Late Summer Planting for Future Bounty
By August you may have found yourself in the midst of a bountiful summer garden full of tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, flowers, and greens. Or, you might be looking at a relatively bare garden space in mid-summer and wondering what might be next. Either way, this is the perfect time to begin transitioning into planting for the next growing cycle!
Beginning in July and continuing throughout September, we can seed and transplant crops into the garden that will mature and be ready for a harvest this fall, winter, or in the following spring. Below we’ll include some recommendations for planting in August, September, and October, as well as some tips for growing year-round.
August
Transplanting:
- Hardy brassicas: broccoli, sprouting broccoli, cabbage, collards, etc.
- Onions, Leeks and Green Onions/Scallions
- Parsley
- Lettuce
- Swiss Chard
- Bitter greens: Endive, Radicchio, Mustard
- Hardy herbs: oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme
Seeding for fall/winter harvest:
- Asian Greens: pac choi, tatsoi, komatsuna, etc.
- Root crops: carrots, beets, turnips, radishes
- Lettuce
- Arugula
- Spinach
- Mache/Corn Salad
- Cilantro
- Pea shoots
September
Transplanting in early September for fall/winter harvest:
- Spinach
- Lettuce
Seeding for spring harvest:
- Beets
- Arugula
- Lettuce
- Mustards
- Garlic and Shallots (late sept)
- Fava (late sept)
October
Seeding for spring harvest:
- Garlic
- Shallots
- Fava beans
- Cover crops (food for the soil!)
Additional Considerations
- Interplant: plant new seeds or starts between your mature plants of summer. This will provide a little shelter/shade for the seedlings in the heat of summer.
- Varieties: choose cool season crop varieties that will be resilient as temperatures cool down.
- Moisture: until the rains arrive, keep your seedlings watered during the dry and warm weather.
- Protection: cover your plants with row cover or a plastic cloche to protect them from frost, wind, rain, and any extreme weather.
- Mulch: adding a layer of leaf litter, straw, plant clippings, or burlap can help to regulate temperature at the surface level of the soil and provide some insulation for your plants through the cool season.
