What Vegetables to Plant in Your Summer Garden

There is nothing quite like serving your family and friends a side of fresh green beans or sautéed zucchini recently harvested from your backyard garden. Although summer is in full swing, there is still time to plant vegetables plants for a late-summer or early fall harvest. Keep reading to find out which vegetables to plant in your summer garden and how to care for them to achieve an optimal harvest.

Know Before You Grow
Backyard gardens work best when you understand which zone you live in and what the growing conditions are like in your chose patch of earth (i.e.: soil quality, shade vs. sun, animal invaders). The more you know before you plant, the happier and more successful you will be tending and picking vegetables from your own summer garden.

7 Veggies for Your Summer Garden

Tomatoes

Freshly sliced, garden tomatoes are a heavenly experience, especially when compared with the mealy, pale variety available in the winter months. Your local nursery likely has hundreds of varieties to choose from, including classic beefsteak and heirloom tomatoes. Be sure to water the plants regularly and place stakes and cages around your tomatoes for support.

Peppers

Both hot and bell peppers grow well in the warm summer months. Although as the temperature climbs, you may want to focus specifically on small, hot peppers as they weather heat better than large, sweet bell peppers.

Green Beans

A summer garden classic, green beans are easy to grow and a staple warm-weather side dish. When grown in optimal conditions, you’ll find yourself harvesting more green beans than you can eat, in which case you can easily blanch and freeze them for use when the weather turns chilly.

Summer Squashes

Garden zucchini and its yellow-squash cousin are prolific garden staples, in fact when planted optimally, you’ll have a harvest you can hardly keep up with. All summer squash varieties are best harvested when young and tender, before they get large and tough. However, if you miss one and it gets massive, you can always shred summer squash for use in healthy, nutrient-packed breads and muffins.

Okra

Nothing says a southern summer like a plate of fried okra. This summer veggie is one of the easiest to grow in hot, dry climates, making it an easy choice for many southern farmers and gardeners. You’ll want to harvest okra every other day to ensure both optimal harvests and growing conditions.

Cucumbers

Whether sweet or spicy, few people can turn down homemade pickles or freshly sliced cucumbers with a side of ranch. To grow cucumbers in your summer garden, be sure to give them plenty of space to spread out and harvest frequently to make room for new growth.

Eggplant

A member of the tomato family, eggplant thrives in warm-weather gardens. This nightshade is best with in well-drained soil and watered often, especially when the days get hottest.

As you can see, there is no need to rely on the grocery store for seasonal produce. With a bit of work and planning, you can grow everything you need in your own summer garden!

Do you have any tips or tricks for growing veggies in the summer months? Share them with us in the comments section below!

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Photo by Lou Liebau on Unsplash