Summer Vegetables to Grow: 5 Fast Crops for a Late Start
It might be too late for tomatoes, but there's still time to plant these quick-growing, heat-loving summer vegetables.
Quick Reference: The Fab 5 Late-Summer Vegetables
- The crops: bush beans, summer squash and zucchini, nasturtiums, bush cucumbers, and okra.
- How to plant: direct seed into warm soil, following the packet’s depth and spacing. No transplants needed.
- Days to harvest: all are quick turnaround crops; okra runs about 60 days and loves the heat.
- Why they work late: frost-sensitive annuals that thrive in summer heat and stay productive into fall.
- Bonus: every one of the five has edible flowers, so you eat well and preserve the surplus.
If you had a hectic spring and think you have missed out on a vegetable garden this year, do not fret. You can still plant these crops. If you are a beginner gardener and feel intimidated by starting seeds, then these 5 are your easy starter crops. All you have to do is put the seeds in good quality soil and add water. If you already have a garden but do not know what to do when spaces open up late in the season, or when other plants die off, then these are ideal succession crops.
Short Days To Harvest
These vegetables can all be direct seeded when the soil is warm. That means you just follow the planting instructions for depth and spacing and get them in the ground. They all have short days to harvest, which means you can expect a quick turnaround from planting to picking. They are all frost-sensitive annuals, so they do not like the cold, but they love the heat of summer. Best of all, they are extremely productive, so plan to eat well and preserve some of your harvest. As a bonus, they all have edible flowers.
Direct seeding suits a late start for a simple reason. You skip the weeks a transplant needs to catch up, and the seed roots into place without the shock of being moved. Warm soil does the rest. Wait until nights stay mild and the top few inches of your beds feel warm to the hand, then sow straight where the plants will grow.
1. Bush Beans
Beans come in two types: bush and pole. Growing bush beans takes all the hassle out of growing beans. They do not need to be trellised. They produce a fairly dense fruit set, which makes them perfect for harvesting en masse for preserving, and freezing and canning are both great options. The quicker days to harvest give you an early crop, and they also leave less time for Mexican bean beetle decimation. Bush beans come in a range of types, including purple podded and stringless varieties.
Pro Tip: Plant bush beans in tight blocks, not rows, so they self support and can be squeezed into gaps left by dead or harvested plants. Beans are an above-ground crop, which in Gardening by the Moon tradition means you sow them during the light, or waxing, of the Moon.
2. Summer Squash/Zucchini
Summer squash plants have a compact, bush-like growth habit and reach peak production quickly, hence the common complaint many gardeners have of “drowning in zucchini.” It makes more sense to plant a small number of summer squash every couple of weeks throughout the summer than to plant a large number at the beginning of the season. There are also plenty of pests and diseases that enjoy your summer squash plants as much as you do, so staggering small plantings can help to mitigate any loss. By planting late, you can keep enjoying summer squash into the fall. The University of Minnesota Extension has a plain-English guide to growing summer squash and zucchini if you want to confirm the details for your own beds.
Top Tip: Squash produce separate male and female flowers, but only the female flowers will produce fruit, which means you can eat most of the male flowers (leave some for pollination) without sacrificing fruit production. The male blossom has a long, slender stem, while the female blossom sits on a short stem with a tiny fruit already forming behind it.
3. Nasturtiums
This one is actually sold as a flower, but nasturtiums produce such a high quantity of spicy, arugula-esque greens that they justify a place amongst your other vegetables. Their large seeds can be direct seeded, but germination will improve with an overnight soaking. Plant these seeds wherever there is a gap in your rows or beds, especially along the edges of taller plantings like okra and corn. The plants are beautiful, and the edible leaves and flowers will produce all summer long.
Top Tip: Plant your nasturtiums along with squash, melons, pumpkins, cucumbers, and watermelon, because they are known to help repel the troublesome squash bug. That makes them one of the handiest companions on this list, doing double duty as food and as a living pest deterrent.
4. Bush Cucumbers
Like beans, some cucumbers grow on vines and require trellising, while others hold a bush-like shape. Heavy fruited varieties may need some staking, but they are less involved than standard cucumbers. These cucumbers will produce a large fruit set all at once, which is the reason most pickling varieties of cucumber are bush cucumbers. It is much easier to do one large harvest and process it than to handle little batches over time. Cucumbers can also become overwhelming, like the summer squash, so small plantings over the course of the summer are a definite benefit for the home gardener.
Top Tip: Harvest the cucumbers while they are young to avoid tough skin and chewy seeds. And do not be put off by pickling cucumber varieties, because they taste great fresh too.
5. Okra
You may be surprised to see okra on this list, but set aside any reservations if you have them. Okra loves the heat and typically takes about 60 days to harvest. Like nasturtiums, okra seeds will benefit from an overnight soaking prior to planting. The great thing about okra is that the leaves are edible as a summer green, the flowers are quite delicious, and the pods are extremely productive. A single plant or two, planted here and there in the garden, can add a stunning visual dimension and produce a large number of tender pods. The red varieties of okra are beautiful.
Pro Tip: If your okra pods start getting woody, which can happen quickly, you can leave those pods to dry on the stalk and then harvest the seeds to start a fresh crop next season. When roasted and ground, they make a rich flour that can be added to pie and quiche crusts for a deep, delightful flavor.
Time Your Late Planting by First Frost
The trick to a successful late sowing is simple arithmetic. Take the days to harvest printed on the seed packet, add a week or two of buffer for slower fall growth, and count backward from your average first fall frost. If the number lands before that frost date, you have time to plant. Okra at about 60 days is the longest runner on this list, so it is the one to check first. Beans, summer squash, and cucumbers move faster, which is why they forgive a July start.
| US Region | Typical First Fall Frost | Latest Comfortable Sowing for the Fab 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Deep South & South Central | Late November into December | Through August, and okra often earlier for a full crop |
| Southeast & Mid-Atlantic | Late October into November | Mid to late July for okra, into August for beans and squash |
| Southwest & California valleys | November into December | Late summer, watching for extreme heat at sowing |
| Midwest & Great Lakes | Early to mid October | Early July for okra, mid July for quick beans and squash |
| Northeast & New England | Late September into October | Early July, favoring the fastest bean and squash varieties |
| Pacific Northwest | October into early November | Early to mid July, since summer heat arrives late |
For Canadian growers: gardeners in southern British Columbia and southern Ontario can often squeeze in fast beans and summer squash through early July, while the Prairies, Quebec, and the Maritimes are working against a September frost and should stick to the quickest varieties sown as early in the month as the soil allows. Wherever you garden, your own first frost date is the number that matters, not the calendar month.
Companion Planting and Pest Notes
A late garden is a busy one, so it pays to plant neighbors that help each other. Tuck nasturtiums along the edges of squash, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, and watermelon, where their scent helps repel the squash bug. Bush beans fix nitrogen in the soil and make gentle companions for both squash and cucumbers, filling gaps without crowding. Keep an eye out for the Mexican bean beetle on your beans and the squash bug on your vining crops, and check the undersides of leaves for eggs so you can rub them off before they hatch. The University of Minnesota Extension keeps a straightforward guide to growing beans that covers spacing and common problems. For a fuller pairing chart, see our companion planting guide.
A note for northern growers: These five crops require a couple of months of good summer weather to thrive. Okra stands alone as needing hot weather, but only for 2 to 3 months. So even now you can have great success with a July to September summer growing window.
Summer Vegetables to Grow: Frequently Asked Questions
Is it too late to plant a vegetable garden in July?
No. Bush beans, summer squash and zucchini, nasturtiums, bush cucumbers, and okra are all quick-growing, heat-loving crops you can direct seed into warm soil in July. As long as your average first fall frost is far enough out to cover the days to harvest on the packet, you have time to grow and pick a crop.
Which summer vegetables grow the fastest from seed?
Bush beans, summer squash, zucchini, and bush cucumbers all have short days to harvest and reach peak production quickly. Okra is the slowest of the five at about 60 days, but it thrives in heat that would stall other crops. Sow small batches every couple of weeks to keep the harvest steady rather than all at once.
Do I need to start these seeds indoors first?
No. All five are best direct seeded straight into warm garden soil, which is what makes them such easy starter crops. Just follow the packet’s depth and spacing. Nasturtium and okra seeds germinate better with an overnight soak before planting.
Are the flowers on these plants really edible?
Yes. Every crop on this list has edible flowers. Squash blossoms are a delicacy, and you can eat most of the male squash flowers without hurting fruit production if you leave a few for pollination. Nasturtium leaves and flowers add a spicy, arugula-like bite, and okra flowers are delicious in their own right.
How do I keep late plantings from being wiped out by pests?
Stagger small plantings so a single pest wave cannot take the whole crop, and plant companions that help. Nasturtiums along the edges of squash and cucumbers help repel the squash bug, and checking leaf undersides for Mexican bean beetle and squash bug eggs lets you rub them off before they hatch. Planting in a fresh spot each season also keeps soil-borne problems from building up.
Can northern gardeners grow okra?
Yes, with the right timing. Okra needs hot weather for only 2 to 3 months, so a July to September window can carry it to harvest even in cooler regions. Soak the seeds overnight, sow into the warmest, sunniest spot you have, and choose a fast variety to make the most of the season.
Chris Smith
Chris Smith is an enthusiastic grower and permaculturalist from a green-thumbed family. He has immersed himself into the world of seed and southern growing. On his urban homestead, Chris is experimenting with landraces, selective seed saving, crop trials, grow outs and edible seed oils. Chris works for Sow True Seed, an Asheville, NC-based seed company committed to sovereign and secure seed and food systems.
I have a question. I have like 4,5 roses and I think is not the right place for them, I would like to changed them, but I don’t know when is the best time? Thanks
Tracy – that’s wonderful. So many people think that if they don’t get a garden in May, it’s too late! Good luck with those tomatoes.
Samantha – okra has a poor reputation, I’m glad you managed to challenge some stereotypes 🙂
Hey Carolyn, this article is an attempt to be fairly generic. In general, most parts of the USA have favorable growing conditions for July and August (too far South would be the exception) and the chosen crops are quite adaptable. Okra would be the challenging exception for Zone 5. Have a look at your average first frost date (this website has a calculator based on Zipcode) and work back from there. You’ll likely find that an early July planting would work for you, but late July might be too late. There’s always next year!
Hey Janice – root crops like turnips, beets and carrots prefer the cooler weather and are often small and fibrous when it is hot. Since as you have them, you could transplant them out somewhere with a little shade and just give it a go. Also, depending on the size of the container, you could thin the turnips out and allow them to root up in the container, making sure to keep them well watered.
Hey Kathryn, Swiss Chard will germinate and grow in hot weather and it will not bolt (unlike lettuce and arugula) because it is a biennial. However in Zone 8-9 you’ll still be very hot and Swiss Chard is happier grown as a cool season crop. So I would say July is still a little early. If you’re eager to get started, you could start seeds indoors in slightly cooler temps and then transplant outside at the beginning of September. Good luck!
Question… I’m in zone 8.5…is it too early to start Rainbow Chard directly in the garden?
I have some turnip that I started still in containers , they are big can I still plant them and get a small turnip at least ?
Sow around 70 days before the first frost.
Sounds wonderful, but what Zone are you talking about?
I’m in Zone 5.
What a coincidence that this article just came out. I was gone for a little over 9 months and just got back. A few days ago, I planted bush green beans, patty pan and yellow crookneck summer squash, cucumbers and I went as far as planting 4th of July tomatoes. I am hoping for a wonderful harvest in September. Although 4th of July tomatoes are 55 days to harvest, I’m not sure if I’ll get very many if any at all, but I had to try. Happy gardening.
We grew okra last year, and people walking by in the evening would stop to as about the “beautiful tall flowers”. They were always surprised to hear it was okra.