Growing food on the balcony or in the backyard is one of the hottest garden trends. Moreover, harvesting and cooking fresh produce seem very satisfying. If you’re truly new to gardening, fear not, have a look at these terrific summer vegetables to grow first.
Swiss chard and lettuce are cool-season vegetables. Meanwhile, beans and tomatoes are heat-loving veggies, so they’re completely ready for gardens now.
Remember, summer vegetable plants grow in at least 6 hours of direct sun per day. Also, consider planting flowers nearby to attract pollinators. They help certain veggies develop fruit. Make sure to place the plants in the sunniest garden spot, too.
1. Cucumbers
Talking about summer vegetables to grow in pots, you definitely can’t forget cucumbers. They love hot weather.
Summer is the perfect time to plant cucumbers for sure. They normally take around 50 days to become fully mature.
Before growing cucumbers, you should know whether your area has early frosts or not. Choose transplants, so they will have a good head start.
2. Summer Squash
I put summer squashes on my list of summer vegetables to grow for a reason. Consider planting zucchini and yellow crookneck. They certainly like the heat.
By growing summer squashes, you can harvest loads of squash before the first fall frost. They are also quite fast growers.
3. Radishes – Fast-Growing Vegetables in Summer
Speaking of crops, nothing is faster from beginning to finish than radishes. They’re such a fantastic vegetable for homesteaders and gardeners to grow.
Many radish varieties only take 25-30 days to completely mature. Simply plant the seeds of radishes. Then, remove excess seedlings. This ensures that they have enough space between each other to form their nice elongated or round shapes.
4. Turnips
Undoubtedly, turnips are one of the best summer vegetables to grow. They may be unassuming veggies in the garden. However, these beauties become nutrient powerhouses.
You can plant turnips twice in just one season. I recommend directing seed in your garden in mid-summer to get a fall crop or in spring for a great summer crop. New turnip cultivars taste good, both raw and sautéed.
5. Perennial Herbs
Growing perennial herbs is such a wonderful garden investment since they’ll return for many years. Most of them can survive the light frost, too. That means you’ll harvest them late in the growing season.
In warm climates, rosemary, oregano, sage, and thyme can withstand winter outdoors. Meanwhile, garlic chives and onion are easy to grow either from transplants or seeds.
6. Carrots – Late Summer Vegetables to Grow
Carrots are another fabulous root crop. Actually, you can plant them in your garden every 3 weeks. Moreover, the perfect time to grow them is late July through early August. This offers the seeds a chance to form carrots in the fall.
Do not leave carrots in the garden ground, so they won’t go back to their biennial nature. The tops will produce flowers before developing seeds in their 2nd year.
Sow the seeds about 3 to 4 inches apart. Don’t forget to water and weed the carrot plants regularly. Add the fertilizer after 5 weeks. I recommend growing baby-sized carrots and the purple ones since they’re fun varieties.
7. Beans
Undoubtedly, beans are one of the easy summer vegetables to grow. Moreover, they allow for plant succession.
Simply place the seeds in the garden ground every 2-3 weeks until mid-late July. This enables you to harvest the beans for a longer period.
While pole beans require something to climb, bush beans will always stay compact. They both grow rapidly, too.
8. Annual Herbs
Herbs are the perfect start for first-time gardeners. Most annual herbs are very simple to grow from transplants or seeds. Furthermore, they do excellently in raised beds and pots.
Annual herbs only live one season. They include coriander/cilantro, dill, and basil. Meanwhile, parsley is a perennial. It may live over than 1 year. However, its foliage tends to taste bitter next year, so people normally grow it as an annual.
9. Kale
Kale is one of the nutritious greens. You can add it to frittatas or smoothies. Additionally, this veggie is truly easy to grow.
Plant the seeds of kale now for a fall harvest. Take the small and young leaves for salads. Another option is letting them mature. Some varieties will overwinter themselves. They allow for a spring harvest the second year.
10. Beets
Talking about summer season vegetables, consider growing beets. Simply plant the seeds of beets in spring for a summer harvest. Also, you can do so in late summer to get fall harvests.
Both greens and roots of beets are edible. They are surely better than the canned ones. I suggest you roast them to make them tastier and sweeter.
11. Gourmet Greens
Speaking of late summer vegetables to grow, consider planting gourmet greens like lollo rosa lettuce and arugula.
This lets you harvest the baby greens before the fall frost. It’s much fresher and more inexpensive than the ones in grocery stores.
12. Eggplants
The eggplant is such a stunning and heat-loving vegetable. You can grow it with ease, either in containers or in the ground for the growing season.
Consider sticking to transplants. This gives eggplants enough time to fully mature before the frost.
13. Swiss Chard
Sow the seeds of gorgeous Swiss chard now. By doing so, you can harvest them in the fall. The plant is biennial. Moreover, some varieties survive light frost and winter.
To be mature, Swiss chard needs about 50-70 days. Don’t hesitate to harvest its outside leaves when the plant is 6 inch-high for either sautéed dishes or salads.
14. Peppers – Hot Summer Vegetables to Grow
Peppers are available in every cultivar you can imagine, from hot and tiny to large and sweet. Moreover, they do well in hot weather.
Some pepper varieties require a stake or small tomato cage. It will surely keep them upright under their fruit’s weight. That’s why planting them from transplants is a brilliant idea.
Nothing is better than enjoying fresh organic produce from the garden. Do not wait too long! It’s time to begin planting. With many summer vegetables to grow, you can feast on plenty of edibles during warmer months.