Once summer months roll around, those who enjoy gardening are usually busy getting the soil ready and planting the seedlings they started indoors a few months back. The reward from the labor is homegrown, delicious crops to share with your family.
Ripe, juicy tomatoes, fragrant basil and spicy peppers are just some of the picks. But there is more opportunity in gardening than just leveraging the summer to grow plants. Midsummer planting can also be done to ensure you have a fall harvest and there are even winter gardening possibilities to consider.
For fall, things like squashes and other hardy vegetables and even fruits like apples, get ripest. Knowing which vegetables to plant midsummer that will do well for fall can be tricky. Understanding frost dates for your particular timezone is key to ensuring plants will survive.
Keep in mind also that you’ll need till and fertilize the soil before planting just as you do at the beginning of the summer season for some plants to grow successfully. During this time you should also pull up the roots and stems from summer plants that have already been harvested to ensure there is enough room for the new roots to grow.
Here are some vegetables you’ll want to start making a plan for now.
Beets and green onions are some of the top root vegetables to grow during this time because they can survive temperatures into the high 20s. Beets are able to survive with only partial sun and can be planted anytime from June to September. Green onions can last through the entire cold winter since they are mostly used for the upper leafs, as long as there is enough sun throughout the day.
Growing greens isn't limited only to long hours of sun in the summer. Broccoli, swiss chard and turnips are all able to survive a light frost. One of the great things about broccoli is that you can sew the seeds right into your current garden at summer's end and have a crop by autumn. Many greens also begin to sweeten and gain a better taste as the frost hits and sun spends less hours beating down on the plants.
Hardy vegetables are those that can withstand temperatures as low as 20 degrees and should be considered if winter gardening is in your plans. Brussel sprouts, cabbage and kale are some of the hardiest vegetables to plant in your autumn garden if you want to yield a late season crop. Packed with vitamins and flavor, these vegetables grow easily and require less work than some of the summer crops — but with all the same tasty gains for your dinner table.
