14 Vegetables and Herbs You Can Still Plant in July and August

If your spring garden is winding down, don't put the trowel away yet. July and August aren't the end of your growing season, they're the start of round two. A lot of gardeners assume once summer hits its peak, planting time is over. It's not. There's still a full second window to get vegetables in the ground and harvest before your first frost.

Here are 14 vegetables and herbs you can plant right now, plus how to figure out if you have enough time left to grow them.

Why It's Not Too Late to Plant

Every vegetable has a "days to maturity" number, usually printed right on the seed packet. That number tells you how long it takes from planting to harvest. The trick to summer planting is simple: count backward from your first expected frost date and make sure your chosen vegetable has enough days to mature before then.

Many fast-growing crops, like radishes and lettuce, only need 25 to 45 days. Even slower crops like carrots and beets can still make it if you plant in the next few weeks. This second planting window is sometimes called succession planting, and it's how experienced gardeners keep harvesting all the way into fall.

How to Check Your First Frost Date

Before you plant anything, look up your average first frost date. The USDA's Plant Hardiness Zone Map is a good starting point, and most local extension offices publish frost date charts for your specific area. Once you know that date, count backward using the days-to-maturity number on your seed packet, and add a couple weeks of buffer for slower growth as daylight shortens in fall.

Fast-Maturing Vegetables You Can Direct-Sow Now

Bush beans are one of the best late-summer picks. They mature in about 50 to 60 days and don't need any staking, so they're low effort for a high reward. Radishes are even faster, often ready in just 25 days, which makes them a great confidence-booster if you're newer to gardening. Cucumbers can still be planted now too, especially bush varieties, and with warm soil they'll germinate quickly.

Root Vegetables for a Fall Harvest

Root vegetables actually love the cooling temperatures of fall, which can make them sweeter at harvest. Carrots take around 70 days but are worth the wait. Beets are a double win since you get both the root and edible greens. Turnips are one of the fastest roots you can grow, often ready in under 60 days, and they hold up well in cool fall soil.

Leafy Greens That Love Cooler Weather

As summer heat fades, leafy greens actually perform better. Lettuce can bolt in high heat, so waiting until late summer to plant often gives you a better crop. Spinach is another cool-weather lover that struggles in spring heat but thrives as a fall crop. Kale and swiss chard are both incredibly forgiving. They can handle a light frost and often taste even better after temperatures dip.

Vining and Heat-Tolerant Picks Worth Squeezing In

If you've still got warm days ahead of you, a few heat-loving crops can squeeze into a second round. Summer squash and bush zucchini varieties mature quickly, usually in 45 to 55 days, and they'll keep producing right up until frost. Just make sure you're planting a bush variety rather than a sprawling vine type, since bush varieties are more compact and better suited to a late-season slot in your garden.

Quick-Turnaround Herbs to Tuck In Alongside

While you're at it, a couple of herbs are worth growing alongside your fall vegetable plans. Cilantro actually prefers the shorter, cooler days of late summer over the heat of midsummer, and dill is a quick grower that pairs naturally with a fall harvest of pickling cucumbers or beets.

If you want an easy way to get started, our Organic Herb Garden Starter Kit takes the guesswork out of it. It comes with nine organic herb varieties, including both cilantro and dill, so you get a full lineup ready to grow without tracking down individual seed packets.

If you'd rather start smaller, the Organic Culinary Herb Grow Kit (Basil, Cilantro & Chives) covers the kitchen basics in one easy kit that fits right on your windowsill.

And once the weather actually turns, you don't have to stop growing. Both of these kits are made to grow indoors on a sunny windowsill, so when it gets too cold for anything outside, you can keep your herb garden going and harvest fresh herbs all winter long.

Growing in Small Spaces: The Vertical Option

If space is the only thing standing between you and a second round of planting, our Modular Vertical Garden Tower is worth a look. The four stackable levels let you grow vegetables, herbs, and even strawberries in one compact footprint, so you can fit a full fall planting into a small patio, balcony, or corner of the yard. Each level has its own drainage, and you can plant the same crop across all four tiers or mix a few together for a staggered harvest.

Prepping Your Soil for a Second Round

Before you replant a bed that already grew a spring crop, give the soil a little attention. Work in some fresh compost to replace nutrients your first round of plants used up. If anything in that bed struggled with pests or disease earlier in the season, avoid planting a closely related vegetable in the same spot. A light layer of mulch also helps retain moisture, which matters a lot when you're germinating seeds in still-warm August soil.

Watering and Care Tips for Summer-Sown Seeds

Seeds started in July and August have one big challenge: heat. Soil can dry out fast, and seeds need consistent moisture to germinate. Water lightly once or twice a day until seedlings emerge, and consider a thin layer of straw or shade cloth to keep the soil temperature down. Once seedlings are established, you can ease back to a regular watering routine.

Plant with Confidence, Even This Late in the Season

Starting seeds in the middle of summer can feel like a gamble, especially if you're new to succession planting. That's exactly what our Grow Guarantee is for. Every seed and kit we sell is backed by it, so if something doesn't sprout the way it should, we'll make it right. That means you can try a second planting window, tuck in a few herb kits, or bring your garden indoors for winter, all without worrying about wasting your time or your money.