Is your garden thriving and growing in July?  It’s time to think about planting for a fall crop including bush beans, brussels sprouts, Swiss chard, and root vegetables.  

With the summer heat in full swing, it’s important to make the most of the warm soil and remaining growing season. Whether you’re looking to fill your garden beds with quick-growing crops or planning for a bountiful autumn harvest, July planting offers lots of opportunity for a successful fall vegetable garden. 

Here’s what to plant in July for a thriving garden well into the cooler months. 

What to Plant in Your Garden in July

July is an exciting time for most gardeners as by now you are experiencing an early harvest and everything else is humming right along.

July is also the best time to plant a variety of vegetables that will thrive in the fall garden. Just make sure you have enough time for plants to reach maturity before the first hard freeze.

Use the handy Zone Finder to find your frost dates. Determine how many days are left in your growing season based on that date. On July 1st, in Zone 5 for instance, I still have quite a lot of warm days left.

As summer heat peaks and soil temperatures rise, certain plants excel in the warm soil conditions. Bush beans and pole beans are great choices for sequential planting to ensure a continuous harvest from summer through fall.

Additionally, green beans are known for their resilience in hot weather and can be direct sown. They mature quickly, and provide a plentiful harvest before the first fall frosts.

Swiss chard is a versatile and hardy plant that can withstand both summer heat and light frost, making it ideal for succession sowing throughout the summer months. 

Root vegetables such as carrots, beets, and radishes are also great for planting in July. These crops thrive in garden beds enriched with organic matter and benefit from the consistent watering that is necessary during the hot climate of July.

For those in warmer climates, July is a good month to plant sweet potatoes and summer squashes. These crops love the July heat and will continue to produce abundantly as long as they receive plenty of water and care.

Planting fast-growing herbs like basil and cilantro can add flavor to your garden and repel certain pests. They are great for creating a more robust and healthy garden ecosystem.

Heat-Tolerant Greens for July

Many varieties of greens prefer cooler weather, but these can tolerate July heat. Plant them now or succession plant them throughout the summer for a continual harvest.

• Bok Choy
• Mustard Greens
• Asian varieties like Tat Soi, Mizuna and Tokyo Bekana
• Baby varieties of Kale and Chard (make sure to give them lots of water)
• Green Leaf Lettuce
• Coastal Star Lettuce
• Romaine Lettuce
• Red Leaf Lettuce

Plant in July for Winter Crops

Some vegetables love cooler fall and winter weather. Start new seedlings indoors or direct sow. They’ll be ready for harvest in the fall.

• Beets
• Broccoli
• Kale
• Cabbage varieties including Kohlrabi
• Fall and Winter varieties of tomato and Cucumber
• Cauliflower
• Spinach

Seedlings can be directly planted in the garden in late July or beginning of August if you start them indoors in early July.

What is Succession Planting?

In a nutshell, succession planting is making the most out of your growing season by planting crops one after another. For example, when I harvest early spring vegetables such as radishes, I plant warm season vegetables in their place such as tomatoes or peppers.

Utilize empty spaces in your garden beds by planting quick-growing crops like bush beans and green onions, which can mature before the first fall frosts. Stagger your plantings of fast-growing herbs and vegetables for a continuous harvest.

It’s important to pay attention to maturity dates and your frost dates, but succession planting is a great method to maximize your garden harvest.

July Gardening Chores for Zone 5

July is a critical time for garden maintenance, as the summer heat and dry weather stresses plants. Watching your garden closely for pests and making sure it has enough water are the biggest chores in July. It’s also a great time to start planning for future gardening seasons.

Because of the heat, make sure you protect yourself, too! A sun hat, gardening gloves and sunscreen are essential. Drink plenty of water when you’re out working in the garden. I prefer to do my garden chores in early morning to beat the heat.

Pest Control for Your Garden in July

Managing pests and diseases is another crucial July gardening chore. Fungal diseases like powdery mildew and early blight are common during warm, humid weather. To prevent these issues, ensure good air circulation around your plants by spacing them properly and pruning as necessary. Remove any diseased plants promptly to prevent the spread of infection.

Garden pests are at their highest populations now. July is such a crucial growing month so it’s important to keep them at bay. Especially watch tomatoes and lettuce varieties.

•  Cucumber beetles and squash bugs: remove eggs, spray an organic spray, and handpick and drown bugs every day.
• Japanese Beetles and slugs/snails: Remove them by hand, but also destroy them.
• Colorado Potato Beetle: Grow plants to naturally repel these creatures or use beneficial insects such as ladybugs

Watering a July Garden

Make sure everything is getting enough water. This is one of the hottest months and it can be killer on crops if  they aren’t getting enough water.

• Pay close attention to container gardens as they dry out easily. Keep them moist.
• Give your garden an inch of water per week.
• Investing in a timed garden sprinkler with rain delay ensures your garden gets the recommended amount of water.

In addition to regular watering, apply additional mulch around your plants to retain soil moisture, reduce the impact of summer heat, and minimize weed growth.

Fertilizing Vegetable Gardens in July

Feed flowers (especially annuals) now. They need extra nutrients to beat the hotter months and pests that comes along with it. 

Weeding

Keep an eye out for weeds and make notes of what kinds come up so you can help ward them off next season. Your fruits and vegetables will be growing rapidly this month so it is critical to weed at least on a weekly basis.

If you have kids, be creative with weeding and turn it into a fun gardening chore.

What to Harvest in July

• Start harvesting some types of lettuce as well as herbs. Basil tastes sweetest when you harvest it before it blooms.
• Harvest small varieties of tomatoes such as cherry tomatoes. They should be ready by the end of the month.
• Peppers might also be ready. Keep an eye on them as they will quickly ripen this month and into August.
• Beans are probably ready in July and should be harvested as soon as the leaves start to wilt. You will miss your crop if you don’t.
• Start going through strawberries and harvesting as well as rejuvenating and pinching off so you can continue to grow some more, especially if you have ever-bearing type.
• Cucumbers should be about ready to harvest. Do the harvesting in the morning so you can get them into a cooler environment (indoors) before they wilt in the sun.
• Harvest onions and garlic. Most varieties will be ready.

Prepare for Future Gardening Seasons

Finally, July is a good month to prepare for future growing seasons. Consider planting cover crops in areas of your garden that will remain unused through the fall. Cover crops improve soil structure, add organic matter, and prevent erosion.

As you harvest summer crops, take note of what grew well and what struggled.  This helps you plan better for next year.  Add compost and other organic matter to your garden beds now so they can break down before the next planting season. 

More Gardening Posts You’ll Love

• Make Your Garden Grow: Zone 5 Planting Schedule
• 7 Fast Growing Fall Vegetables to Plant Before Winter
• Fall Planting Guide for Beautiful Spring Flowering Bulbs
• Hot Weather Summer Gardening Tips to Help Your Garden Thrive