by Caroline Lewis of Verdura Gardens

Are you one of those people who meant to start a vegetable garden this year, but ran out of time? If so, you are not alone. Despite great intentions to get the kids outdoors in the summer, not to mention growing our own food, our lives seem to get particularly busy in early summer.  And starting around the middle of June, people figure it must be too late to start.

Even if you managed to plant summer tomatoes and basil, there’s so much more you can grow. Now is the time to focus on planting veggies that can be harvested in the fall, or even next spring.

To Plant Now

It’s still early enough to plant broccoli, but try to do it right away.  A nice bonus: summer-planted broccoli grows about 20% larger and is less plagued by cabbage moths than spring-planted crops.

Kale and Swiss chard can be planted now and into September, most likely over-wintering and then putting on new growth in the spring. So if you get it in soon, you’ll have a harvest before the first frost and another one in April.

Radishes, carrots, beets, turnips and parsnips are all veggies we succession plant from spring until fall. In our own garden here at Verdura, we plant carrots and radishes every few weeks to ensure an ongoing supply.  Planted at 16 per square foot, they yield a lot of food in a small amount of space. Heat-resistant lettuces are also perfect for succession planting.

To Plant in the Fall

Carrots and onions can also be planted in September for over-wintering. Other over-wintering options include spinach, arugula, garlic, shallots and any cold-tolerant lettuce. Check information-rich websites like Territorial Seed Company
to find out which varietals to plant – and when – for our area.

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