30+ Foods You Can Easily Sprout This Summer, Right Now

Late July sunshine spills through my kitchen window, and as I sip iced herbal tea I can’t help but think of the cozy harvest ahead. Truly, “July is not too late to plant new seeds,” as gardening guides remind us. Even as summers linger, sowing now sets the stage for autumn abundance. Strawberries may be finishing, but hardy young seeds tucked into the earth will thank you come cooler weather. In fact, midsummer sowings of certain vegetables and herbs will “produce well into fall,” yielding fresh greens when the season finally chills. Let’s tuck our feet under the porch and chat about what to plant now for a fruitful fall, guided by the seasons’ gentle rhythm.

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Cool-Weather Fall Crops

Imagine a garden in early autumn: rows of onions and cabbages framed by marigolds and kale. To get there, sow cool-season greens now. Succession-plant salad greens like lettuces, arugula, and baby spinach in July/August for crisp fall salads. These quick-maturing greens thrive when days shorten. Kale and collards are also top picks – they relish cooler weather and even sweeten after a frost. As one source advises, gardeners in zone 6–7 should “plant arugula, kale, and lettuce for a second (or even third) round” in July to enjoy salads in late summer. Don’t overlook leafy cabbages and kohlrabi, which can be direct-seeded now for fall harvests.

• Leafy greens (lettuce, arugula, spinach) – Fast-growing salad crops for crisp autumn salads.
• Hearty brassicas (kale, collards, Chinese cabbage) – Very frost-tolerant greens whose flavor improves in cool weather.
• Other cool greens (mustard, endive, Swiss chard) – Tender leaves that bolt in heat but thrive in fall’s cooler soil (Swiss chard in particular tolerates light frosts).

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Root Crops

July and August are perfect for sinking carrot, turnip, and radish seeds into the ground. Many root vegetables actually prefer a later planting: beets and carrots “flourish when sown midsummer,” since they can handle light frost and become sweeter if left under snow. Radishes and turnips are stars for fall; quick to mature, they’ll fill out your crop rotation before hard frost. As The Spruce notes, “radishes, turnips, beets, and carrots can all benefit from a second planting” in zones 4 and 5. Staggered plantings of these roots will supply fresh baby carrots or peppery radishes throughout the fall.

• Radishes – Extremely fast (just 3–4 weeks to harvest); good in succession plantings for late summer snacking.
• Carrots – Tolerate chill; sow in early August for sweetest fall and winter carrots, even harvestable under mulch.
• Beets – Sow now for juicy, sweet beets that enjoy cool nights.
• Turnips & Rutabagas – Tough root crops that thrive as summer wanes (plant 60–90 days before frost).

Herbs

Late summer is often too warm for many herbs, but some do well if timed right. Cilantro and dill are two cool-season favorites – they tend to bolt in high heat, but if you seed them now they’ll perk up as days shorten. In fact, one gardening guide points out that “parsley, dill, and cilantro ease their bolting once the heat of summer passes,” so go ahead and sow them for fall harvest of fresh herbs. Parsley itself is a biennial that loves cool weather, and basil can even handle a late sowing in mild climates. In cooler regions (zones 4–5), even basil and leeks grown from seed in late summer will provide flavorful herbs and aromatic soup ingredients when autumn cools.

• Parsley, Dill, Cilantro – Sow in July/August; these herbs slow down bolting as heat wanes.
• Basil – In milder zones, basil seeded now gives a last surge of fragrant leaves for pesto. (Zones 4–5 experts note basil from seed is a fine fall addition.)
• Chives, Oregano, Thyme – Perennial or hardy herbs can often be seeded or transplanted now for a final growth spurt.

Beans and Peas

Warm-season legumes can squeeze in one more round too. Bush beans and pole beans should be sown by early August; many gardeners recommend mid-summer as the last practical date for beans so they have time to mature before frost. Snap peas and sugar peas also enjoy a late planting: sow those in mid-to-late August for a cool fall crop of sweet pods. (Even in zones 6–7 you’ll hear that peas can “be given another go, starting in July”.) Beans will just keep climbing on your supports, and peas will thank you when the air cools off.

• Bush/ Pole Beans – Direct-sow by early Aug; last chance for beans.
• Peas (snap/sugar) – Sow in late Aug for a fall harvest (mild daytime temperatures and cool nights yield sweet pods).

Fast Summer Fill-Ins

Got an unexpected gap in August? Fill it with speedy crops. Radishes top this list – “one of the fastest growing vegetables around,” they reach harvest in about 30 days. Succession-plant leaf lettuce or mixed salad greens now (varieties like a fast-maturing mesclun mix) to keep a steady supply of fresh salads. Baby spinach or winter greens also grow quickly for an autumn harvest. Even quick carrots or turnips can serve as fillers if you just need a few small radishes or baby carrots on short notice. These “fill-in” crops give instant gratification while you plan out the longer-season fall plants.

• Radishes – Super-fast (often 4–6 weeks to maturity).
• Leaf Lettuce & Baby Greens – Sow every few weeks now; you’ll have soft greens ready before frost.
• Baby Spinach – A quick cool-weather green; plant now for a fall batch.
• Quick Carrot or Turnip Varieties – Short-season roots can be tucked in for small, tender harvests.

Cover Crops / Soil Builders

If beds are freeing up or you want to rest a patch, consider cover crops. Summer covers like buckwheat and cowpeas (black-eyed peas) can be sown now to crowd out weeds and add biomass. Buckwheat is a superstar at quickly covering bare soil – it “germinates in 3–5 days” and can be grown for 5–6 weeks to smother weeds. Cowpeas and sunn hemp are heat-loving legumes that fix nitrogen as they grow. By late August you can switch to overwintering covers: broadcast oats, winter rye, or crimson clover – these will grow into winter and give you green mulch and fertility by spring. In short, cover-cropping “transforms bare soil into productive, biologically active ground,” adding organic matter and nutrients. Even a simple mix of oats and vetch or rye and clover will feed the soil until spring plowing.

• Buckwheat – Fast-growing warm-season cover; excellent at weed suppression.
• Cowpeas (Southern peas) – Heat-tolerant legumes; add nitrogen to the soil.
• Winter Rye or Oats – Grain covers sown in August; they establish quickly and overwinter (good root system, organic matter).
• Clover/Vetch Mix – Nitrogen-fixing winter cover (crimson clover, hairy vetch, or field peas + oats) for early spring green manure.

Tips for Success

As you sow, remember to love your soil and seedlings. Water well, but don’t dribble – “water deeply and less often” to encourage strong roots, especially in July heat. After watering, add a good mulch of straw, shredded leaves or compost; a thick mulch layer conserves moisture and keeps weeds down. In the hottest climates (think California or a heatwave elsewhere), consider a light shade cloth or even cardboard over new seed rows to cool the soil until germination. The Spruce also advises doing garden tasks in the cooler hours and “keeping plants consistently moist through the most sweltering days”. Before sowing, mix in a couple inches of compost – Southern Exposure recommends refreshing beds with finished compost after pulling old crops. This soil “food” feed both seeds and the earth, so your fall garden starts out happy. In short: water in the cool morning or evening, protect tender sprouts from searing sun, and pamper your soil with organic matter.

You’ve Got This!

The garden is patient, and there’s time yet to plant hope alongside those tomato stakes. By gently sowing these seeds now, you’re aligning with nature’s rhythm – nesting yourself in this peaceful liminal space between summer bounty and autumn’s embrace. Picture in a few weeks clipping the first spring lettuce of fall, or finding a smiling carrot under the soil when frost is still weeks away. You’re investing in cozy soups and crisp salads that will reward your care. Take a sip of that remaining tea, give yourself a pat on the back, and head out to sow a handful of seeds. The soil is warm, your intentions are kind, and before you know it, this little garden of yours will tell the story of a summer well-planned. Happy planting – I can’t wait to see (and taste) your autumn harvest!