Plant Seeds in
July for Fall Crops
Vegetables to plant in July: Cucumbers – Cucumber beetle pests are slowing down. Cucumbers planted now should come into production in late August as the spring plantings are ending. Summer Squash – Plant zucchini, pattypan and other summer squash now. You’ll have continuous harvests through August and early September until the first frost kills the plants. If it gets really cold, summer squash and cukes are done. Green Beans (bush) – Plant bush beans for a harvest in 5060 days rather than pole beans that take 75 days to harvest. Sweet Corn – It’s always best to plant corn in the early spring but there are varieties of corn that mature in 60 days. Good luck. Green Onions – It’s too late for onions but not too late to plant seeds for scallions that are ready in 60 days.
By Vicki Matsumonji, WMCG We are in the sweltering part of summer. Here’s our usual weather scenario: long winter, short spring into a long, hot summer with no rain yet. Hope springs eternal as we patiently wait and pray for monsoon relief. By the time you get this magazine, we should be getting rain to quench our thirsty earth. July also represents a second chance at planting seeds for a fall harvest. There are still White Mountain old timers who never plant before July. The advantage of planting now is to avoid the onslaught of Mexican Bean Beetles and Squash Bugs that attack young legumes (beans and peas) and cucurbits (squashes and cucumbers). As July rolls around, the life cycles for these insects begin to dissipate. The scourge of tiny black flea beetles that attack young spring brassicas are beginning to decrease; however, aphids enjoy crops from early spring to late fall. These soft bodied creatures suck the life from plants and will not stop until the garden freezes. 4 The Maverick Magazine
July 2021 Issue
Peas – Plant snow peas now and enjoy eating them in the fall. Snow peas like cooler weather and grow better as the weather temperatures go down. Once you have planted seeds in the spring and the summer, it is important to continue to plant as the vegetables mature. Plant seeds every two weeks to keep harvests growing through the fall and winter. This is known as “succession planting”. Here are plants that will grow through the winter with protection at night and continuous planting every two weeks: Kale and Swiss chard – Plant now and harvest in the fall and winter. Protect the plants with freeze cloth when the weather gets cold. Kale does grow through the winter under precautionary conditions. Lettuce – Plant seeds in July and enjoy salads through the winter. Beets – Plant beets now for fall and early winter harvests. Turnips – Flea beetles are slowing down as planting turnips for cool weather harvesting is imminent. Turnips grow well as the weather turns cooler. Celebrating 19 years “on the Mountain”
