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

5 Spring Gardening Steps to Take Now

While some of the country may still be getting hit with snow storms and that dreaded “nor'easter” – for most of us, spring is right around the corner, which means that lots of us have begun to think about all the fun we can have outside, especially when it comes to spring gardening. From daffodils to tulips, spring can bring out the best in our lawns, providing welcome pops of color and signs of new life after the dreary days of winter.

Now is the time to start your spring gardening! Even if there’s still a bit of frost on the ground in your neck of the woods, it’s never too early to get outside and get to planning … so you can get to planting! Read on for five things you can do right now to start spring gardening. And then jump to the end for a handy checklist to get you started.

1. Start with a clean slate.

The first step to any great spring gardening plan is to survey what you’re working with and get your landscape ready to shine. Get out of the house (bundle up if you have to) and take note of how your garden has changed since last year. Maybe there are trees and shrubs that need to be pruned or removed. Maybe your fence or flower beds are in need of repairs. Maybe your lawn needs a good mowing, or last year’s dead plants need to be moved into compost. Whatever it takes, you must get your garden ready to grow before you start … otherwise all your spring gardening plans will be in vain!

2. Hit refresh on your soil.

Now that your overgrown garden has been cleaned up, there’s one more thing you need to do before you get to planting … and it’s a big one! Preparing your soil for spring gardening is vital if you want your plants and flowers to survive more than a couple weeks. Consider testing your soil – it may seem like a lot of work but it’s definitely worth the effort! Even if you don’t live in a climate where it snows or freezes, there’s a good chance that your soil is pretty dried out and packed down after the winter, which means you’ll want to add moisture and other nutrients (again, that’s where soil testing comes in) found in fertilizers and other organic materials. Now is also a good time to add mulch to the mix – it prevents weeds, keeps your garden moist and even helps to maintain its temperature. Remember, if your soil thrives, your garden will too!

3. Pick your plants.

You may already know that there are different types of plants and flowers that thrive in different seasons, but did you know that you can even break that down to months? And with April just beginning, it’s the perfect month to pick your plants and start your spring gardening! Of course, you can head over to your local nursery or home improvement store and have them pick out planting bulbs for you, but if you want to get creative and build something unique, just a few minutes of research can help you find the best flowers and plants to make the perfect garden. A few of our favorite springtime gardens include dahlias, tulips, lilies and daffodils.

4. Consider fruits and veggies.

While you may be the most focused on creating a beautiful oasis in your spring gardening, you might also consider planting some delicious fruits and veggies! In fact, month-by-month planting makes even more sense for food. Beets, carrots, cucumbers, melons, peas, peppers, squash and tomatoes are all perfect for April. Think about how colorful and delicious your spring gardening will be! Once you’ve decided which plants, flowers, fruits and/or veggies will kick off your spring gardening, all you have to do is buy the seeds or bulbs and get to planting!

5. Start with spring. And plan what’s next.

While spring is the perfect time to start your garden, don’t stop there! You can continue this perfect pastime throughout the spring, summer and even into the fall. We love this monthly planting guide that will help you plan the perfect garden all year long, so whether you’re starting with spring gardening or waiting until the summer, you’ll know what to plant and how to do it!

Your Checklist for Spring Gardening

▢     Remove debris of winter like leaves, fallen branches, etc.

▢     Prune overgrown plants or trees

▢     Remove dead plants or flowers

▢     Check your gardening tools and order new ones if needed

▢     Repair any infrastructure like fences or flower beds

▢     Test your soil

▢     Add fertilizer and/or mulch to your flower beds and garden

▢     Pick the plants and flowers for your new garden

▢     Plan what you’ll plant next and into the summer and fall!

Are you ready to get started on your spring gardening? Let us know what you decide to plant in the comments section below!

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Photo by Neslihan Gunaydin on Unsplash