What Can I Plant Now?

Hey Everyone,

Someone asked the best question in the garden this past weekend as to what can they plant now.  July is such a great gardening month as you are probably reaping the reward from all the hard work and dedication you have put in.  Besides being the perfect time to plant a second round of vegetables such as beans, carrots, corn, cucumbers, okra, and squash.  It is also the perfect time to make your plan for the fall.  Do you want to try growing some transplants yourself, or maybe attempt direct sowing?  Both of these methods often provide you with healthier plants and better production from them.  The two links below have wonderful planning charts on what you should be starting now for the best success next season.  I also inserted a link to the Farmer's Almanac that has a chart listing the last planting dates for your second round of summer veggies.

http://www.almanac.com/content/succession-gardening-
planting-dates-second-crops
Last dates for planting a second round
 of summer veggies. 

As I am getting ready to start my seeds for fall, this weekend was a trip to Lowe's for some additional starting trays.  To my disappointment, Lowe's has pulled all their seed starting materials as well as their seed racks.  I asked at customer service and they are unsure if they will carry them this fall but will pass it along to the manager that people may be looking for these products.  Evidently, the store manager does not garden.  Oh, go ahead and smack me that was just nasty!  Lowe's currently only has a very narrow selection of Seeds of Change packets and they are marked down for clearance. (Still higher priced than seeds at Pike's or Home Depot, but part of their proceeds are donated to a worthy cause.)  Home Depot continues to have seed racks up; however, they consistently place them outside which does affect the germination rates of the seed and potentially can have affects that carry over to the plant.  In fact, the three largest factors affecting the longevity, quality, and germination rates of seed are light, heat, and humidity.

For those who do not like to order online or desire something locally available, Pike's continues to carry Botanical Interests year round and at present, they have a nice selection of fall varieties.  I have seen a few different cultivars between stores in what they carry and display.  Botanical Interests is actually one of the better seed distributors as they independently lab test all incoming seed from their suppliers before packaging, ensuring a better quality product with higher germination rates.  They proudly tout the safe seed pledge and assure us a non-GMO created seed.  Based on the tests I do at home they continue to run around 93% germination on fresh purchases.  I think the industry standard set by the USDA is somewhere along the lines of 80 - 85 percent, but do not quote me.

If I can be of any help in choosing cultivars, just let me know.

http://www.burpee.com/gygg/growingCalendarWithZipCode.jsp?catid=1000&_requestid=3296629 - link to Burpee Planning Charts

http://www.botanicalinterests.com/img/site_specific/uploads/LateSummFallSowingGuide.pdf - link to Botanical Interests Fall Planning Charts

Happy Gardening,

Denise, Beds 25 & 29