Decisions, Decisions: Gardening in July

July can be a confusing time of the growing season for many reasons. Sometimes we get attached to our cool weather plants and keep them in the ground in the hopes that pest pressure will be light. Or we’re planning to start seed saving. (Remember: You only truly need one plant for an adequate number of seeds for next year’s garden!)

There are plenty of reasons to start crops mid-summer, including disease, pests, bolting or succession planting! Here are some questions to consider.

How much time do you have?

Knowing when your first fall frost date is can let you know what to plant and help you get a harvest in before the weather gets too cold. Once you know that date, count back to today’s date. That is how many days you have to grow crops, especially those that require warm weather.

Which varieties are best?

Make sure to choose a variety that will mature in enough time to harvest. Sowing bush beans instead of pole beans is a great example of a variety to grow at this time of year. Not only will you get a harvest before the temperatures dip too low, but they tend to produce all at the same time, which makes this a great selection for canning.

Make sure that you are choosing varieties that will fall within the number of days you have left before that first fall frost date. Your seed packets should have plenty of this useful information.

Transplant or direct sow?

There’s still time to transplant plants and to direct sow seeds. If you had pest pressure from the squash vine borer in a recent season, now is the time to sow zucchini or summer squash seeds. Radish, carrots and even okra can be directly sown into the soil in July. More fast-growing crops to transplant in July are heat-loving cucumbers and corn, since they’ll germinate quickly.

It’s also not too early to start sowing those cool weather crops, either. I recommend direct sowing your brassicas around now—such as kale, collards, chard, broccoli and cabbage—for a harvest in early September. Remember to choose a crop and variety that takes less time to mature.

Final Thoughts

Keep in mind that your crops germinate faster but grow slower due to the days getting shorter towards the end of the summer. Adding some organic fertilizer material can also be useful when transplanting or directly sowing seeds.

Whatever you decide to do with your garden this month, enjoy this season of abundance!