Hoping to use seeds for your garden but didn’t get any started back in March? This post covers the best vegetables to direct sow into your Zone 4 garden to yield a crop this summer.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make small commission on purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. All thoughts and ideas are my own.
If you’re ready to start gardening this year, but are late to the party or are hoping to just start a garden using seeds, you’re not alone. Having a successful garden doesn’t always involve starting seeds indoors or purchasing transplants from a local greenhouse. You can have a very successful yield of crops by selecting vegetables to direct sow into your garden this spring. These are the best vegetables to direct sow into your Zone 4 garden this year:
- Spinach
- Lettuce
- Radishes
- Peas
- Carrots
- Dill
- Parsley
- Parsnips
- Turnips
- Potatoes
- Beets
- Cilantro
- Corn
- Green Beans
- Zucchini
- Pumpkins
- Cucumbers
Early Spring Vegetables to Direct Sow
Some seeds are pickier than others when it comes to germination, but there are some seeds that will germinate in temperatures as low as 35 degrees, meaning you’ll be able to start seeing plant life and fruit sooner. For the Zone 4 gardener, this is a wonderful gift as it provides opportunities for harvest during the early spring when many plants could not grow.
Some of the earliest vegetables to direct sow as soon as the ground is workable include:
- Spinach
- Lettuce
- Radishes
- Peas
- Carrots
- Dill
- Parsley
- Parsnips
- Turnips
As you’ll notice, many of these early spring vegetables are leafy greens and root vegetables. Root vegetables, leafy greens, and spinach, in particular, are great vegetables to direct sow in the early spring when the weather is still cool because they actually get sweeter with the frost. During cold snaps, root vegetables are able to convert starch into sugar to protect themselves from freezing, making them ultimately taste sweeter. So, not only will you get an earlier harvest; you’ll also get a sweeter product!
Summer Vegetables to Direct Sow
Other seeds need warmth for germination, and planting in early spring won’t help you get your harvest faster. These warm loving vegetables to direct sow will give you a bountiful harvest in the summer because they grow fast and love the warm weather. Many of these vegetables require a minimum soil temperature of 60 degrees, so it really is important to wait and make sure it’s warm enough before you plant them.
Some vegetables to direct sow in early summer include:
- Green Beans (60 days to maturity)
- Pumpkins (90-120 days to maturity)
- Cucumbers (50-70 days to maturity)
- Zucchini (45-55 days to maturity)
- Summer Squash (60 days to maturity)
- Potatoes (120 days to maturity)
- Beets (49-56 days to maturity)
- Cilantro (45-70 days to maturity)
- Corn (60-100 days to maturity)
Keep a close watch on the times it takes for maturity for the plants you direct sow in summer. If you plant too late, you won’t be able to get a harvest. Planting in early summer, as soon as the last frost date has passed, is your best bet at a good harvest with these directly sown vegetables.
Succession Planting
Some seeds can be directly sown in succession to have multiple harvests at different times. Some of the seeds that work great for this include green beans, peas, spinach, lettuce, radishes, and carrots. To do this, simply plant a second crop a couple of weeks after the first crop has been planted. We’ve had a lot of success with this in our own garden, and really enjoy the fact that it gives us an opportunity to enjoy vegetables throughout the summer rather than have a huge bounty all at once.
Vegetables to Direct Sow for Fall Harvest
Some of those same cool weather crops from the spring can be planted again mid-late summer to yield a second crop for the fall. These vegetables to direct sow for a fall harvest include peas, carrots, kohlrabi, beets, spinach, lettuce, radishes, turnips, and swiss chard. All of these vegetables are cool weather loving crops, and will do well for you before the first frost comes around.
Final Thoughts
Seeds are truly amazing. Think of how incredibly small these tiny objects are and the amazing bounty that they ultimately create. It is truly remarkable how something so small can feed a family through multiple different seasons. Seeds are a great lesson for us all at how life-changing even the smallest of creation can be.
Need to purchase seeds?
If you’re looking to purchase seeds, High Mowing Organic Seeds offers non-GMO, organic seeds for you to use in your garden. If this sounds interesting to you, go ahead and check them out as a potential source for your seeds this year.
Be sure to save this post!
Leave a Reply