26 Vegetables to Plant in July – It’s Not Too Late!

_{Never really got the jump on your spring garden? It’s not too late! Learn about 26 vegetables you can plant in July – including specific quickly maturing varieties. You can still achieve the summer harvest you’ve been dreaming about!}

Every year, I set out determined to have my dream garden. And every year, I fall short of my ridiculous expectations for myself. Sounds familiar, right?

This year, my garden became a veritable jungle by the end of June. The tomatoes just aren’t getting pruned. The Thai basil is being crowded out by calendula. The cucumbers succumbed to cucumber beetles and bacterial wilt before I even got to harvest one.

But – I’ve now harvested my first cherry tomatoes and peppers. The first eggplant is almost ripe. My herbs and flowers are just thriving. It’s not perfect, but it’s feeding me and it’s glorious and it fills my soul every time I go outside.

After all, the best garden is the one you plant. 

That said, I know some friends who haven’t gotten to put their gardens in yet. Some jumped on the gardening bandwagon last year in the midst of the pandemic – along with much of the world. But a year ago, many of us were still at home with more time on our hands for the work the garden entails. So they’re struggling to balance their desire for a garden with their renewed responsibilities. Others moved recently and are starting from scratch on getting a garden space up and running.

If you’re in a similar place and feeling discouraged, take heart! There’s still plenty of time to get a good summer harvest of all these vegetables to plant in July, not to mention the whole fall gardening season we talked about last week.

Is there enough time before the first frost to plant new seeds?

Yes! In all but the coldest of regions, there’s a plethora of things you still have time to plant and reap the harvest of. Don’t believe me? Do the math!

As an example, I’m in Zone 6A – central Ohio. As of today, July 13, 2021, there are 87 days until my estimated first frost date of October 8th. That’s actually more than half of the growing season! And that’s not even accounting for cold-hardy veg that can grow past the frost into the fall. As you can see, there’s plenty of time for me to grow new crops, or even new successions of crops I’m already growing. 

What vegetables can you sow in July?

Lots of things! I’m about to get into which, but before, I really want to impress upon you that it’s less about the vegetable generally and more about the specific variety. Do you have time to plant a tomato from seed and yield big, juicy slicers? Maybe not. But a transplant of a cherry tomato that bears fruit in 55-65 days? Go for it!

I’m going to recommend specific quicker maturing varieties. So the important thing to keep in mind about which vegetables to plant in July is the number of days until your first frost.  Then you can compare your remaining days to the days-to-maturity listed below and decide if you still have time to grow that veg.

I’m about to share 26 different crops I would still have time to plant and grow. I know there are more, but I’m not tryna write a novel in this post. Just know if you’re in a warmer clime, you have even more options. If you’re in a colder one and you’re unsure, just use how many days are left in your growing season as a guide. If something’s on the edge, grow it and see. The worst that can happen is you don’t get much yield.

Many of the crops listed below you totally have time to grow from seed, just sown directly in the ground. For a few you would need to source transplants, which is possible! My farmer’s market is still carrying garden starts. Regardless, I’ll clarify what can be direct sown and what you’d need a transplant for

Alright, let’s get on with it, shall we?

26 Veggies to Plant in July (in Zone 6A)

1. Bush Beans

All sorts of bush bean are good vegetables to plant in July as most come to maturity in 50-60 days. And that’s sown directly from seed! Seriously, if you time it right, you could get it in a couple more bush beans successions still.

Direct Sow

Varieties: Blue Lake 274 (58 days), Dragon Tongue (60 days), Beurre de Rocquencourt (50 days)

2. Sweet Corn

In doing research for this post, I was a bit surprised to find out I could still grow sweet corn! Where I grew up in northern Illinois, we looked for the corn to be “knee high by the fourth of July” to indicate a good crop, but still often wouldn’t harvest until late July or August. But there are some shorter season varieties that could make great late summer crops!

Direct Sow or Transplant

Varieties: Dorinny Sweet (75 days), Orchard Baby (65 days), Striped Japonica (85)

3. Cucumbers

The curcurbit family is well-represented on this list, starting with cucumbers. In fact, you still have time to plant most different types of cucumbers, as they tend to take 50-70 days. They’re quick-growing and prolific, just make sure you have some sort of trellis they can climb!

Direct Sow or Transplant

Varieties: Chicago Pickling (55 days), Early Fortune (55 days), Lemon Cuke (60 days), Marketmore 76 (70 days)

4. Squash

Definitely go ahead and plant yourself some zucchini/summer squash. These babies are quick to produce and super prolific. Give them enough space, and they’ll feed you til you’re sick of them. But it’s also not too late to plant some smaller, quicker-producing winter squash.

If you didn’t know, winter squash isn’t actually grown in winter. Both types are grown in the warm weather, but winter squash has skin that hardens into a thick rind. After harvesting, the rind is then cured for long-term storage!

Direct Sow or Transplant

Summer Squash Varieties: Black Beauty Zucchini (50 days), Ronde de Nice (50 days), Scallop (50 days)

Winter Squash Varieties: Table Queen Acorn (80 days), Butterbush (75-85 days), Goldilocks (70-85 days)

5. Eggplant

Any of the nightshades are big summertime heat lovers, so you’re going to want to transplant to have enough time to get a good harvest. Choose smaller varieties, and don’t forget to fertilize!

Transplant

Varieties: Antigua (80 days), Japanese White Egg (65 days), Ping Tung (70 days)

6. Melons (including watermelon!)

This will be a running theme on this list, but choose smaller varieties of melons to help ensure harvest. In general, the small the fruit when you harvest, the quicker you’ll be able to harvest it.

Direct Sow or Transplant

Varieties: Jenny Lind Canteloupe (70 days), Minnesota Midget Melon (60-70 days), Blacktail Mountain Watermelon (70 days), Sugar Baby Watermelon (80 days)

7. Okra

Okras love heat, so they’ll take off quickly if planted in July! Most varieties are 50-70 days, so plenty of time to take advantage of this prolific producer.

Direct Sow

Varieties: Burgundy (55 days), Clemson Spineless (60 days), Texas Hill Country Okra (65 days)

8. Peppers

Definitely start with transplants, and aim for peppers you harvest when smaller and/or when green. Peppers are one of the trickier items on this list. They definitely are vegetables to plan to July, but you have to be sure you’re selecting the right varieties.

Transplant

Varieties: Hungarian Hot Wax (70 days), King of the North (70 days), Tam Jalapeno (70 days), Poblano (75 days), Shishito (60 days), 

9. Tomatoes

Same deal with tomatoes – your best bet is cherries or other micro or mini-tomato varieties. Just be sure to start with a transplant and provide plenty of nutrition!

Transplant

Varieties: Black Cherry (65 days), Pink Bumblebee (60-70 days), Sungold (60 days), also micro/mini tomatoes like the Spoon Tomato (70 days)

10. Potatoes

Many potato varieties should be good vegetables to plant in July for a fall harvest. Plus, harvesting for potatoes is like digging for treasure! And if you store them properly, they’ll feed you for months.

Direct Sow

Varieties: Algonquin (65-80 days), Chieftain (65-80 days), Dark Red Norland (65-80 days), Yukon Gold (75-80 days)

Note: After this point, you might actually want to wait even later to plant the rest of the crops on this list. Many I discussed in last week’s post on planning the fall garden, but they tend to prefer the cooler weather. 

11. Peas

Like the bush beans at the beginning of this list, peas are a great choice for a vegetable to plant in July. The heat will help them germinate and take off, but the cooler weather in the early fall will let them thrive.

Direct Sow

Varieties: Alaska Garden (50-60 days), Little Marvel Garden (60 days), Tom Thumb Garden (50-55 days)

12&13. Beets and Turnips

Root veggies like beets and turnips are great picks to plant now. Like peas, they’ll continue to thrive into the cooler weather.

Direct Sow

Beet Varieties: Bull’s Blood (50 days), Chioggia (60 days), Touchstone Gold (55 days)

Turnip Varieties: Purple-Top White Globe (50-55 days), Scarlet Queen (40-45 days), Tokinashi (50 days)

14&15. Broccoli and Cauliflower

If you can find a nursery center with brassica starts, load up! Late July is a great time to plant broccoli and cauliflower, as well as other members of the family discussed below. 

Transplant

Broccoli Varieties: Calabrese (60+ days), Chinese (though not true broccoli – 55 days), Eastern Magic (60-65 days)

Cauliflower Varieties: Cheddar (60 days), Self-Blanching Snowball (65-75 days)

16. Cabbage

As above, find some starts, plant some cabbage. Enjoy cabbage rolls this fall!

Transplant

Varieties: Earliana (60 days), Golden Acre (65 days), Gonzales (55 days)

17. Brussel Sprouts

Brassicas like brussel sprouts will continue growing (albeit more slowly) after the frost, so you can still get away with some longer season varieties if you can find transplants. For these, count back from your desired harvest date to figure out the best planting date.

Transplant

Varieties: Churchill (90 days), Groninger (85+ days), Gladius (98 days), Hestia (95 days)

18. Carrots

Many experienced, large scale gardeners actually reserve their large carrot planting for July/late summer. These will become the carrots they store for winter eating. 

Direct Sow

Varieties: Amarillo (75 days), Black Nebula (75 days), Cosmic Purple (70 days), Danvers (65+ days), 

19. Radishes

I’ve focused here on smaller, salad varieties of radish, which mature much more quickly than the larger daikons. If you’re a new gardener and haven’t tried growing radishes yet, please do! They come to harvest so quickly that they’re very satisfying and good for your gardening self-esteem!

Direct Sow

Varieties: De 18 Jours (18 days), Early Scarlet Globe (22 days), French Breakfast (20-25 days), Malaga (35 days)

20. Kohlrabi

If you’ve never had kohlrabi, it’s a bit of a cross between a root veggie and brassica. The bulb tastes like cabbage! Great for any sort of summer or fall slaw-type salads.

Direct Sow or Transplant

Varieties: Early Purple Vienna (55-60 days), Giant White (60-70 days)

21. Kale

Like the other brassicas, kale is one of the best vegetables to plant in July and plan to continue harvesting past the first frost. In fact, it tastes better after experiencing cold temperatures. Plant now for green smoothies for months!

Direct Sow or Transplant

Varieties: Blue Curled Scotch (30+ days), Dwarf Siberian (50-60 days), Nero di Toscana (60 days)

22. Spinach

23. Swiss Chard

24. Lettuces

25. Mustard Greens

26. Asian Greens

The remainder of this list is varieties of greens. Spinach and these others planted in the spring will bolt and become bitter when summer comes around. A late summer planting that matures into the fall with remain fresh and sweet.

Direct Sow

Spinach Varieties: Bloomsdale Long Standing (50 days), Galilee (35 days), New Zealand (60 days)

Swiss Chard Varieties: Five Color Silverbeet (60 days), Fordhook Giant (60 days), Vulcan (60 days)

Lettuce Varieties: Buttercrunch (65 days), Flashy Butter Gem (70 days), Black Seeded Simpson (60 days), Merlot (55 days)

Mustard Green Varieties: Green Wave (50 days), Japanese Giant Red (40-45 days)

Asian Green Varieties: Bok Choy (45 days), Chijimisai (55 days), Tatsoi (45 days)

Bonus: Don’t forget about herbs and flowers!

I know I focused on vegetables in this post, but loads of herbs and flowers can still be sown. If starting from scratch, I’d recommend basil, zinnias, and something like a teddy bear sunflower!

Now I want to hear from you – are you planning to plant anything this month? Did you know about all these vegetables to plant in July?!

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