home compost or well-rotted manure to soil over winter.
Julian Palphramand, Head of Plants at British Garden Centres, said: “The biggest mistake people make is thinking the garden shuts down just because summer's over. Autumn is actually when the real magic happens, and getting your hands dirty now is the ultimate shortcut to an amazing harvest next year.
“Whether you're tucking in some garlic, planting out new fruit bushes, or just giving your soil a well-earned feed with some compost before the winter frosts set in, every bit of effort you put in now pays off big time when spring rolls back around.”
British Garden Centres operates 80 garden centres across the UK.
