Share
As the mercury soars, planting for the Summer garden becomes a crucial activity not only to beautify your outdoor space but to combat common summer health issues like dehydration and vitamin deficiencies.
Planting for Summer Garden with the right vegetables can provide essential nutrients to maintain your health and keep you refreshed without solely relying on cold beverages. Here are ten vegetables perfect for a summer garden, ensuring you reap the best flavours and health benefits during the warm months.
Also Read: 8 Tips And Tricks To Preserve Jackfruit This Summer
Planting For Summer Garden: 10 Must-Have Vegetables For A Healthy Harvest
1. Summer Squash
Image Credit: Freepik
Unlike winter squash, these heat-loving vegetables store poorly and are best fresh. Green, yellow, crookneck, straightneck, pattypan and zephyr zucchini are available. Pick a sunny, well-draining spot. When soil reaches 70 degrees F, plant rows or hills and direct sow seeds. Every week, plants need 1–2 inches of water. Drip irrigation reduces foliar disease. Fruit-bearing female flowers follow male flowers.
2. Berries
Image Credit: Freepik
Berries are essential to any edible landscape, even though they are not vegetables. Choose varieties with different summer fruiting times for a longer harvest. Choose container-grown dwarf varieties for limited space. Some blueberries self-pollinate, but cross-pollination requires two plants. Research cultural needs for each type. Plant in full sun, water well in summer, and cover with bird netting when berries ripen.
3. Melons
Image Credit: Freepik
A juicy, sweet melon slice is a summertime favourite. For juicy fruit, melons need heat, water, rich soil, and fertiliser. Choose a south-facing site with reflected heat and plenty of vine space. Plant seeds from the nursery start or wait until the soil temperature is 65-70 degrees F. Warm the soil and accelerate plant growth with a cloche or black plastic.
4. Cucumber
Image Credit: Freepik
Crispy heat lovers are a salad, snack, and pickle favourite. For best results, wait to direct sow seeds until the soil reaches 60-70 degrees F. Train these vines on a fence or trellis, or let them spread. Water plants regularly to prevent bitter or misshapen fruit. Frequent harvests promote new fruit.
5. Corn
Image Credit: Freepik
The quintessential summer crop, fresh sweet corn is a picnic and barbecue favourite. To produce tender, plump kernels, this fast-growing vegetable needs lots of fertiliser and water. To ensure cross-pollination, plant in 4 x 4 foot squares or rows. Harvest before eating, freezing, or preserving for the best flavour. Grill fresh ears and top with aioli, pesto, mayonnaise, or herbs for a unique taste.
Also Read: Tomatoes: The Best Ways To Cook This Kitchen Staple
6. Sweet Potatoes
Image Credit: Freepik
This nutritious vegetable is high in beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, fibre, and trace minerals. Tropical potatoes require several months of heat to thrive. In sunny, rich, well-draining soil, plant tuber slips at 60 degrees F. Moisten evenly with 1 inch of water weekly. When the foliage turns yellow, stop watering 2–3 weeks before harvesting.
7. Peppers
Image Credit: Freepik
Every taste can be satisfied with hundreds of varieties of this warm-weather vegetable, from mild to spicy. Due to their long growth time, plants must be started indoors or bought as nursery starts. Plant outdoors only when nighttime temperatures reach 60 degrees F on average. Peppers like sunny, well-draining soil. Maintain plant moisture by adding a vegetable-specific all-purpose fertiliser to the soil at planting. To avoid bending or breaking from fruit weight, plants need staking or caging.
8. Bottle Gourd
Image Credit: Freepik
Bottle gourd or lauki cools the system and restores function. This calming vegetable's high water content reduces acidity and aids digestion. Additionally, its moisture content easily quenches thirst, keeping the body refreshed in summer. Bottle gourd juice and a tsp of lemon juice are great diuretics, detoxifying the body by increasing urine production.
9. Tomatoes
Image Credit: Freepik
Fresh homegrown tomatoes taste superb. These favourite vegetables need months of warm summer weather to produce a bumper harvest. Since tomatoes are heavy feeders, they need rich soil and fertiliser. For maximum yields, choose a sunny spot and water and fertilise regularly. Wait until nighttime temperatures reach 55 degrees F to transplant outdoors. Fruiting plants need trellising, caging, or staking.
10. Okra
Image Credit: Freepik
Southern cuisines thicken soups, stews, and Creole gumbo with okra. Its heat and drought tolerance makes this vegetable easy to grow in warmer climates. Edible seed pods form in 50-60 days after germination. Directly sow seeds outdoors in rich, well-draining soil at 65–70 degrees F. Okra is drought-tolerant but yields more with regular water. Harvest small pods a few days after flowering for best texture and productivity.
Planting a Summer Garden with these ten vegetables will not only improve your health but also add flavour and variety to your summer meals. Each vegetable in your summer garden plays a role in maintaining your well-being during the hot months, proving that your garden can be both beautiful and beneficial.
