Still Time to Plant Vegetables – Late Additions to the Garden

Don’t let the calendar stop you from gardening. There is still time to plant vegetables for you and your family to enjoy.

Fill in those empty spaces or replant rows that have already been harvested. Select short season crops like carrots, beets and beans that will reach maturity and can be harvested before the first killing frost.  This date varies from year to year and from one neighborhood to the next.  Gardens in the warmer urban heat islands are usually the last to suffer, while those growing in low spots are the first to be damaged.  

Second plantings can be started from plants or seeds.  Start by counting the number of days until the first fall frost.  Next, check the tag or seed packet to find out how many days that particular plant needs to grow and produce.  Let's use beans for our example. The seed packet says this crop needs 50 to 60 days to mature or be ready to harvest. Now add at least 2 weeks for harvesting.  We will need 74 days to grow and harvest our beans before the first killing frost.  So check your calendar, seed packets and plant tags and get planting.

A bit more information:  Some crops like cabbage, collards, spinach and lettuce can tolerate a light frost.  This means you have a few more weeks to grow and harvest these crops.  Here are a few vegetables that make great late additions to the garden.  Carrots, Chinese cabbage, mustard greens, lettuce, peas, turnips, radishes, beets, bush beans, cucumbers and kohlrabi. 

And, don't forget about transplants.  Broccoli, cabbage, onions, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, collards and kale should be planted in summer for a fall harvest.