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By Bobbie Whitehead
Once June arrives, the planting season hasn’t ended, at least not for some fruits and vegetables.
Growers who want to add items to their gardens can still sow seeds or add transplants in the late spring and early summer. To keep the supply of certain vegetables continuous throughout the summer, a second or third sowing can help.
The National Garden Bureau suggests planting carrots, lettuces, radishes, pole beans and pumpkins at this time from seed.
In order to assure there’s enough time for the fruits or vegetables to mature, gardeners will need to determine how much time they have to grow before the first fall frost date.
To do this, the NGB writes, “Calculate your fall first frost date, count back to the day in June when you're planting and find seeds that mature in approx. 2-3 fewer weeks.
“That allows you a good 2-3 weeks of harvesting before Jack Frost comes to take away your fun.”
Once June arrives, the planting season hasn’t ended, at least not for some fruits and vegetables.
Growers who want to add items to their gardens can still sow seeds or add transplants in the late spring and early summer. To keep the supply of certain vegetables continuous throughout the summer, a second or third sowing can help.
The National Garden Bureau suggests planting carrots, lettuces, radishes, pole beans and pumpkins at this time from seed.
In order to assure there’s enough time for the fruits or vegetables to mature, gardeners will need to determine how much time they have to grow before the first fall frost date.
To do this, the NGB writes, “Calculate your fall first frost date, count back to the day in June when you're planting and find seeds that mature in approx. 2-3 fewer weeks.
“That allows you a good 2-3 weeks of harvesting before Jack Frost comes to take away your fun.”
Gardeners can plant pole beans in June from seed (Photo Courtesy of the National Garden Bureau).
A late spring planting works for some fruits, vegetables
Other vegetables that can be planted later, except in the far southern and northern regions, from seed or transplants include bell peppers, squash, tomatoes, beets and some watermelons.
However, June might be the last month for planting watermelons from seeds, and tomato plants are the best choice for a June planting, though some farmers say planting tomatoes from seed in June is OK. In fact, with many growers and gardeners having already planted tomatoes, some garden centers have reduced the price on tomato plants as the end of tomato planting moves closer.
For pumpkins, “seeds should be acquired in time for planting pumpkins between June 15-July 5 in cooler areas” of Virginia, for example, according to Regina Prunty, a King George County, Va., extension agent in the article “Consider Pumpkins and Gourds for Fall Harvest Crop Options.” Prunty also suggests planting seeds between June 15-July 15 in warmer areas of the state. These dates give growers enough time to harvest pumpkins in time for holidays such as Halloween.
Continuous plantings every two weeks of certain vegetables such as beets and lettuces enable growers to keep the harvests flowing. Beets and lettuces can do well as the fall temperatures drop. Other vegetables such as pole beans can have their harvests extended “by making repeated sowings every two to three weeks until two months before the average first fall frost” in the gardener’s area, writes the NGB in its “Bean Fact Sheet” article.
Again, using the NGB’s calculation will help determine if enough time remains for a harvest before the fall frost arrives.
In addition to planting vegetables, the NGB suggests planting herbs in June as well, noting that the warm soil serves both herb seeds and plants well.
For some of the new varieties of vegetables to plant in June, gardeners might want to try the trionfo violetto pole bean, the skyphos butterhead lettuce or the King Arthur hybrid sweet bell pepper.
1. Trionfo Violetto pole bean, Botanical Interests of Broomfield, Colorado
2. Skyphos butterhead lettuce, Johnny’s Selected Seeds of Winslow, Maine
3. King Arthur hybrid sweet bell pepper, Tomato Growers Supply Co. in Fort Myers, Florida
However, June might be the last month for planting watermelons from seeds, and tomato plants are the best choice for a June planting, though some farmers say planting tomatoes from seed in June is OK. In fact, with many growers and gardeners having already planted tomatoes, some garden centers have reduced the price on tomato plants as the end of tomato planting moves closer.
For pumpkins, “seeds should be acquired in time for planting pumpkins between June 15-July 5 in cooler areas” of Virginia, for example, according to Regina Prunty, a King George County, Va., extension agent in the article “Consider Pumpkins and Gourds for Fall Harvest Crop Options.” Prunty also suggests planting seeds between June 15-July 15 in warmer areas of the state. These dates give growers enough time to harvest pumpkins in time for holidays such as Halloween.
Continuous plantings every two weeks of certain vegetables such as beets and lettuces enable growers to keep the harvests flowing. Beets and lettuces can do well as the fall temperatures drop. Other vegetables such as pole beans can have their harvests extended “by making repeated sowings every two to three weeks until two months before the average first fall frost” in the gardener’s area, writes the NGB in its “Bean Fact Sheet” article.
Again, using the NGB’s calculation will help determine if enough time remains for a harvest before the fall frost arrives.
In addition to planting vegetables, the NGB suggests planting herbs in June as well, noting that the warm soil serves both herb seeds and plants well.
For some of the new varieties of vegetables to plant in June, gardeners might want to try the trionfo violetto pole bean, the skyphos butterhead lettuce or the King Arthur hybrid sweet bell pepper.
1. Trionfo Violetto pole bean, Botanical Interests of Broomfield, Colorado
2. Skyphos butterhead lettuce, Johnny’s Selected Seeds of Winslow, Maine
3. King Arthur hybrid sweet bell pepper, Tomato Growers Supply Co. in Fort Myers, Florida
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