How to Grow Your Own Sweet Summer Crops
This guide will help any gardener get started on growing the freshest warm-season veggies and berries for summer
Marianne Lipanovich
May 10, 2023
Houzz Contributor. I'm a California-based writer and editor. While most of my projects are garden-based, you might also find me writing about home projects and classical music. Away from the computer, I'm found in the garden (naturally), on my bike, or ice-skating outdoors (yes, that is possible in California). I'm also willing to taste-test anything that's chocolate.
Houzz Contributor. I'm a California-based writer and editor. While most of my projects... More
Summer is the height of gardening season. Farmer’s markets and roadside stands are filled with fresh produce, while home gardens are at the peak of production. It’s a time when eating fresh and healthy is easy and enticing.
To reach this stage, you need to start early — in late winter and early spring. That’s the time to plan for those important first steps that need to be done before you even think about planting your first seeds.
To reach this stage, you need to start early — in late winter and early spring. That’s the time to plan for those important first steps that need to be done before you even think about planting your first seeds.
1. Plan Your Garden
Weather may be keeping you inside, but you can still get a jump on starting your summer garden by deciding what you want to grow and, possibly more important, where in your yard you want to grow it. Winter or early spring is also a good time to map out a garden design and figure out your timeline for preparing the garden beds and doing the all-important planting.
How to Plan Your Edible Garden
Weather may be keeping you inside, but you can still get a jump on starting your summer garden by deciding what you want to grow and, possibly more important, where in your yard you want to grow it. Winter or early spring is also a good time to map out a garden design and figure out your timeline for preparing the garden beds and doing the all-important planting.
How to Plan Your Edible Garden
2. Choose a Growing Spot
Almost all summer crops require long, sunny days. Think about the sun patterns throughout your garden. You may need to rearrange existing plantings or even redesign hardscaped areas to get your edibles in the best spot.
Don’t be afraid to think outside the traditional garden patch in the backyard, and don’t think you need to limit all of your edibles to only one area. If your sun-drenched spots are in existing ornamental beds, tuck your vegetables and berries in among the flowering plants and shrubs, whether they’re in your backyard or front garden.
A bonus is that the flowering plants will help attract beneficial insects, and the ripening fruit will provide an unexpected burst of color among the other plants.
Find a landscape designer on Houzz to help plan your edible garden
Almost all summer crops require long, sunny days. Think about the sun patterns throughout your garden. You may need to rearrange existing plantings or even redesign hardscaped areas to get your edibles in the best spot.
Don’t be afraid to think outside the traditional garden patch in the backyard, and don’t think you need to limit all of your edibles to only one area. If your sun-drenched spots are in existing ornamental beds, tuck your vegetables and berries in among the flowering plants and shrubs, whether they’re in your backyard or front garden.
A bonus is that the flowering plants will help attract beneficial insects, and the ripening fruit will provide an unexpected burst of color among the other plants.
Find a landscape designer on Houzz to help plan your edible garden
3. Consider Adding Raised Beds
Raised beds add some design interest to a space and make it easier to care for the plants and pick the vegetables and fruit. They can also keep some of the more aggressive growers from taking over the rest of the yard.
7 Tips to Ensure Success With Raised Bed Gardening
Raised beds add some design interest to a space and make it easier to care for the plants and pick the vegetables and fruit. They can also keep some of the more aggressive growers from taking over the rest of the yard.
7 Tips to Ensure Success With Raised Bed Gardening
4. Determine When to Start Planting
Just as with cool-season crops, frost dates are important. For almost all summer edibles, sowing seeds or setting out transplants isn’t recommended until at least a week after the last expected frost.
How to grow the top summer crops, plant by plant
Just as with cool-season crops, frost dates are important. For almost all summer edibles, sowing seeds or setting out transplants isn’t recommended until at least a week after the last expected frost.
How to grow the top summer crops, plant by plant
5. Prepare the Soil
For best results, start two to three weeks before you plan to plant. A good first step is to test the soil’s pH levels wherever you plan to plant. Most edibles prefer a pH level that is neutral to slightly acidic, so you will need to amend alkaline soils. You can send the soil to a lab, but testing kits like the one shown here are readily available at nurseries, home centers and garden supply stores.
Once you’ve determined the garden location and pH levels, work amendments into the soil. For a new garden bed, first use a spading fork or rototiller to loosen the soil to about 10 inches deep; this step isn’t necessary for an existing bed.
In both new and existing beds, spread organic soil amendments, such as compost or manure, over the existing soil to a depth of 3 to 4 inches. Add in a complete fertilizer and any amendments needed to correct the pH level. Incorporate the amendments into the soil with a spading fork or rototiller. Level the bed, then water well.
How to Get Good Soil for Your Edible Garden
For best results, start two to three weeks before you plan to plant. A good first step is to test the soil’s pH levels wherever you plan to plant. Most edibles prefer a pH level that is neutral to slightly acidic, so you will need to amend alkaline soils. You can send the soil to a lab, but testing kits like the one shown here are readily available at nurseries, home centers and garden supply stores.
Once you’ve determined the garden location and pH levels, work amendments into the soil. For a new garden bed, first use a spading fork or rototiller to loosen the soil to about 10 inches deep; this step isn’t necessary for an existing bed.
In both new and existing beds, spread organic soil amendments, such as compost or manure, over the existing soil to a depth of 3 to 4 inches. Add in a complete fertilizer and any amendments needed to correct the pH level. Incorporate the amendments into the soil with a spading fork or rototiller. Level the bed, then water well.
How to Get Good Soil for Your Edible Garden
6. Take the Final Steps
Even though daytime temperatures may be warm, check to see if your soil is also heating up for summer. If your soil isn’t warm enough, many seeds may either rot or simply not sprout, and transplants will languish. Most seed packets or plant descriptions will give you the minimum soil temperature needed for seed germination.
Note: Don’t use organic mulches too early in the season; they keep the soil cool rather than warming it up.
Even though daytime temperatures may be warm, check to see if your soil is also heating up for summer. If your soil isn’t warm enough, many seeds may either rot or simply not sprout, and transplants will languish. Most seed packets or plant descriptions will give you the minimum soil temperature needed for seed germination.
Note: Don’t use organic mulches too early in the season; they keep the soil cool rather than warming it up.
More Tips for Growing a Summer Vegetable Garden
Plant seeds early. Sowing directly in the garden works well for most crops, but if your growing season is short, you may want to start seeds indoors or in cold frames before you transplant.
Plant seeds early. Sowing directly in the garden works well for most crops, but if your growing season is short, you may want to start seeds indoors or in cold frames before you transplant.
Look for healthy seedlings. If seed starting isn’t your thing, or if you need only one or two of each edible, it might be better to wait and get transplants from a reliable nursery or garden center. Some edibles, such as many strawberries, are sold only as plants.
Look for plants with sturdy stems and good growth. Blossoms aren’t necessary; seedlings without them will generally do better as transplants, as they are still putting their energy into growth rather than fruiting.
Look for plants with sturdy stems and good growth. Blossoms aren’t necessary; seedlings without them will generally do better as transplants, as they are still putting their energy into growth rather than fruiting.
Start small. If you’re a beginning gardener, start small with your favorites. You won’t be overwhelmed by either the care or the harvest.
10 Easy Edibles for First-Time Gardeners
10 Easy Edibles for First-Time Gardeners
Keep your garden’s size in check. If you’re more experienced, you face a dilemma each year. You want to grow your favorites, but then there are all those other options out there, both in new varieties and unusual offerings. How difficult will it be to add just a couple more plants?
If you have a large family or are planning to do a lot of preserving or canning, then it makes sense to grow plenty of each vegetable. For most of us, the space needed to grow a vegetable garden is surprisingly small.
Keeping your garden on the smaller side means you won’t need to carve out huge swaths of your landscape, and maintenance is much simpler and faster.
More on Houzz
What to Know About Adding or Renovating an Edible Garden
Read more edible-gardening guides
Find a landscape designer near you
Shop for gardening tools
If you have a large family or are planning to do a lot of preserving or canning, then it makes sense to grow plenty of each vegetable. For most of us, the space needed to grow a vegetable garden is surprisingly small.
Keeping your garden on the smaller side means you won’t need to carve out huge swaths of your landscape, and maintenance is much simpler and faster.
More on Houzz
What to Know About Adding or Renovating an Edible Garden
Read more edible-gardening guides
Find a landscape designer near you
Shop for gardening tools
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Ok thank you for this article. I have to get my 2 cents worth in. My husband and I bought 55 acres 3 years ago and found because of where we bought that the ground was pretty much useless for growing because of the extreme rock and canary reed grass so we went to an alternative since we also got silos on the property and had no use for them.
We took the silos down and apart, removed the top and bottoms and cut the leftovers into rounds half the depth of the original with the cut edge down. So if the originals were 42 inches we had rounds 21 inches. etc. So far we have 18 and have silos for another 20. They have worked great as the ground we use for them has about 12 inches of rock under them.
Deer: my neighbor shared what she does and it worked...
I put slats of wood about 2’ high around garden, then winded fishing line from post to post. The deer feel it but don’t see it and it scares them away.
my second year with my raised bed I took it down planning to replace the line which got a bit tangled up, and the deer stayed away without replacing it.
I got the sticks at Lowe’s in a bundle of 10-12 for $5-10. My bed is about 4x12’.