What to Plant in July: Best Flowers and Vegetables to Grow + Sow
INSIDE: Worried about what to plant in July? Get my complete list of vegetables and flowers to grow and plant now. Plus, snag a FREE July garden checklist!
Now that July is here, warm weather worshippers are doing a little happy dance!
But for a lot of us, it also means lots of weeding, watering, and plenty of breaks in the shade with a refreshing ice-cold drink (hint: these are best garnished with homegrown herbs).
And if you’re anything like me…
you’ve wondered what you can safely plant in July.
Well, I’ve done all the research and have you covered with a list of some of the best plants to grow this month…
With a little planning, you can harvest armloads of vegetables and enjoy beautiful blooms for the rest of the season!
Keep reading for a list of the best plants to grow in July…
🌷 Make getting the right things done this month simple. Download my FREE July gardening checklist.
Heads up: If you buy something after clicking a link in this post, I’ll earn a small commission. I only link to products I’d recommend to my best friend.
The best vegetables to plant in July
In July, gardening is all about growing vegetables that can tolerate hot weather. If your garden was a party, the sun would be the main guest!
So, what vegetables can you plant in July?
The best things to plant in July are warm-season veggies that’ll mature before your first frost and cool-season crops that need to be started now for a fall harvest.
To plant a successful fall garden, you need to know which vegetables and fruits make for good fall crops.
Vegetable seeds to plant in July
What to sow in July: This is the time to sow cool-season crops for your fall vegetable garden or succession sow quick-growing summer crops.
Not sure how to succession plant? Here are some succession planting examples.
Here are a few seed-starting tips for crops to plant in July:
- Plan ahead. Check your seed expiration dates to make sure they’re not too old and you have enough. Order fresh seed packets a couple of weeks before you plant.
- Running low on seeds? Check out this list of my favorite seed catalogs.
- Direct sow seeds of root vegetables like carrots, beets, turnips, and winter radishes for a fall harvest. It’s best to start turnips in warm soil for harvest in cool weather.
- Direct-sow snap, shelling, and snow peas for late summer and fall harvests.
- Finish direct sowing sprouting and spring broccoli by mid-month. (Broccoli seedlings don’t like being transplanted in excessively hot weather).
- Calculate exact the exact planting dates by working backward from your first frost date.
- Water regularly to keep the soil moist and help your plants stay fresh.
You can plant heat-tolerant greens this month. Try planting some Swiss chard; it’s the little black dress of the garden – simple, versatile, and always in style.
And this is also the month you’ll want to direct seed kale or start transplants.
Cool season vegetables to transplant in July
- Set out broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower transplants for your fall garden. Protect them with shade cloth to reduce heat stress.
- Finish setting out transplants of Brussels sprouts for a fall and winter harvest.
Avoid transplanting seedlings during the hottest part of the day.
Summer succession planting is a great way to maximize your vegetable crops mid-season.
- Succession plant green beans, leafy greens, carrots, and green onions as you harvest them.
- Succession sow herbs like chervil, dill, cilantro, and parsley.
- For your fall garden, plant seeds of collards, kale, pole beans, bush beans, and summer squash as earlier crops are harvested, and you have room.
- Succession plant heat-tolerant leafy greens, carrots, radishes, and green onions for fresh garden salads. Look for heat-tolerant varieties of lettuce.
🌻 Take the guesswork out of what to do in your garden this month. Get my FREE Smart Gardening Checklist for July.
Learn more about succession planting from the Morning Chores channel :
Vegetable seeds to start indoors in July
Start cool-season seeds indoors to grow as a fall crop. Transplant the seedlings into your garden in a few weeks. Now is a good time to start:
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Chinese cabbage
- Kale
- Spinach
Succession plant heat-tolerant leafy greens, carrots, radishes, and green onions for fresh garden salads this summer. Look for heat-tolerant varieties of lettuce.
Flowers to plant in July
Wondering “what flowers can I plant in July?”
Here are some options for adding pops of color to your garden this month.
The easiest way to do it is to plant seeds. Getting transplants established in the summer heat can be challenging.
Flower seeds to plant in July
- This can be a great time to plant some quick-growing flowers.
- Some varieties that’ll bloom before the end of the season include Alyssum, Cosmos, and Zinnia.
- Cosmos are easy to grow, and mature plants are drought tolerant!
- For a burst of color in the morning, plant some morning glories.
- Their trumpet-shaped blossoms open in the morning and close in the evening.
- They’re happy to climb up a trellis or other support.
- Runner beans are another vining annual you can start in July. They prefer to grow in the hot summer weather.
- Start seeds for fall-blooming annuals, such as ornamental kale and cabbage. Keep them well-watered during dry spells.
Bright summer color combos to consider using include:
- red, yellow, and purple
- white, yellow, and pink
- purple, yellow, and red
Perennials to plant in July
- Keep planting of perennials, shrubs, and trees to a minimum, if possible.
- Transplant and divide with care.
- The hot weather and soil temperature can place a lot of stress on these plants.
- Even mature plants can suffer from heat stress when they’re transplanted.
- Provide extra water and shade new transplants with shade cloth until they’ve gotten past their transplant shock.
- Take cuttings of any semi-hardwood spring-flowering shrubs you want to propagate.
- Divide and reset oriental poppies (Papaver orientale) after tops have died down and new sprouts have started.
- Divide and transplant bearded iris. Keep the vigorous ends of the rhizomes and discard the old center portion. Cut the leaves back to about six inches.
Related: Snag a FREE yard work to-do list.
Frequently asked questions about planting in July
Can you still plant a garden in July?
Yes, you can still plant a garden in July. Many vegetables and herbs can be succession planted and harvested multiple times. Plant fast-maturing warm-season vegetables such as beans, cucumbers, Swiss chard, and summer squash and cool-season crops such as peas, kale, and cabbage to be harvested in the fall. And here are some flowers that can be planted in July.
Is July too late to plant tomatoes?
July is probably too late to plant tomatoes. But it depends on how long your growing season is. Most tomatoes mature in 70-90 days. Find your first frost date and subtract the days to maturity. This will tell you the last date you can plant tomatoes and expect a harvest. If you want to plant tomatoes, you’ll need to plant transplants if you can find them at a local nursery.
Is it too late to plant cucumbers in July?
No, it’s not too late to plant cucumbers in July. Cucumbers prefer warm soil temperatures for germination. You can sow cucumbers up to 6 weeks before your first frost date. And they’re a great crop to succession plant. Time your plantings 21 days apart.
Is July too late to plant flowers?
July isn’t too late to plant flowers, but you need to plant with care. Keep all new plantings well-watered, and provide shade for new transplants if possible (provide shade with shade cloth if needed) when temperatures soar into the triple-digits.
Can you plant potatoes in July?
Most gardeners probably shouldn’t plant potatoes after July 15th. But it depends on how long your growing season is. Most potatoes mature in 90-110 days. Find your first frost date and subtract the days to maturity. This will tell you the last date you can plant potatoes and expect a harvest.
Can you plant lettuce in July?
Yes, you can plant lettuce in July if you plant summer varieties. Most will resist turning bitter in hot weather. Keep the soil evenly moist until your lettuce seeds germinate and get established. You may also want to use shade cloth to keep your lettuce cooler and help prevent bolting and tip burn.
Get your July planting guide and checklist
You’ll always know what to do when!
Join my weekly-ish newsletter, and as a bonus, you’ll get the printable checklist! Click here to download and subscribe.
Here’s a sneak peek of your checklist:
Download the July gardening checklist now. You’ll be sure to get the right things done in your garden every July!
More monthly gardening tips:
Your turn: what do you plant in July?
Did I miss any important July planting tasks?
Do you have any favorite seeds to sow in July?
Let me know in a comment below!
