We are already well into summer, but if you missed planting a garden in the spring, there are a few seeds you can still plant now to get a harvest by fall! There are only about 8 weeks left before the weather cools and the season of fall begins. With that great news, we can start our fall garden at the end of July!
Remember to choose seeds and varieties that do well in your agriculture zone. If you like in an area that gets random frosts overnight in July, you may want to consider sowing these seeds in a greenhouse or making sure you can protect them overnight.
When planting these seeds, you need to keep a couple of things in mind such as the days to maturity of the variety you have chosen and the declining amount of sun as you move towards fall.
Here are 10 seeds you can start growing:
Beans – I have had no success and ever actually harvested a single green bean in our zone, 4b. However, I am still trying different varieties and may stumble across something that works in the future! Early Contender and Blue Lake Bush varieties tend to be the most popular varieties to grow in the summer.
Beets – Beets will withstand a frost! They are a root vegetable, and when their leaves are frosted only slightly, the root of the plant (the beet) will remain unharmed in most cases.
Carrots – Similarly, carrots can also withstand a light frost since they are also a root crop. When growing carrots, avoid the waste of “thinning” by using the plants you have thinned in a salad. Not only are those greens tasty and satisfying, but you also won’t be tossing away perfectly good food just to get bigger carrots.
Chard – This is a versatile hearty leafy green that can be canned, cooked down, frozen, or added to a salad! It’s also great to use as a wrap, offering more flavor than most of the lettuce varieties.
Lettuce – In cooler areas, a mesclun mix of seeds is often preferred because most of those varieties will be cold tolerant. We can harvest lettuce from a mesclun mix until the end of October in agricultural zone 4b! If you are really wanted to get some lettuce growing during the summer months, try Black Seeded Simpson varieties.
Mustard Greens – Spicy and delicious, these can be cooked with Southern dishes or a welcome addition to any salad in the fall.
Peas – In some areas, you will need to choose peas that are a cold hearty variety.
Potatoes – A staple in anyone’s garden and prepper pantry, potatoes are hearty and delicious, store well, and we have had luck with them tolerating a straight-up freeze, down to 20 degrees! The leafy tops will freeze away, but your potatoes will be just as good under the soil. Harvest and store them for use over the winter! Nothing is more satisfying than using your own potatoes year after year!
Radishes – Another root vegetable. Watch for worms and bugs as the moisture levels increase. These can also be susceptible to rot, but will definitely survive a mild frost as well!
Spinach – This is one you can just plant and use while allowing to go to seed. I have had tremendous luck with spinach reseeding itself if you allow it to flower and let nature take its course. You can obviously still eat the spinach as it begins to make seeds. Sometimes it’s best to work with nature and let it do its thing! This is one crop that will give you years worth of satisfaction and you only will need to plant it once!
We have had success with most of these seeds, even planting them later in the year. Remember, successful gardening is determined by many factors, and there is no one size fits all plan to net you the most produce. But trial and error will teach you so much as long as you are willing to continue to learn from the lessons mother nature is teaching.