With the passing of the solstice, summer has officially arrived, which means it’s time to plant again. By now, you may have harvested most of your cool-weather crops like peas and lettuce and you’re getting ready to harvest potatoes, garlic and onions if you haven’t already. That means you have space in the garden, warm soil, and the longest days of the year — the perfect ingredients for summer crops. Here are our suggestions for seeds you can direct sow now and harvest within about 60 days.
Basil
We always do a second planting of basil for the sole purpose of making pesto to eat now and freeze for later. It’s common in Italy to direct seed basil rather thickly, then pull the entire plants when they are about 4-6 inches tall. The leaves are at their most tender and fragrant at that size so they are perfect for processing stem and all. We make pesto without cheese, then freeze it in ice cube trays and store it in freezer containers for winter recipes.
Beans
Any of our bush green beans will germinate, grow, and bear quickly. This is another perfect crop to direct seed now and harvest all at once to freeze for winter.
Zucchini
We always marvel at how fast zucchini grows in the long days of summer. The seeds germinate fast and within a week or two you’ll have plants big enough to thin. We recommend you give our heirloom varieties plenty of room — about 3 feet per plant — and they will bear prolifically.
Celosia
Celosia is a heat-loving flower that actually prefers to be direct seeded into warm, moist soil. Whether you grow the plume or crested types, thin to about 9” apart once they get two or three sets of true leaves. Tip: Don’t always choose the biggest seedlings because you may be inadvertently selecting all of one color. You may also be able to see the color in the stem.
Zinnias
Another flower that will germinate in a few days from direct seeding in summer. We are hearing great reports from people in the South whose Prairie Peach zinnias are already in bloom. You still have plenty of time to grow this new, exclusive variety.
Don’t forget about fall
Today we are 12 weeks away from October 15. Depending on your average first frost date, it may be time to start plants indoors for your fall garden. The chart below is from The Vegetable Garden Planner, a book that helps you keep track of when and what to grow.