Happy Friday, happy June, happy Summer!
Today is for all you aspiring veggie gardeners… let’s talk summer growing!
The summer season can be so abundant and joy-filled, but it can also be wildly overwhelming and exhausting if you haven’t set yourself up for success. Over the past 4 years, I’ve created a trove of helpful growing guides and video tutorials, and today I’m putting all my resources for SUMMER growing in one place.
Because you want to know the real secret to eating like a farmer?
Learning to GROW like one.
There’s a lot to cover, so let’s get right to it! First up, here are 4 super helpful video tutorials where I answer some of my most-asked summer gardening questions:
Next up, we have my Summer Vegetable Garden Guide.
This guide is a download of all the growing information and lessons stored in my head after 15+ years of growing vegetables, and it’s packed with practical, crop-specific information that will help you have a thriving garden this season.
So if you need help knowing what to plant, when to plant it, and all the nuances of how to plant each crop, I’ve got you covered.
This Summer Vegetable Garden Guide will teach you:
Which crops are best to plant in the summer months (and whether they should be direct seeded or transplanted as seedlings)
Ideal spacing for each crop
My favorite varieties for each crop (including links to purchase seeds for the specific varieties)
The difference between determinate and indeterminate tomatoes (and which type might be best for your garden)
Specific resources and video tutorials for how to trellis summer crops
Tons of additional pro tips that I’ve gained from over 15+ years of growing vegetables
This guide is very crop specific! If you’re still working on getting your garden established, start with my 4-Part Guide to Start a Garden, and then come back to this post when you are ready to dig into the nuances of each summer crop.
Regarding plant spacing and # of rows per bed – in this guide, I share spacing recommendations based on a standard 30” bed (which is a common width for in-ground garden beds). If your beds are a different width and you need help figuring out spacing / ideal number of rows for certain crops, just leave a comment and I’ll respond quickly with the best spacing for your beds!
One last thing. The detailed, crop-specific growing information contained in this guide comes from over 15 years of experience growing food, and I believe this knowledge has real value. For that reason, the majority of this post is available to paid subscribers. My hope is that if you find this information to be useful, that you will invest in your gardening journey and consider supporting my work as a paid subscriber.
Alright, let’s dig into the Summer Vegetable Garden Guide!
Keep reading for a comprehensive, crop-by-crop (organized alphabetically) run-down of ALL the details you need to grow an abundant vegetable garden this summer.
Also! If you’re more of a spreadsheet person, I’ve also compiled this information on a super easy to read spreadsheet, which paid subscribers can find linked at the end of this post.
Direct seed vs transplant: Transplant seedling
When to plant: After last spring frost
# rows (per 30” bed): 2
In-row spacing: 18”
Favorite variety: Prospera from Johnny’s is a classic Genovese type that has incredible resistance to downy mildew, and it’s the only variety I grow!
Pro tip: It’s super important to know how to properly harvest basil to encourage the plants to grow OUT instead of UP. Watch my basil harvesting video tutorial here.
Types of beans: Bush beans (don’t require trellising) and pole beans (do require trellising)
Direct seed vs transplant: Direct Seed
When to plant: After last spring frost
# rows (per 30” bed): 2
In-row spacing: 3”
Favorite varieties: Provider (bush bean) and Seychelles (pole bean). I also love Red Noodle beans, which are a type of pole bean that produce long, maroon colored beans that are super unique and delicious.
Pro tip: If you really love beans, I recommend planting a new succession every 2-3 weeks so you can enjoy them all summer long. Once they are ready to be harvested, make sure to harvest frequently (every 1-2 days) to ensure you are picking the beans when they are still tender (as they can become very large and tough rather quickly).
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