Grow through heat · plan the second season
Summer Planting Guide
Find warm-season sowings, successions, and fall-crop starts matched to your USDA zone.
Planting finder for Zones 1A–13B
What can I plant this summer?
Select your USDA zone to see broad seasonal windows for starting indoors, direct sowing, and transplanting or planting.
Your summer planting overview
Zone 6B Summer Planting Guide
Summer is both production season and the beginning of fall planning. Northern growers start cool crops earlier than many expect.
Go beyond the zone
Open your state vegetable planting calendar
State calendars account for regional frost patterns, elevation, heat, and local growing seasons that the USDA hardiness zone alone cannot describe.
Use the results well
Four checks before seed meets soil
Average dates are guides. Watch the forecast and protect tender crops from late or early freezes.
Warm-season seeds such as beans, cucumbers, and melons can rot or stall in cold, wet soil.
For late planting, count backward from frost and add time for slower growth under shortening days.
Use cold-tolerant, fast varieties in shoulder seasons and heat-tolerant choices for summer successions.
Modeled near 2½ inches deep
Check your current soil temperature
Enter a U.S. ZIP code for a current modeled reading, then confirm the seedbed itself with a garden soil thermometer.
Prepare for the season
Summer garden preparation
Use this checklist to prepare soil, fertility, water, mulch, pest management, and season protection before the work becomes urgent.
Protect soil moisture
Maintain an organic mulch layer while keeping mulch away from stems. Replace material that has thinned or washed away.
Water deeply and early
Favor morning irrigation and soak the root zone. Drip or soaker systems reduce leaf wetness and evaporation.
Side-dress selectively
Feed long-season, heavy-producing crops only when growth or soil recommendations indicate a need.
Scout twice each week
Check leaf undersides, stems, flowers, and fruit. Remove problems early and identify pests before choosing controls.
Manage disease pressure
Prune only where appropriate, improve airflow, avoid working wet plants, and remove badly affected material.
Prepare the fall garden
Start brassicas and other cool crops on time; clear finished successions and prepare open beds before late-summer sowing.
The garden’s important handoff
Use summer to build the fall garden
Keep the current harvest productive while starting the next season early enough for cool crops to establish before short days and frost.
Schedule the fall garden
Count backward from the first expected frost using days to maturity, transplant age, and roughly 10–14 extra days for slower autumn growth. Reserve space as spring crops finish.
Check summer planting windows ↑Start cool crops indoors
Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, collards, kohlrabi, and lettuce may need indoor starts while outdoor beds are still hot. Provide strong light and airflow.
Shop cool-season seeds →Harvest current crops often
Pick beans, cucumbers, squash, okra, and other fruiting crops before they become oversized. Frequent harvest supports continued production and reveals damage sooner.
Build a succession plan →Scout pests and disease
Inspect leaf undersides, growing points, stems, flowers, and fruit at least twice weekly. Identify the problem before treating and remove heavily diseased debris where appropriate.
Diagnose a plant problem →TIPHarden fall transplants gradually and transplant during a cooler, cloudy period when possible. Shade cloth and close moisture monitoring can reduce establishment stress in hot soil.
Important timing note
A zone is not a planting date
The USDA map is based on average annual extreme minimum winter temperature and is primarily a perennial-hardiness tool. Two gardens in the same zone can have different frost dates, rainfall, soil temperature, elevation, and summer heat. Use the zone finder for orientation, then refine the plan with your state calendar and current conditions.
Planning approach informed by the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, University of Maryland Extension vegetable timing guidance, and University of Minnesota Extension crop-planning guidance.