Late summer often feels like the end of the garden’s productivity. However, a greenhouse turns that perception around by enabling year‑round growing and extending the harvest window. With controlled temperatures and protection from early frost, a greenhouse allows for planting and harvesting to be active tasks.
This article outlines the best late summer crops to plant and planting tips to maximize yields during the transitional season.
Planning Your Late Summer Greenhouse Planting
The success of late summer greenhouse planting hinges on thoughtful preparation. This means appropriate soil, timing, and environmental conditions can make all the difference.
Understand Your Frost Date and Days Until Harvest
A fundamental step is identifying your average first frost date. Once that is known, calculate backward based on crop maturity timelines to ensure harvest completion before cold damage occurs.
Feed the Soil and Start Seeds
Healthy soil is essential for late summer vegetables to thrive. After clearing early-season crops, it’s beneficial to add compost or a balanced fertilizer to renew soil nutrients. It is also effective to start seeds indoors or directly in the greenhouse so seedlings are stronger and ready for quick transplanting when conditions allow.
Control Greenhouse Climate and Light
Greenhouses can trap heat, stressing cool-season crops. To counteract this, increase ventilation using greenhouse roof vents. In addition, shade cloths can help prevent bolting by reducing heat and excess light. When daylight decreases, consider using a supplement with LED grow lights to maintain productivity.
Use Season Extenders Wisely
For extended protection into cooler weather, using season extenders such as row covers, cloches, or low tunnels enhances microclimates inside a greenhouse. These structures support continued growth and safeguard late-season vegetables against early chills.
Best Crops to Plant in Late Summer
Selecting the right late summer vegetables to plant depends on maturity time and cool tolerance. The greenhouse environment accommodates both quick-growing and frost-tolerant species.
Leafy Greens
You can grow diverse leafy greens such as lettuce, spinach, and kale in cool weather with greenhouse planting. These crops are excellent choices for vegetables to grow in late summer as they are resilient, fast to harvest, and often taste sweeter after a light frost.
Root Vegetables
Root vegetables like carrots, beets, and radishes remain strong performers in late summer planting, benefiting from cool soil temperatures and the consistent greenhouse environment.
Brassicas (Cabbage Family)
Cool-season brassicas such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage are ideal for late summer greenhouse growing because they tolerate frost and produce well in steadier conditions.
Legumes and Beans
In regions with sufficient frost-free days left, bush beans, green beans, and snap peas grow effectively as crops to plant in late summer. The greenhouse protects them from unexpected temperature drops while boosting growth.
Herbs
Herbs like basil, cilantro, and parsley do well in late summer and early fall conditions. Cilantro and parsley, in particular, sustain flavor in cooler weather and are suitable companions to leafier crops.
Other Fast-Maturing Vegetables
Quick-growing summer vegetables like zucchini, squash, cucumbers, and even new potatoes offer additional opportunities. These options fill up the list of desirable late summer crops to plant that can finish maturing before frost.
Top Tips for Planting Late Summer Veggies with Success
When maximizing greenhouse output during late summer, strategic decisions about layout, structure, and microclimates are essential.
- Use Microclimates Strategically: Southern and sunlit greenhouse zones are best for heat-loving species. Shadier corners support cool-season greens. Implementing garden beds for root vegetables improves drainage and temperature control.
- Maintain Sanitation and Spacing: Clean regularly and maintain proper airflow to minimize disease risks.
- Choose Resilient Structures: Sturdy greenhouses with quality frames and panels are a long-term advantage. Planta Greenhouses models offer these features for dependable year‑round growing.
- Customize the Layout: Add shelving for herbs, separate areas for greens, and root beds.
- Use Composting to Warm the Space: Using trench composting can heat the greenhouse and provide rich nutrients in one step.
- Supplement Weak Light: When natural daylight wanes, LED grow lights help maintain crop vitality.
FAQs
1. What vegetables to plant in late summer?
Ideal choices include leafy greens, root crops, brassicas, and certain herbs, all well-suited to greenhouse conditions that prolong harvests.
2. What plants grow in late summer?
Alongside cool-season selections, quick-growing summer vegetables like beans or cucumbers may still be planted inside a greenhouse before frost arrives.
Conclusion:
Late summer greenhouse planting extends the gardening season. There are many vegetables to plant in late summer that will keep producing harvests well into autumn and even early winter. When combined with a durable greenhouse—like those from Planta Greenhouses, designed for strength and protection—this method makes it possible to enjoy fresh, homegrown food throughout the year.