What’s great about gardening in Dallas and the surrounding areas is that the gardening season is extensive enough to keep gardening enthusiasts occupied for much of the year.
Now that your efforts have resulted in flourishing and healthy spring plants, it’s time to turn your attention to summer planting.
Since 1951, North Haven Gardens has been advising novice and seasoned gardeners about summer planting through planting guides, professional advice, and, in recent times, how-to videos and the Garden Coach Program.
NHG has the answers if you need help with what vegetables to plant in summer.
Summer Gardening in Texas
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has determined that Dallas and the surrounding areas are in the plant hardiness area, Zone 8, where there are 250 days out of the year between the last and the first frost.
This number of days allows passionate gardeners in Texas to do what they love for most of the year.
However, depending on your level of expertise, you might not know how to get the best out of your garden during all the days available to you. While you may have started your spring garden, your efforts can continue beyond there.
Planting summer crops can occur well into June. These particular vegetable plants need warmer weather to flourish and thrive rather than trying to tolerate cooler temperatures.
The Best Summer Crops to Plant in Texas
Now that you’ve transplanted your spring plant seedlings into your outdoor garden, it’s time to turn your attention to seeding the summer crops you’ll want to see growing in your garden. After March 15th, you won’t have to start seeds indoors for your summer crops. You can sow seeds directly into your outdoor garden up to mid-June for summer crops such as:
- Corn
- Cucumbers
- Squash
- Summer squash or zucchini
- Black-eyed peas
- Okra
- Peppers
Any transplants of these vegetables can follow the same schedule as seeding.
However, you must seed or transplant these crops by mid-June to give the plants time to grow and produce to their best potential.
Planting Grass & Ornamentals in Summer
When doing summer gardening, focus on filling in bare spots. You may wonder which grasses and ornamentals you can add in the summer months. If you’re interested in planting grass in the Dallas and Fort Worth areas, it’s best to seed warm-season grasses like St. Augustine, bermudagrass, or Bahia grass in the spring to early summer.
When thinking of brightening your garden, select ornamentals that can handle Texas’s full sun, high heat, and drought conditions. Consider heat-tolerant plants that not only provide a colorful display but also attract bees, butterflies, and birds to your garden, such as:
- Catharanthus roseus vincas
- Pentas
- Coneflower or echinacea
- Purslane
- Zinnias
- Red Yucca
Zinnias are annual plants that you’ll need to replant every year. At the same time, Catharanthus roseus vincas, coneflowers, and Red Yucca are perennials that will self-sow and return year after year. Pentas are annuals in most climates but are perennials in warmer hardiness regions like Zone 10 and 11. The flowers you select should be native to Texas or other warm areas like Africa or Arabia.
Our Garden Coaches Can Help you Learn What to Plant in the Summer
North Haven Gardens has been the Dallas and surrounding area’s go-to gardening experts for over 70 years in Texas.
The horticulture and landscaping experts at NHG can guide you on what to plant in the summer and how to grow them effectively throughout the season.
Whether you’re a beginning gardener who needs fundamental instruction or an experienced gardener looking to solve problems while summer gardening, the professional advice you’ll receive from the Garden Coach Program will help you take advantage of all the 250 days available to produce a thriving garden and bountiful harvest.
Image Credit: Shyntartanya, Shutterstock