In Philly, you would need hoops, row covers and plastic to be able to grow through winter. You might want to check out Eliot Coleman's book Four Season Gardening.
Veggies: mache, claytonia, spinach, scallions, mizuna, tatsoi, arugula and I'm sure I'm missing many.
Start them ASAP or they won't grow much in fall, in which case you won't get much of a harvest until March or April.

Why don't you start getting your beds ready for spring by building your boxes (if you're going to have boxes) , lining them with gopher cloth, filling them with compost (see the compost forum), researching what you want to grow and what season you want to grow( check out your local extension office or website), perusing these boards and seed catalogs , deciding if you want to start things by seed (usually an 8-12 week ordeal) or go with starts (easiest for a beginner)
I'm guessing in Phillie, you are getting an actual fall (which I don't really get til winter here in sunny CA! LOL)
I'm not seeing you getting anything growing from seed at this time of year (please, back east people let me know if I'm wrong!)Maybe some starts of greens, chard, radish from seed???? I don't freeze, so I don't really know. Good Luck and good gardening! Nancy

I'm attempting to grow spinach and radish from seed.. in New York. I just planted a few last week, and a few more this week.

First year for Winter gardening.. actually, first decent year of gardening period. These are supposed to be good Fall plants and should grow quickly. If not, I'm only out a handful of seeds.. I'm reusing the containers/soil from my pepper plants that I just repotted for indoor overwintering.

Good luck with yours!!
Laura

It's not too late! Clearly you won't be growing tomatoes or peppers . But how about some really nice lettuce and spinach? But you need to do it now.

I live on the between Philly and Wilmington and have had great success with my budget cold frames. I use Home Depot plastic drop cloths for my panes. Its cheap and it works. There is nothing like that lettuce green when all else is brown! It also gives you an excuse to get off the easy chair and water once every few days.

Have a look:

http://www.theprudentgardener.com/BudgetColdFrames.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Budget Cold Frames

It's not too late! Clearly you won't be growing tomatoes or peppers . But how about some really nice lettuce and spinach? But you need to do it now.

I live on the between Philly and Wilmington and have had great success with my budget cold frames. I use Home Depot plastic drop cloths for my panes. Its cheap and it works. There is nothing like that lettuce green when all else is brown! It also gives you an excuse to get off the easy chair and water once every few days.

Have a look:

http://www.theprudentgardener.com/BudgetColdFrames.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Budget Cold Frames

It's not too late! Clearly you won't be growing tomatoes or peppers . But how about some really nice lettuce and spinach? But you need to do it now.

I live on the between Philly and Wilmington and have had great success with my budget cold frames. I use Home Depot plastic drop cloths for my panes. Its cheap and it works. There is nothing like that lettuce green when all else is brown! It also gives you an excuse to get off the easy chair and water once every few days.

Have a look:

http://www.theprudentgardener.com/BudgetColdFrames.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Budget Cold Frames