Hacks For Growing Mid-Summer Veggies!

by Kevin Dorsey July 23, 2021

Hacks For Growing Mid-Summer Veggies!

There’s Still Time for You to Get Your Hands in the Dirt!

Even if you didn’t get a spring garden planted, don’t despair! There is still plenty of time to get your hands in the dirt and plant some crops perfect for late summer. A late summer garden means that you can harvest fresh produce well into the fall, and sometimes even into winter. It doesn’t even matter if you have a green thumb, these 4 vegetables will grow well when planted in late summer.

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Root Vegetables

There are quite a few root crops that you can plant and harvest well before the ground freezes over. Certain varieties of root vegetables do quite well when you leave them in the ground and cover them heavily with mulch. Root veggies like beets and carrots are fast-growing and grow well in late summer. Plus, you’ll have plenty of time to harvest for fresh eating throughout the remainder of the growing season.

A bushel of basil.

Basil and Cilantro

Basil and cilantro are fast-growing herbs that are ready for harvest about a month after sowing the seed. If you plant a more mature plant, or transplants — plants that are already somewhat developed — it will be much sooner. Basil is easy to grow in warm weather but will be killed by frost and damaged by temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, so if you have an outdoor garden, make sure you harvest before the first frost!

Broccoli

Broccoli will grow best in a spot with at least six hours of direct sunlight and grow best at temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Broccoli can withstand much colder temperatures...making it a perfect candidate for fall gardening in most areas of the country.

Cauliflower

Cauliflower is a delicious vegetable that can be planted in late August or early September, about six to eight weeks before the first fall frost. Your planting site needs to have full sun...ideally at least six hours of it. There can be such a thing as too much sun, especially in the heat of late summer, so if your plant site has too much sun, find a way to put up a cover to give them occasional shade.

Summer-planted crops usually require an extra two weeks to mature because the days are shorter and the air temperatures are cooler. Use the days-to-maturity figure on the seed packet, count back from your fall frost date, and add a 14-day “fall factor,” which will give you your fall planting date. Start your summer garden now with the help of Porch Garden Pots. Take a look at our collection and shop now.

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