Too late?
Garden Clippings for June 11, 2022
It was July 15 last year when my neighbour, who has experienced far more vegetable gardening than me, mentioned that her squash plants had all bitten the dust.
“Oh, well, you win some and you lose some”, she said.
“Why don’t you plant some new ones?” I suggested. “Just give it a try and see what comes up. You have nothing to lose.”
The following day I brought home a package of Early White Scallop Squash seeds, a variety that she had never grown before. She promptly planted them, and two months later her squash was ready to harvest and eat.
Squash is a warm weather plant. If you plant seeds in the middle of May when soil is cold, they will take their time to sprout and will drag their feet until hot weather arrives. Plant squash seeds in June and they will hit the ground running. Plant squash in the middle of July and you are taking your chances.
Cucumber, cantaloupe and other vines are the same story. Ditto for pumpkins, although if you are striving to win the largest pumpkin contest, you had better start early.
Beans are another crop that doesn’t mind late planting. If you plant bean seeds at the end of May, you will probably be able to begin serving them up on Civic Holiday weekend. Pick them again a few days later and you will have enough to freeze or share with neighbours. A week later and the remaining beans will be overgrown and less tasty
The solution is to plant a small amount of bean seeds every week from the end of May to the beginning of July. You will enjoy fresh beans from late July to the middle of September and perhaps beyond.
Cool weather crops such as lettuce, celery, spinach and most leafy vegetables like to be planted early because they cannot withstand summer heat. Plant seeds directly in soil in early May and plant a second crop in mid to late August when evenings are cool.
My friend Shane from Aslan Organics manages to plant, harvest and bring to market, lettuce greens all summer, without interruption. I don’t know what his trick is, but his garden gets a bit of shade from hot afternoon sun. He picks his greens while they are young and tender.
Carrots can be planted in your garden every three weeks. Carrots like to be planted in late July or early August and will produce super sweet carrots in the fall.
My mother would plant a second crop of cauliflower in late August or early September, about 8 weeks before the first fall frost which usually occurs around Halloween. If the cauliflower heads were exposed to too much heat and sun, she would provide shade or cover the head with one or two of the plant’s biggest leaves.
Onions don’t mind colder weather and can be planted as late as mid to late summer. Plant them in a hot and sunny location and give them rich soil that has been amended with manure or other organic material. Harvest when you are ready, and leave the rest in the ground for late harvesting.
