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christen17

Too late to plant?

Christen17
10 years ago

Advice would be very welcome here. It's mid July and I need to start my vegetable garden all over. I live in Northern NJ, zone 6b. I have a 30x30 ft. Raised bed garden. I went out of town at the end of June to visit family and needed to stay over 2 weeks longer than I planned. I returned to find the vegetables in my garden were either dead or badly struggling. The garden was totally filled with weeds. (My dear hubby "forgot" to water or weed.) My tomatoes are small but will survive. Everything else is dead. Any ideas for what I could start from seed at this time? We usually don't get a frost until mid October.

Comments (11)

  • sunnibel7 Md 7
    10 years ago

    Bush beans, lettuce (if not right now, then soonish), maybe some fall seeds like broccoli, cabbage, kale, collards or else wait a little while and buy transplants when they show up at the local nurseries and farm stores. I may be forgetting some things, but it's the heat: I can't even remember what I'm doing when I find myself in the middle of a room holding the dog's dish in my hands. Luckily the dog sitting next to the closet where her food is kept is a pretty obvious clue.

  • ltilton
    10 years ago

    Also peas, carrots, scallions. A little later, spinach. Basically, you want to be putting in a fall garden now.

  • Christen17
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks! When I saw what a disaster I returned to, I was feeling so bummed out!

  • edweather USDA 9a, HZ 9, Sunset 28
    10 years ago

    Cukes too! Maybe checkout the local Wallmart or call around to a few nurseries, they might have some stuff left. In 6b you still have 10 weeks left.

  • czecher
    10 years ago

    My hubby says he waters, but I came back to dead strawberry, tomato seedlings, lovage all but dead, etc, etc, etc....I feel your pain.

    I started a new lettuce bed and more cilantro, ground cherry, melons and will also start toms via seed and clones. Going to start more greens, kale and squash, too.

    For the lettuce, I put burlap over it so it gets sun to germinate but shade to help with heat.

  • dog_wood_2010
    10 years ago

    Well, I just planted my carrot seeds two days ago. There is no reason they shouldn't grow just fine. They will keep growing on through October here in New York, plenty of time for delicious big carrots. I'm growing Ulyses and Jeanette, very sweet and good. I just planted Parsnips (The Student) , those are growing fine and will be ready in January. Also beets are an excellent cool weather crop, but you should wait until end of August to plant those. I would recommend the Detroit Reds.

  • newyorkrita
    10 years ago

    Plant cucumbers they will grow quickly. And zucchini.

  • MzTeaze
    10 years ago

    Since you live in Northern NJ, you should try to hit some of the big box stores as they still have decent sized tomatoes and pepper plants, plus squash, cukes and zucchini.

    I was at the "big box" Lodi and Hackensack stores yesterday...between the two you might be able to cull together a decent replacement garden. They were selling stuff at a bit of a discount but I bet you could talk to the manager to get a bigger discount if you buy more than 3 plants.

    Metropolitan Plant on Rt 17 had a few plants left but Willow Run in Tenafly has already got rid of their remaining vegetable plants.

    Just a few places off the top of my head that I have checked in the last few days just in case you are near me in Northern NJ as well.

    The average first frost date is roughly Nov 1, so if you get a few kind of mature plants, you can still get summer veggies to supplement your Fall planting.

    Good luck.

  • Christen17
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks for all those responses! I will try all those suggestions since I have a lot of seeds and will hit a few box stores too.

  • glib
    10 years ago

    Also most weeds have not seeded yet. Hoeing now, without worrying about vegetable plants, has its advantages. It is not all bad news, and next year there will be fewer weeds. Lettuce seeds will not germinate now, it is too hot. Beet and carrot seeds will struggle too, and peas will not germinate either (all this for direct seeded). But many brassica seeds (komatsuna, bekana, arugula, napa, turnip,kale) will germinate just fine. In fact it is too early for bekana and arugula.

  • dog_wood_2010
    10 years ago

    Actually my carrot seeds have already sprouted into thick green rows after just 5 days. Just keep them watered, you'll do fine.

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