A second planting can turn cleared summer beds into another useful harvest. Begin with quick-growing crops that can mature before frost, along with varieties that perform well as temperatures begin to cool.
Count backward from your average first fall frost and make sure each crop has enough time to mature before cold weather arrives. With enough warm weather remaining, radishes, leafy greens, bush beans, cucumbers, summer squash, basil, and dill can make good use of open space.
Keep newly sown beds evenly moist during hot weather, and provide temporary shade when needed. Plant lettuce, spinach, kale, carrots, beets, turnips, cilantro, rutabagas, and other cool-season crops early enough to become established and mature as the days grow cooler.
Find your average first fall frost date and count backward using the variety’s days to maturity. Add another 7–14 days because plants usually grow more slowly as daylight shortens later in the season.
Good choices include bush beans, cucumbers, summer squash, lettuce, spinach, arugula, kale, mustard greens, carrots, beets, radishes, turnips, cilantro, dill, parsley, basil, and quick-growing flowers. The best choices depend on how much warm weather remains before frost.
Water the soil before sowing and keep the upper layer consistently moist until seedlings emerge. Temporary shade cloth, lightweight row cover, or a thin layer of mulch can reduce evaporation during hot weather. Remove solid coverings as soon as seedlings begin to appear.
