Your Garden … with Kate Russell: Gilroy’s climate allows us to plant year-round, even during summer

Summer is the best time to start thinking about cool season crops

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By Kate Russell

Gilroy gardeners generally think of spring when it comes to planting. Summers are dedicated to weeding and watering. The planter pots have all been washed and stored away for next spring, along with any leftover potting soil and maybe a bag of vermiculite. But planting season is never over in Gilroy.

Our climate allows us to plant year-round and summer is no exception, despite the scorching heat.

Summer is the best time to start thinking about cool season crops. Many of our winter crops take significantly longer than tomatoes and peppers to mature. Giving them a head start in summer means bigger harvests in winter and spring.

Look at your planting areas and try to imagine what they will look like in one month, in two months, in mid-winter. As spring crops peak and then fade, you can introduce your winter crops under the protective care of your summer garden. In some cases, summer plantings can give your spring garden a boost.

Most gardeners know that beans and other legumes are able to fix atmospheric nitrogen in nodules on their roots, with the help of certain soil bacteria.

Once these plants start flowering, that nitrogen is no longer available, but up to that point, any neighboring plants will benefit from the extra nitrogen, giving them extra nutrients as they near the end of their productive lives.

July is your last chance to plant beans for the year, so find space for one more planting.

These beans will be ready to harvest long after any spring planted beans will have worn themselves out. They will also provide nitrogen to whatever is growing nearby.

Late summer is a good time to plant fava beans, another legume. These hardy legumes grow quickly, adding nitrogen to the soil and helping break up our heavy clay soil with their sturdy roots. The pods are pretty delicious, too.

While mid-summer is too late to start any more tomatoes, peppers, or squashes, there are many plants that can be planted twice in the same year in Gilroy.

Carrots, cauliflower, chard, cilantro, fennel, kale, kohlrabi, parsnips, peas, radishes, spinach, and turnips are all popular spring plantings that can be sown again in late summer.

Collards, dill, lettuces will produce an excellent crop if planted in September and October. And Brussels sprouts should be started in summer so that they can be transplanted into the garden by August, September at the latest. The same is true for cabbages, Napa cabbage, leeks, and okra. Chayote fruit can be planted any time during the summer.

By planting year-round, you are providing for the soil microorganisms that help your plants grow. You will also be providing your family with fresh, healthful food without ever leaving your yard.