Summer planting is not a single event but a rhythm: heat-loving crops going in as the soil warms, quick crops sown in succession every few weeks, and, from midsummer onwards, the first sowings of the fall garden. The gardener who plants only in spring ends up with a garden that peaks in July and fades by August, while the gardener who keeps planting through summer harvests into autumn and beyond. The challenge is heat — seeds that dry out before they germinate, transplants that wilt in their first days — and the answer is timing, water and shade. This guide covers what to plant in summer, how to keep it alive, and how to use summer sowing to set up the fall garden. Dates are averages and vary by place, so check your local extension service for the planting dates in your area.
What summer planting looks like
Early summer is the season for the heat lovers: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, zucchini, squash, beans and sweet corn go out once the soil is warm and the last frost is safely past, and basil and other tender herbs join them. These plants need warm soil to grow at all — a tomato planted into cold soil in a hurry will sit and sulk for weeks, while the same plant set out two weeks later into warm soil will overtake it. If you are planting late, choose varieties described as early-maturing, because they need fewer warm days to produce a crop, and give them the sunniest spot you have.
Midsummer planting shifts to succession sowing: a new row of beans, lettuce, carrots, beets and radishes every two or three weeks, so the harvest keeps coming instead of arriving all at once. From midsummer onwards, the focus shifts again to fall crops — sow brassicas, kale, chard, peas and carrots for autumn harvest, and start onions and leeks where the season is long enough. For crop detail, see growing tomatoes, growing cucumbers and growing green beans, and the zone page for Zone 5 summer gardening.
Sowing seed in hot soil
Seed sown into hot, dry soil often fails, not because the seed is bad but because it dries out after germination has started. The fix is simple: water the drill or row thoroughly before sowing, sow the seed, cover it, and then water gently again. A board, a piece of cardboard or a length of shade cloth laid over the row keeps the surface moist until germination, and it should be lifted as soon as seedlings appear. Sow a little deeper in summer than in spring — the surface dries fastest — and sow in the evening or on a cloudy day so the seed has a cool night to settle in.
Some crops germinate poorly in heat: lettuce and spinach seed in particular struggle when soil temperatures are high, and may need to be sown in light shade, or in a container kept cool, or started indoors and transplanted out. Carrots are famously slow to germinate in summer and need the surface kept moist for up to three weeks — a board over the row, checked daily, is the reliable method. If a sowing fails, do not assume the seed was at fault; sow again with better watering and shade, and it will usually succeed. The seed starting calculator can help with sowing dates, and our summer seed starting guide covers starting seed indoors in summer.
Transplanting in summer heat
Transplant on a cloudy day or in the evening, never in the middle of a hot sunny day, and water the plant well in its pot before you move it, and water the planting hole before you set it in. Plant at the same depth it was growing, firm the soil gently around the roots, water again, and mulch immediately so the soil stays moist. Shade the transplant for its first few days with a cloche, a bucket, or a piece of shade cloth — a plant that is shaded while its roots establish will grow faster than one left to struggle in full sun.
For the first week, check transplants daily and water whenever the soil around them is dry, even if the rest of the garden does not need it. A transplant that wilts once will usually recover overnight if it is watered promptly, but a transplant that wilts day after day will be stunted for the rest of the season. Keep a few spare plants in pots as replacements, because a small number of losses is normal in summer, and a replacement planted a week later is better than a gap in the row. Our summer transplanting guide covers this in more detail.
Succession sowing: the habit that keeps harvests coming
Succession sowing is simply sowing little and often instead of all at once. A row of lettuce sown every two weeks gives a steady supply; a whole bed sown at once gives a glut followed by nothing. The same applies to beans, peas, radishes, carrots, beets and herbs such as cilantro, which runs to seed quickly in heat. Mark the sowing date on a label at the end of each row, so you know when the next sowing is due and when to expect the harvest, and keep seed packets in a cool, dry place so they stay viable through the season.
Intercropping — sowing a quick crop between slower ones — makes the most of summer space: radishes or lettuce between rows of tomatoes, or a row of beans alongside sweet corn, using the space that would otherwise be bare. The quick crop is harvested before the slow crop needs the room, and the soil is never left exposed to the sun. As one crop finishes, clear it promptly and sow or plant the next one the same day, so the bed is never idle. For harvest timing, the harvest date calculator estimates when a sowing will be ready.
Summer sowing for the fall garden
The fall garden is sown in summer, and the timing matters more than it seems. Brassicas, kale, chard, peas, carrots and beets sown in midsummer will mature in autumn, when the weather cools and their flavour improves. Sow them where they will get some afternoon shade, keep them well watered, and protect young plants from the pests that are at their peak in summer — flea beetles on brassicas and carrot fly on carrots are both worse in warm weather, and a fine mesh cover over the crop from sowing is the simplest defence.
Start the plants that need a long season indoors or in a shaded nursery bed, and transplant them out as space opens up when summer crops finish. This is also the time to sow green manures on any bed that will be empty over winter, so the soil is covered and fed rather than left bare. If you are new to fall gardening, start with a small area — a bed of kale, chard and carrots — and expand next year once you have seen how it works in your garden. Check your local extension service for the fall sowing dates in your area, because they vary widely by zone.
A summer planting checklist
Keep this routine through the season: plant heat lovers into warm soil in early summer, succession-sow quick crops every two to three weeks, water seed rows before sowing and keep them moist until germination, shade and water transplants daily for their first week, and from midsummer onwards, start sowing the fall garden. Note what you sowed and when, so you can repeat what worked and change what did not, and keep a few spare plants in pots for gaps.
Summer planting rewards the gardener who keeps going rather than the one who plants once and stops. A garden planted through the summer is a garden that feeds you into autumn, and the extra effort is mostly a matter of water, shade and a regular sowing habit. For the rest of the summer routine, read our summer watering guide and summer mulching guide, and browse the guides hub and the planting calendar for the full seasonal series.
Frequently asked questions
What can I plant in summer?
Heat-loving crops such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, zucchini, beans and sweet corn go out in early summer once the soil is warm, and quick crops such as lettuce, radishes, carrots and beets can be succession-sown all summer. From midsummer onwards, sow brassicas, kale, chard and carrots for the fall garden. Check your local extension service for dates in your area.
Why are my summer seeds not germinating?
The usual cause is the seed drying out after germination has started. Water the row before sowing, sow a little deeper than in spring, cover the row with a board or shade cloth to hold moisture, and water gently until seedlings appear. Lettuce and spinach seed germinate poorly in hot soil and may need light shade.
When should I transplant in summer?
On a cloudy day or in the evening, never in midday heat. Water the plant and the hole before planting, mulch immediately, shade the transplant for its first few days, and check it daily for the first week. A transplant that wilts repeatedly will be stunted, so keep the soil around it moist.
What is succession sowing?
Sowing little and often — a row of lettuce or beans every two or three weeks — so the harvest comes steadily instead of all at once. Mark the sowing date on a label at the end of each row, and sow the next row when the previous one is up and growing.
When do I sow for a fall garden?
In midsummer, so the plants mature in autumn when the weather cools. Sow brassicas, kale, chard, peas, carrots and beets, keep them watered and protected from summer pests, and check your local extension service for the fall sowing dates in your zone.