It’s not too late to start your garden and still have a great fall harvest! Some of the most delicious vegetables need warm soil and high temperatures to thrive, which makes them perfect for late spring planting. If you’re worried about having enough time to reap rewards of your vegetable garden before winter is back, have no fear, summer vegetables are here!
These warm-season vegetables are best grown in the heat of the summer. They are killed by frost, so it’s best to wait until the last frost of spring and plant them when it’s nice and warm outside.
- Snap Beans: These are great for a garden. You can find the traditional green beans or even yellow and purple varieties. Plant the seeds about 2 inches apart and enjoy beans in 50-70 days.
- Corn: You can enjoy delicious corn just 60-100 days after sowing. These summer crops grow strong and fast. Plant them in parallel rows about two few apart so the wind distributes pollen evenly.
- Cucumbers: There are lots of varieties of cucumbers, but the all harvest between 50-100 days after planting. If you harvest them frequently, you can get multiple crops from one set of seeds.
- Melons: Cantaloupes specifically are easy to grow because they ripen up fast. Just 70-115 days to delicious fresh fruit.
- Squash: Squash grows great through the spring and you can try all varieties. Zucchini, crookneck, pattypan, and winter squash all are great for spring planting.
- Tomatoes: These are a gardener’s favorite because they are pretty easy to grow. Hundreds of varieties are available, pick your favorite and start the seeds inside (or buy transplants). Set out in the garden in spring and stake the plants or place wire cylinders around them for support.
- Peppers: Sweet or hot, you choose! Start these seeds inside, or buy transplants and plant in spring. Combine with your tomatoes for fresh pico!
- Salad Greens: You can sow table greens like spinach, turnips, and arugulas in the summer and they will be ready to harvest in little more than a month. Spinach and kale often continue to grow into early winter.
- Cabbage and Broccoli: These are great for late summer planting and a fall harvest in Zones 8-10. They can handle a light frost, which actually makes them sweeter.
With all warm-season vegetables, it’s especially important to keep your vegetable plants well-watered. The hot summer months of July, August, and even into September require plenty of water for healthy plants. Most fall garden vegetables do best with about an inch of water per week in spring, summer, and fall rather than several lighter waterings.
