When to plant vegetables: the best tips and tricks

when to plant vegetables in summer

When you start the urban garden, you begin to learn about the sowing calendar of many crops, including vegetables. For this reason, many people wonder when to plant vegetables. Depending on the type of vegetable, it is necessary to look for a more suitable time of the year for its correct growth.

For this reason, we are going to dedicate this article to telling you when to plant vegetables depending on the type and some examples and advice.

When to plant vegetables

when to plant vegetables

The first thing you need to know is that not all vegetables need to be grown at the same time. What is this about? Because some are designed to thrive in cool, moist conditions, while others require warmth and good weather.

In general terms, the origin of a vegetable has a lot to do with everything. Those from warmer and sunnier areas such as chili or peppers, aubergines or sweet potatoes, etc. will need these conditions. The same, but in turn, it happens to those from colder climates. If you plant them in the heat, the harvest will not be good.

So, let’s see in what season the most common vegetables can be grown.

Spring

urban garden

The best time in spring is when the winter frosts end. We are going to give some examples of vegetables that are sown in spring.

Eggplant

When planning to plant or transplant eggplants, two things should be considered: the right climate for its growth and the preparation of the plant to resist transplantation from abroad. This is essential if you are going to grow outdoors without any protection. Below 18 ℃, the growth is too slow, it is better to put it in a high temperature environment, until the temperature is right, to wait until late spring and early summer. Even if the frosts have stopped, if the temperature is still very low, the plants will barely grow, and they will be much slower anyway than in a sheltered spot.

In mid-spring, long after frost, you can plant eggplants outside. They can be helped by covering them with a large enough PET bottle, which will help increase the air temperature around the plants. In tropical and subtropical climates, it can be transplanted in early spring or late in the cool season.

Pumpkin

Some vegetables, such as leeks, onions or lettuce, can be grown at any time of the year because they will continue to grow without major complications even when conditions are not optimal.

Others, like pumpkin, must be planted on specific dates for two reasons:

  • They only grow well under certain conditions.
  • Several months pass from sowing to fruit ripening.

In climates where temperatures are consistently warm, squash can be planted at any time, but it is better to plant it before the sunniest seasonwhen it will grow better and faster. For other climates, it is necessary to plan when to plant.

In spring you can also sit the following vegetables:

  • Zucchini
  • Onion
  • Lettuce
  • Melon
  • Bean
  • Potato
  • Cucumber
  • Pepper
  • Leek
  • Watermelon
  • Tomato

Summer

cabbage

Although much less common than spring, summer is the best time of year to grow some vegetables that require heating early in the crop and cooling as they grow to prevent premature flowering. We are going to give some of the examples of when to plant vegetables in summer according to their type:

cabbage or cabbage

Interesting if the seeds are already available, or even if you have to buy them, if you want to grow a lot of cabbage, give them away, etc. It takes an extra month of cultivation from seedlings, which is exactly when the plants enter the seedbed. Cabbage is a cool and temperate climate vegetable that grows best between 15 and 20ºC.

From 0ºC, the plant will begin to grow, although slowly, so in many areas winter is not usually a problem for it.

If the climate is dry during part of the year, planting should be planned in such a way that the crop grows during wet periods, since it is a plant that constantly needs water. For most varieties, planting time is usually from mid-winter to mid-summer.

Given that the duration of a culture is usually around 150 days (5 months)planting should be planned based on the local climate and an understanding of the above temperature requirements.

Broccoli

Broccoli grows best in cool, moist climates. between 15 and 20 °C, with a maximum temperature of 24 or 25 °C. Broccoli, like other cabbage, adapts well to all types of soil, but prefers a loose, deep, rich texture that is rich in organic matter and slightly acidic.

When in doubt, it is best to do a small test crop. It is harvested in spring and summer, autumn and winter. In countries without spring, planting should be done at the end of the warm season for harvest in the cool season.

Broccoli plants are usually ready to transplant about 30 days after sowingalthough this depends on how favorable the growing conditions are.

In summer they are also planted:

  • Cauliflower
  • Spinach
  • Chard
  • Lettuce

Autumn and winter

Finally, another set of vegetables should be planted when temperatures are cooler. They need cold at the beginning of development and heat at the end.

Artichokes

Artichokes are temperature demanding plants. most varieties require considerable cold weather in fall and winter to flower vigorously and, for the plants to develop, the climate must be quite warm, that is, transplanted or planted. If it doesn’t work, we will have to wait until next year to make the long-awaited chapter in quantity and quality, the edible part.

Garlic

This is a crop that requires a cool climate, in the early stages the leaves develop and reserves accumulate in them, in the final stage, when the weather is warm, nutrients are transferred from the leaves to the bulbs. Generally speaking, garlic grown in the fall will develop larger, better bulbs unless other adverse conditions occur, such as waterlogging.

They can also be sown in the spring with good results, but this is less common. Early spring is the last resort if they cannot be planted in fall or winter. Garlic needs a low temperature of 7 to 10 °C to germinate.

Other vegetables are:

  • Pea
  • Chickpea
  • Asparagus
  • Heat

I hope that with this information you can learn more about when to plant vegetables in your urban garden.

When to plant vegetables: the best tips and tricks

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