Fast-Growing Vegetables to Plant in Summer

As you harvest any spring crops, do not let those gaps in the garden sit empty; they’ll only fill up with weeds! To get the most from your garden, break out the seeds and pop in a few wherever you find an open spot.

Here are some summer vegetables that don’t take too long to mature. In late summer, as your spring-planted veggies are winding down, these new recruits will still be going strong.

Vegetables to Plant in Summer

• Bush beans are perfect for early- to mid-summer planting. Many varieties mature in 50 to 60 days and will supply you with tender new beans until frost takes them out in the fall.

• Cucumbers and summer squash don’t take long to produce fruits when planted in the warm soil of early to mid-summer. Planting later into the summer can also help you avoid the worst of pests, such as squash bugs and squash vine borers.

• Greens that can stand up to heat, like chard or kale, can grow in place of heat-sensitive lettuce and spinach.

• Radishes add pep to any meal. Many red radishes are ready to eat in as little as 25 days. For something different, try white daikon, watermelon radish, or black Spanish.
• Root crops, including beets, carrots, turnips, and rutabaga, can be directly seeded in the heat of summer and will be ready in time for a fall crop. Maturing in the cooler days of fall improves their flavor. (Learn more about planting fall crops!)
• Herbs like basil, dill, and cilantro don’t take long to grow enough leaves to pick for garnishing summer meals and can be planted at 2-week intervals throughout the summer. Nothing beats the flavor of dill on new potatoes, a chiffonade of basil on pasta salad, or fresh cilantro in your favorite salsa.

• Flowers are food for the soul—and the pollinators! If you have spots in the garden that need a dash of color, try planting edible flowers like calendula or nasturtiums. Their large seeds germinate fast.

Fill in all those spring gaps for a summer refresh!

Learn More

• See the Almanac’s Library of Vegetable Growing Guides for an abundance of planting and harvesting information.
• Here’s a helpful video showing some fast-growing vegetables.
• See our Top 10 Vegetables to Start from Seed.