How To Plant a Summer Garden
Summer planting arrives once the fear of frost is gone for the season. Spring planting is also exciting because I love radishes and spinach, but it’s also a slow process while the cold lingers and some spring crops can be tricky to grow. If you’re new to gardening, or maybe followed my guide to planting in spring but didn’t have much luck, don’t give up! The season of summer might offer some redemption.
I’ve gotten lots of questions regarding gardening and how to begin growing food. Even though I’ve been gardening for years, I have avoided creating any blogs or videos about it because I feel inadequate to be sharing. I’m not an expert by any means, and I have learned more through experience and growing up watching my mom garden. I don’t have any tried-and-true resources to guide you to, just encouragement to get out there and try it! You can read all the books and watch all the youtube videos but you’ll never truly know how it’s going to turn out unless you try it yourself. While books and resources have their place and certainly are important, in my opinion, trial and error are the best garden teachers there are.
Trial and error are the best garden teachers there are.
In this blog post I’m going to give you the basics about planting in summer and my favorite things to grow. The information I’m going to share here may vary depending on what zone you live in. I live in the northern midwest so our summer comes much later most years, while those of you in the south may already be in the thick of the heat. I will guide you to find the best dates for planting based on where you live!
Know your zone
There are two important things you need to know when it comes to planting your garden, and that is your planting zone and the average last frost date for your zone. Click the buttons below to calculate yours. Once you have this information, you are ready to begin planning your summer garden!
Keep in mind that these are just estimates. Knowing these dates is a good starting point, but over the years you will learn the true weather patterns of your area and can better determine when to plant.
WHAT TO PLANT IN SUMMER
Coming out of spring, our cold weather crops like radishes, cilantro, and spinach are finishing up their growing season. Now that the weather is hot they’re going to bolt quickly. Tender lettuces will turn bitter and radishes will be spicy. These are all quick-growing cold weather crops that are done and harvested by the time we need space to put our tomatoes in. Meanwhile other things we planted in spring like potatoes, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, snap peas, carrots, onions, and chamomile need some more time and will keep on going even through the heat, giving us an abundant summer harvest. (Find a full list of everything we plant in spring here!)
Because we are up north in zone 6b, much of our spring blends together with summer. If you are further down south, your cabbage and broccoli for example, is most likely going to be ready for harvest a lot sooner than mine because you planted it sooner. Again, this will all depend on your zone and when you plant. While not every crop is best to plant in summer, most of our favorite fruits and veggies like tomatoes, cucumbers, and green beans are ready to plant now that the chance of frost has passed. Here are just a few of my favorite summer crops to plant:
direct sow:
Bush beans
Pole beans
Cucumbers
Winter squash
Pumpkins
Melons
Flowers
Summer squash
transplant:
Tomatoes
Peppers
Herbs (sweet basil, tulsi basil, sage, thyme, rosemary)
Flowers
Winter squash
Planted in spring for summer harvest
Calendula
Chamomile
Broccoli
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Snap peas
Potatoes
Onions
Carrots
established:
Raspberries
Peaches
Garlic (planted in the autumn previous)
Perennial herbs (oregano, mint, lemon balm, catnip, lavender)
where i get my seeds
There are many great places to purchase seeds from. I like to purchase from a variety of small companies online as well as my local garden centers. I always make sure my seeds are organic and haven’t been treated with any unnatural chemicals.
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
If you can’t order online for whatever reason, check to see what your local gardening center has to offer. Here is a list of small seed companies that you can check out as well.
HOW TO PLANT
When it comes to summer crops, things like tomatoes, peppers, and various herbs need to be started indoors a few weeks before your average summer planting date. However other summer crops like cucumbers, squash, and beans grow well from seed directly sowed in the ground. This year, I will be starting some squash seeds indoors instead of direct-sowing them because I have had trouble with the chipmunks the past few years. Last year I planted pumpkins 4 times and without fail, each and every seed was dug out and enjoyed by a critter. You will come to learn what works best for your area and what crops you’d like to give a headstart inside. It’s much cheaper to start your own transplants, but if you run out of time or have trouble getting them going, you can also purchase these from local garden centers.
Most, if not all, seed packets will have all the planting information you need on the back on the packet- from the seed depth, when best to plant, whether to start the seeds indoors or not, row spacing, etc. If not, a quick visit to the website you bought from will lend you the answer. A good rule of thumb is to plant the seed at a depth of two-times the width of the seed. For example, smaller seeds like lettuce, should only be covered by 1/8 inch, while larger seeds like peas need to be 1 inch below the soil.
While I do get seeds from a variety of places, my favorite are always from Botanical Interests because they have the most in-depth information on and in the seed packet. They also have a great blog on their website. I never feel lost when planting seeds and I always know that I’m getting the best planting information and the best quality seeds from them. If you are a beginner, check them out!
Most importantly, keep in mind that it’s really hard to mess this up. Yes you will have seeds that don’t germinate or things that don’t grow well, but you are bound to get something out of your garden. If not food, at the very least more knowledge that you can use the next time around. Plant, water, weed, wait patiently, and watch them grow.
I am so excited for everyone starting off on their own gardening journey! Get out there and try it, whether you think you have a green thumb or a black one. Gardening is filled with many losses but also many victories. Again, trial and error is your best teacher. Praying a bountiful and fruitful harvest for you all!
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