Your Guide to Sowing Vegetable Seeds for July & August

Majority of the vegetable crops are sown in spring, so it is natural to think that one may have missed the chance for sowing vegetable crops for this year. But we are here to help you, to inform you about vegetable crops that you can still sow to get a harvest later this year.

Below are the suggestions for healthy vegetables to sow now so that it can be harvested later this year:

1. Spinach

It is excellent to sow spinach in early August. It can crop for 9 months if you harvest the outside larger leaves as it grows. It can even survive hard winters & its leaves actually sweeten in the cold. Look out for two varieties ‘Medania’ & ‘Red Cardinal’. Spinach can eaten in raw salads & in vegetable form also. It is very healthy as it very rich in Iron.

Winter Cultivar crops can be sown in August or even in early September but they may need protection from October onwards, unless you live in a mild area. Where winters are hard after or in October, you can cover the plants cloches or with fleece or with similar materials.

2. Brassica Salads

These are ideal to sow in early August. You can plant mustards, mizuna, pakchoi & tatsoi. It is advisable to sow salad plants direct into the ground in early August in shallow holes that have been watered before sowing.

For late summer, Chinese Cabbage is particularly a good crop as days are long & nights are warm. It should be sown thinly in fertile soil outdoors up until August, every three weeks for successional crops, 1cm deep in rows 38cm (15in) apart.

3. Lettuce

Up to early September, Lettuce can be sown. It can be grown in protected spots such as balconies or windows through the winter months. A great variety for late sowing is ‘Grenoble Red’.

4. Herbs

Chervil & Coriander with their mild aniseed flavor can give lovely Autumn leaves if sown late in July. They may even survive winter. With Coriander, germination will likely to take place between 7 to 20 days & you will need to sow every 3-4 weeks for a regular supply of leaves. You can continue to sow up until September.

5. Peas

Their seeds can be sown any time during the year & they are very easy to grow in containers. They can great in salads or can be steamed or can be used in vegetables as supplements. You can try 2 varieties ‘Mr Brays’ & ‘Oregon Sugar Pod’.

6. Radishes

You can also sow winter radishes in July & August. They will grow larger & slowly than spring sowings. They should be ready to harvest in October & November. Winter Radishes like Mooli, cylindrical white roots of Japanese winter radish are great for multiple uses.

For next year crops, you can also sow early variety of carrots in July & August. It will help you to avoid carrot fly.