Last updated on July 10th, 2019
WHEN, in the heat of July, your lettuce bolts, your peas plateau, and your broccoli bites the dust, you can usually replant the beds with heat-loving (or at least heat-tolerant) crops. Here are the vegetables I typically plant in July for an abundant late-summer or early-autumn harvest:
Cucumbers. Most varieties go from seed to harvest in just 52 days. (Pictured above, and currently climbing the bamboo trellis that my peas previously occupied, is the open-pollinated ‘National Pickling’ cucumber. At harvest time, I’ll turn the cucumbers into these Super-Easy Refrigerator Pickles.)
Green Beans. I’ve replaced my recently-bolted romaine with lavender-flowered ‘Triumphe De Farcy’ green beans. Seed to harvest for these is just 48 days. As a result, I’ll have plenty of beans to freeze for winter use.
Beets. These are fast-growing, too. The edible greens can be snipped for salads in just 25-30 days, while the roots below mature in 59 days. (Above, my now-finished frisee has been replaced with ‘Detroit Supreme’ beet, a variety that grows especially well in my zone 5-b climate.) How I Freeze Beets.
Carrots. Plant these in mid-July for late-September harvest (75 days). Carrots are unique in that they will continue to grow until the ground freezes. This year, I planted ‘Garden King Hybrid’ carrots (above) after my oak-leaf lettuce received new quarters in the compost bin.
Swiss Chard. What a great replacement-crop; only 60 days to delicious, antioxidant-rich greens. And it doesn’t faint in the summer heat. Check out my recipe for Make-Ahead Swiss Chard and Sausage Strata.
Broccoli. If your spring-planted broccoli was a disaster (all leaves, no heads), you can certainly start a fall crop in mid- or even late-July. Don’t plant in the same location as your old crop, or you might invite pest problems. Plan 55 days from seedling to harvest.
Radish. All types, including round ‘Cherry Belle’ and ‘French Breakfast’ are lightning fast — just 22-28 days from seed to harvest. Plant them now, and you will soon have the main ingredient for this fabulous French sandwich.
And have you considered the unsold pepper, squash, and tomato plants that garden centers practically give away in July? All these are worth planting now, too, especially if the plants are already in bloom. I recently purchased, from my local farm store, 6 ‘Ace’ bell pepper plants for one dollar each. The store was glad to recoup some of its investment, the plants were grateful to be rescued from their retail prison, and I’m happy to have the surplus fruit for making and freezing Piperade.
If you rely on your summer veggie garden to get you through the winter months — and I certainly do — be sure to replace your finished crops with fresh ones. After all, food-growing real estate is precious for most of us. Why let even one square foot go to waste?
Have you already pulled the plug on your spring crops? Tell me what veggies you’ll plant now for an autumn harvest!
This post was updated on July 5, 2019
Hungry for more? Get my email updates!
You may also like:
Dale says
Thanks for this post. It would not have occurred to me to plant veggies in July. And what a great idea, buying partially grown, steeply discounted plants and planting them out. Again, thanks.
Anonymous says
I was wondering if there was anything that I could plant this late as my garden has been unproductive thus far. Thanks for the great tips!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Dale – nice to “meet” you. Yes, mid-July is not too late to get fast-growing crops in.
Anonymous – In which region/zone do you garden? Probably for most of the US, beans will flourish if planted now. Ditto for cukes, beets, carrots and chard. Onions, too, if you can find already-started seedlings.
Mary says
Planting for the fall garden here in Maine is my favorite–some things seem to be much happier grown in the summer/fall, so I tend to save them for July/August fill-ins. In the next few weeks I'll be sowing asian greens like bok choy and tatsoi, daikon radishes, more broccoli and cauliflower, leeks for next spring, fennel, lettuce, carrots and green beans and broccoli raab–yum!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Mary – Yum indeed, and what a great list. Not familiar with tatsoi, but bok choy I've grown and loved (there's a bok-choy stir-fry recipe somewhere on this site). So succulent and flavorful.
Christine says
Inspired by your Swiss chard quiche I recently tried making my own version. Don't discard the stems – actually in Switzerland chard is grown for the stems, not the leaves – but cut them into pieces, boil for about five minutes in salted water and layer on top of the grated cheese before adding the leave and batter mixture. Yum. I think the quiche is even better when eaten cold, cut into bite sized tapas-style chunks.
Great blog by the way, I'm learning a lot here.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Christine – Thanks for the great tip: chopping and then boiling the Swiss chard stems. It seemed to me such a shame to discard them — especially the brilliant-hued red and yellow ones.
LANA says
Great tips – I think I will try planting some yellow beets!
Brenda C says
I got a late start on my garden this year (due to weather and a spell of laziness), so there was no “spring harvest” for me. But all the beds are full and cracking now. Hopefully I'll still have a chance to get some fall greens in at least.
My shiitake and blue oyster mushroom plugs arrived last week, so yesterday I hammered them into logs. I'm a first timer when it comes to growing mushrooms, so we'll see how it goes (in about 8 months, hopefully).
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Lana – yellow beets are delicious. Go for it!
Brenda C – welcome. Can't wait to hear how your adventures in Mycorestoration (what a mouthful!) turn out. I actually had morels growing in my woodland garden — but was too chicken to try them!
Elitehort says
Hi there, Great tips by the way and thank you.
I did have a question though. I’m hoping you can answer it for me since you
seem to be pretty knowledgeable about gardening.
What specific plans do you have for your vegetable garden this spring?
If you had some insight I would greatly appreciate it.
Patti throne says
New garden Bed, yaa! What can I plant in early July? I’m in North Georgia , Athens.
Tracy says
So au courant! We were just having this conversation except that, here in Northern NH, first plantings were made in mid -June. Oh well, it was a very slow Spring. And, thanks to my favorite plastic jug seed starting system 😉 , we have lots of Brussels and tomats in the ground. Your suggestions will help me finish the bed. Thanks!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Tracy – Glad to be of (timely) service to you!
Susan M. says
Near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Melting in 97 degrees and humidity. Do you think it is too hot here for me to be able to start any seeds now?
Also, cabbage moths are eating my kale and collards, even though I covered with netting. They found a way in! Anything I can do to get rid of them, short of pulling all the kale and collards out?
Helen says
Hi there from Western Massachusetts,
Just came back from weeding my community garden plot. My pepper plants have no will to live so I wondered what I could plant right now and found your blog. As a new in-the-ground gardener, sometimes I feel overwhelmed. Thanks for the information!
Laura says
SUSAN M…You can try weekly spraying with BT. The caterpillars will hatch and eat a tiny bit, but then it kills them from the inside out. I remember watching the pretty white “butterflies” flit around in the grass as a child, but now when I see them, they are the enemy!!!! Good luck!
Wonda says
I am in zone 9a what can I plant in July? I want to plant tomatoes again is this a good idea, also what about something else that can take the heat. The beans you plant are they pole beans or Bush and where do I find them?
Michelle Collins says
Perfectly timed post from you today, Kevin. Thanks! I have many open spots in my 20’x20’ garden (spinach, lettuce, beets, radishes peas all harvested) and was wonderful what I could fill in with, now I have my answer. As always, you are spot on and somewhat of a mind reader. Thank you !! Michelle in the Philly burbs.
Dirk Zhang says
Hi Kevin:
Thank you for this timely advice. One question for you: how do you deal with radish root maggots? Root maggots have given my radish/rutabaga huge problems over the last few years. Any practical advice and suggestions?
Dirk Zhang says
Hi Kevin: I am in metro Philadelphia (6b or 7a). I am planning to grow the following: Sikkim Cucumber (70 days), Natsu Fushinari Cucumber (70 days), Desi Summer Squash (40 days), Korean/Chinese Winter Radish (~60 days), Calabrese Green Sprouting Broccoli (60-70 days), as well as Long Island Improved Brussels Sprouts (100 days). Brussels Sprouts have always survived the Philadelphia winters without any protection over the last few years.
Ana says
I just put my garden in due to an incredible amount of rain. I have never been this late so we will have to see. I started my seeds long ago and I don’t think they would have made it in their little pods another week. I am starting seeds for Brussels sprouts (my fave), broccoli, daikon, kohlrabi, Pak Choy. I garden until the ground freezes and I even get a little bit after that.
Alli Pongrace says
I am in zone 6, and have a raised garden that only gets about4 hours of sun a day. What do you recommend putting in this week?
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Alli – Each of the following will perform reasonably well if they receive at least 4 hours of direct sun: carrot, beet, turnip, radish, spinach, and kale.
Anne in VT zone 4/5 says
Only wish I could plant now for later. Still awaiting the first round of cucumbers, beans, beets, carrots, and broccoli and my second crop of radishes. It was cold and wet this spring. Glad to hear you are having success, or perhaps not since this is a repost.
Best, Anne
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Anne in VT – This is an “evergreen” post, updated in July 2019 with additional content and new photographs. Hope that clears things up!
Jean diemer says
Hi Kevin, Every year I have a million (LOL) or it seems Japanese Beetles that eat virtually everything in my garden. They start on my roses and go on to eat on the sunflowers, day lilies spaghetti squash leaves, etc. you get the picture. I basically hand pick them and let them swim in soapy water until they are tired. Any suggestions? I try not to use pesticides at all but these guys are really a nuisance. I am in Indiana, maybe they haven’t come your way but I sure would love to get rid of these critters.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Jean – Japanese beetles are the bane of my Northeastern garden, too. The hard-shelled pests arrive in early July and depart — mercifully — in early August. I pick them off and drop them in soapy water just as you do. If you apply Milky Spore (a natural product) to your lawn, then you can eradicate the Japanese beetle larvae (a/k/a “grubs”).
Sonja Jones says
I’m a little late to the discussion but yesterday I planted corn, cauliflower and spaghetti squash. Today I planted my green beans; didn’t realize I was supposed to soak the seeds overnight. I’ve thrown more lettuce seeds out in the garden – they didn’t crop up, I’m guessing, because of the heat (south Texas) but I do have a couple of pots inside under grow lamps.
And I do have a new crop of cucumbers going. I made bread and butter pickles with the last crop and hubby ate them so fast I’ve had to hide the last jar!