How to Grow Vegetables in Late Summer

Vegetable gardening isn't limited to spring planting. There are a wealth of different kinds of vegetables you can sow in the late summer. Plant vegetables like cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and broccoli in the late summer for a fall harvest. According to the University of Indiana, vegetables like lettuce, spinach and radishes become bitter in the hot temperatures of the late summer, so avoid these veggies in your late summer garden.

Things You'll Need

• Tiller
• Fertilizer
• Peat moss
• Stakes
• Blanket

Instructions

1. Hand pull all weeds and previous crop debris from the gardening area. Till the soil down 6 to 8 inches.

2. Mix 1 lb. of fertilizer for every 100 square feet of soil with a tiller. Use a slow-release fertilizer with an NPK amount of 12-12-12.

3. Dig holes for your vegetables according to the depth requirements noted on the package. Sow most vegetable seeds two to four times their diameter in depth. For instance, if you have a seed that is 1 inch in diameter, plant it 2 to 4 inches in the ground.

4. Cover the vegetable seeds with peat moss to prevent the soil from drying out. Water the vegetable garden thoroughly. Keep the top 3 inches of soil moist in subsequent waterings.

5. Cover your newly planted vegetable garden when there is a threat of frost. Drive two stakes on either side of the garden and tie a cover to the stakes.

Tips & Warnings

• Buy seeds early at the beginning of the season, because many gardening centers run out of seed stock by the late summer.

• Avoid using seeds older than a year, because they will have a difficult time germinating.

References

• Purdue University: The Fall Vegetable Garden
• NC State University: Growing a Fall Vegetable Garden