What Veggies To Plant In The Middle Of Summer?

Wondering what to plant in that empty garlic bed or in those empty pockets where the broccoli bolted? Concerned that there may not be enough time to grow anything before the days grow short and the fall rains arrive?

Worry not, there are still many edibles with short maturity dates that we can sow and grow now to harvest this fall... or in winter, if you do not need that bed.

The garlic has been harvested and set out to cure, leaving an entire bed free for planting up a fall garden, a late season crop.  

This was the garlic bed till less than a week ago. 

Now it is in the process of housing all sorts of edibles for fall harvest. 

What to sow in the garlic bed... if it is going to be the garlic bed again in October

Check the back of the set package to find out how many days the seeds will take to hit maturity, aim for around 50 days, give or take a few.

*All of the seed varieties mentioned in this post are from my two favourite seed houses,  https://www.reneesgarden.com/ or https://www.cottagegardener.com/  or from our west coast seedy friends at  https://www.westcoastseeds.com/

- Beans (go with bush as they mature faster than pole beans)
- Beets
- Broccoli, summer (Gypsy, Everest, Waltham 29, Green Magic)
- Carrots … *see foot note about carrots
- Cucumbers
- Herbs … basil, dill
- Kale
- Kohlrabi
- Peas
- Radishes (Daikon, Watermelon)
- Scallions (also known as spring onions or green onions)
- Summer squash (pattypan aka scallop, zucchini)
- Swiss Chard
- Turnips

 What to sow for a late fall/over-wintering garden

Sow these straight from seed into the garden if you are not going to use that bed in the fall for garlic. I generally sow these ones wherever I get pockets from bolting or harvesting spring crops from, like radishes, broccoli, lettuce, spinach....

- Beets … mulch in winter (Bullsblood, Lutz)
- Carrots.. *see foot note about carrots
- Kale
- Radishes (Black Spanish Round, China Rose- over-wintering)

Also sow anything you like from the first list above that you will harvest in late summer. 

What to sow into pots to transplant into the garden next month. 

Do not start these in the greenhouse, it is too for them in there. Put them in a semi-shady area where it is easy for you to care for them and they do not dry out super fast. I place a table on the east side, where they get direct sunlight only in during the morning. 

Choose over-wintering, frost tolerant varieties, I will add some names for you to try into brackets.

- Broccoli (All-Seasons, Batavia)
- Broccoli, sprouting (Purple sprouting broccoli) harvested next spring
- Brussel sprouts
- Cabbage (January King, Danish Ballhead, Pointed Sweetheart Conehead, Pixie)
- Cauliflower (Galleon)
- Onions (Walla Walla) harvested next spring
- Swiss Chard

If you do not have time to start your own, start looking for a grower at your local farmer's market or independent garden centre. They should start selling these fall and winter veggies in July or early August at the latest.

What to sow/plant next month, in August. 

- Your new (late fall and winter) transplants that you started in July. These will stay in the garden.

These guys below are good till November-ish, till the cool, wet weather really sets in. 

- Herbs … cilantro

- Greens like arugula, radicchio, endive, cress, mustard 

- Lettuce (Red and Green Deer Tongue, Reine des Glaces, Winter Density, Brun and Rouge D'hiver)

- Radishes, regular ones

- Spinach

Footnotes

1. Don’t forget to plan for a spot to plant the garlic, which goes in during the month of October.

2. Carrots. For best results, fall and winter carrots should be have been sown during the first few days of July. As we are now closing in on the middle of  the month, you want to choose carrots with a short growing season, a short maturity time and you need to plant very, very soon.

To sow now, at mid month, you are better off sowing carrots like Little Finger or Romeo (above) with a 60 day maturity time.

If you sow too late, your carrots will not have enough time to size up before the days get really short and our fall/winter rains return). They will not continue to grow in spring when the days warm up, will instead go to seed).



3. Try something new and fun! Never tired kohlrabi? Fall or winter radishes? Winter beets? This may be the time to do so!

These Watermelon radishes (above) are best planted in midsummer and harvested in fall. Black Spanish radishes keep in the garden bed all winter long. I always say to try something new as you never know when you will find a new favourite! 

That's it. Is a long post, I know. Hope that you were able to glean all kinds of interesting bits from it. 

*All of the seed varieties mentioned in this post are from my two favourite seed houses,  https://www.reneesgarden.com/ or https://www.cottagegardener.com/  or from our west coast seedy friends at  https://www.westcoastseeds.com/

Happy Gardening