The latest time to plant for most vegetables would be the second week in June with a short harvest time. If planting crops that mature within 50 days, you could plant those as late as the last week in June, but keep in mind the weather will be turning cooler, especially at night. Cool crops are best for late plantings.
It's never too late. It just matters what you put into that garden. It's too late to grow tomatoes in your Chicago garden in September because you'll be getting cold weather soon, but you could still grow carrots, radishes, and lettuce plants.
Some fast growing fall crops like lettuce and radishes can be planted into late September, but many desirable fall crops like broccoli and carrots need several months of prime-growing conditions to mature before frost and low light levels set in.
You can defy the heat of August and dig in some new garden space for late summer planting. You will certainly appreciate the additional space next spring. Some gardeners may choose container-friendly vegetables for August planting.
Vegetables that can be planted in August include leafy greens such as lettuce, spinach, collards, kale and mustard. Radishes, turnips, beets and carrots can all be started from seeds in August.
Hardiness zones and indoor/outdoor planting
In practice: It's best to plant tomato seeds indoors during mid-August for hot summer areas and in July for other regions at the latest. Give the seeds eight weeks to grow before moving them outside.
Planting a Late-Season Garden
But does that mean you've missed your gardening window for the year? Probably not! There are many crops you can plant well into summer (as late as mid-late August) and still harvest a sizable amount of food.
The latest time to plant for most vegetables would be the second week in June with a short harvest time. If planting crops that mature within 50 days, you could plant those as late as the last week in June, but keep in mind the weather will be turning cooler, especially at night. Cool crops are best for late plantings.
Late summer planting
Choose quick-maturing crops. Spinach, lettuce and greens, beets, carrots, peas, and beans can be sown now. Most seeds will readily germinate in the garden now because the soil holds heat well into autumn; warm soil (in the 70°s) is ideal for seed starting, as long as the weather is not too hot.
In temperate parts of the country (USDA zones 4 to 8), planting can even continue into November and December, especially crops like spinach, Swiss chard, broccoli, and kale! In colder climates, some of these same vegetables are frost-tolerant. Many crops taste better after a frost or two.
If heat, humidity, gnats and bugs, along with constant watering and weeding are just not your thing, then fall gardening should be pure pleasure to those who are not fans of those ubiquitous conditions of summer gardening. Most cool season crops will do fine even through frost and some freezing temperatures.
Planting in September
Plant now beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, celery, fava beans, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, both head and leaf lettuce, mustard greens, onions, parsley, peas, potatoes, radishes, rutabagas, spinach, Swiss chard, and turnips.
Depending on your local climate, June or July is the latest possible date you can plant cucumbers in order for them to be able to yield any fruit. When planted in warmer weather, the plants will establish much more quickly than when planted in the spring.
Later sowings are also possible – up until late May with varieties like 'Veranda Red' – to yield a good crop in October. Larger fruited varieties are best sown in mid to late April to ensure a good crop of ripe fruit by mid-September.
Generally March and April, when the soil begins to warm, are the best months to begin sowing many hardy annual vegetable seeds outdoors including broccoli, cabbage, chard, carrots, peas and parsnips.
Mid-August to mid-October is an ideal time of year to plant new trees, though, that time frame can be stretched into November and December. To be 100% sure, measure soil temperature early in the morning for a few, consecutive days. If your soil is consistently 50° F or higher, you're good to plant.
You can plant in your garden every single day in the month of July to take full advantage of the long, sunny days of summer. While I'd love to give you a hard and fast rule for what you can still plant in your raised bed kitchen garden in the middle of summer, it will vary depending on where you live.
' Waiting until fall can be an issue too. 'If you plant a garden late into the fall, the biggest risk is that the plant won't root into the surrounding soil before winter and will be subject to frost-heaving,' Lindsay explains, 'when the rootball slowly works its way out of the ground due to freeze-thaw cycles.
July is not too late to start a garden, and you can still get a bountiful harvest in just a few weeks or months. However, you should prepare the garden quickly if you are starting in July and sow seeds or plant young transplants as early as possible.
Cucumbers. Cucumbers are perfect to plant in July. They love the warm weather and as long as they get lots of water will do well and start producing for you as soon as 60 days after planting depending on the variety.
Many vegetables will still grow and produce even more quickly from seed planted in June when the soil is well warmed up and teeming with life depending on where you live.
Crops in the brassica family – cabbage, broccoli, collard greens – and also other greens such as chard, escarole and radicchio can be planted in the next few weeks for a great late fall harvest. July is the time to start these seedlings so they are ready to transplant out in 4-6 weeks.