We’ve got several vegetable planting suggestions for you to try between mid June and mid-to-late July. You might be squeezing in a few extra quick growing plants to make the most of the summer, or looking to extend the season with some vegetables that you can harvest in late autumn or even in early winter. Here are our five ideas for midsummer planting:
1. Plug the Gaps with Smaller Veg Plants
You’ll find little spaces open up as you harvest crops like potatoes, or lose plants to pigeon damage or slugs perhaps. This provides an opportunity to plant up some smaller plants in those gaps – lettuces and salad leaves are great for this, as well as spring onions, leeks, beetroot, carrots, spinach and even dwarf beans.
2. Extend the Season with Vegetables for Autumn Harvest
If you’re not keen on the idea of autumn and winter growing but would like to keep your vegetable garden productive until the clocks go back, then planting up a few things for a September/October harvest is a good idea. You can plant fennel, beetroot and carrots in late June and they’ll be fine to harvest before the first frosts arrive. Kale, spinach and chard would all be great additions – they’ll grow quickly now and you’ll get plenty from them in September and October (and they should keep going so that you can harvest some leaves over the weekends in November too.) Leeks will do well planted now, and you can pull them up while they are still quite young. Peas, mangetout and dwarf french beans are a great option too – plant in a sunny spot and they should give you a crop in September quite happily.
3. Plant Quick Growing Vegetable Plants
Get some leaves on the go – mustard leaves, wild rocket, lettuces, spinach and chard will all grow really quickly now, and you’ll be able to enjoy almost instant gratification!
4. Get an Autumn Headstart
September and October is the next big planting season, when gardeners traditionally plant up crops like brassicas, winter salads and other crops for growing over winter. However, you can get a headstart by getting some of your brassicas in the ground in July – the plants will grow quickly while we’re still in summer, and then they’ll slow right down over winter. Plant some cabbages, cauliflower, broccoli and kale in July, and don’t forget the brussels sprouts!
5. Max out on Herbs & Flowers
Another great option for planting in midsummer is to boost your herb garden, or add a bit of colour to your allotment with some companion plants or edible flowers. You can also plant cut flower plug plants to enjoy harvesting flowers to fill vases in late summer and early autumn. The benefit of planting these is that the flowers will attract bees and other pollinators, which will in turn help to boost your vegetable garden as they pollinate beans, peas, courgettes and tomatoes.
For an easy way to choose, have a look at our Midsummer Veg Plants – all the plants featured there will do well from being planted out in June/July!
