What to Plant Now in July in Wisconsin for a Fall Harvest

There are quite a few vegetables to plant now in July that can give you even more of a harvest from the shorter Wisconsin growing season.

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I dove in and did some research to find out which plants to plant now in July in order to be able to enjoy fresh vegetables longer. With only about a four month growing season, there’s a lot to harvest in a short amount of time in Wisconsin! What I found is that there are several crops that you can plant now in July to have a nice fall harvest.

Table of Contents

• Potatoes
• Peas
• Leafy Greens
  • Spinach
  • Swiss Chard
  • Lettuces
• Radishes
• Carrots
• Kohlrabi
• Root Vegetables
• Tips for a Fall Garden
• Looking for More?
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Potatoes

One crop to plant now in July is potatoes. Potatoes usually take between 90-120 days to grow from a seed potato to a mature potato; however, there are early season potatoes that take less time to mature. Early season potatoes usually take only 60-80 days to mature, making them a really good choice for a fast fall crop.

Potatoes really enjoy heat and sunshine, but are also capable as mature plants of surviving a light-mild frost, which is necessary for many fall crops. By planting your early seed potatoes by mid-July, you should be able to have a nice and mature plant by the first frost date in mid-late September.

These are some options available from High Mowing Organic Seed Company that are all early varieties:

• Dark Red Norland Potato
• Purple Viking Potato
• All Red Potato

Peas

Our kids absolutely love picking and eating peas! Nothing compares to fresh peas from the garden, so extending the growing season to be able to enjoy them longer is such an appreciated labor!

The Sugar Ann Snap Pea is a nice option because of its quick maturity (52 days) and short 2 foot vines.

For a stronger, sturdy plant, you might consider the Sweet Gem Snap Pea. This one takes slightly longer to mature (63 days), but still works well in the fall crop window.

Leafy Greens

Spinach, Swiss Chard, and Lettuces are all great options to plant for fall. Like many other hardier plants, these often will taste sweeter with the colder weather. Many leafy greens tend to struggle in warmer weather and bolt faster, which makes late summer/early fall a great time to harvest them. Plus, you’re probably going to really miss these crops in winter when you can’t eat them fresh from the garden anymore!

Spinach

Spinach can be incredibly cold-hardy. It’s a healthy, delicious addition to your family’s table! Check out these varieties:

• Giant Winter Spinach: Very cold-hardy, high yielding, and very recommended for fall crops. Matures in 50 days.
• Acadia F1 Spinach: The leaves grow slowly, making them a good option for baby spinach harvests.

Swiss Chard

Swiss Chard is another leafy green known for its high nutritional value and ease of growing. Because of its cold hardiness, it’s another great option for the fall garden.

Lettuces

Lettuces are a wonderful side dish, or even a main dish, that is sorely missed in those cold winter months. Our family eats them often as a side to our homemade pizza or as a main dish as the foundation of taco salad.

There are many different types of lettuce varieties, many of which do great in the fall. Find one that your family enjoys, and plant it in late July!

Radishes

Radishes are a fast growing crop, so it’s best to wait until later rather than to plan now in July with these. They are a beautiful, delicious crop that adds a vibrant color to salads and veggie trays. We really love the cherry belle radishes– they’re fast growing, beautifully red, and we’ve always had lots of success with them.

Carrots

Carrots are a great fall crop to grow, as they can remain in the garden even after a frost. In fact, carrots actually are a vegetable that get sweeter with frost! There are several types of carrots that have a relatively short maturity rate, making them great to plant now in July.

• Cosmic Purple Carrot: This carrot is beautiful and only takes 70 days to maturity.
• Danvers 126 Carrot: A traditional orange carrot that is disease and split resistant. Great for storing.
• Miami F1 Carrot: With only taking 60 days to maturity, this carrot is known for its very long storage and ability to keep great flavor into the winter storage.
• Napoli F1 Carrot: If you’re looking for a variety that can serve as a baby carrot, this carrot is a good choice. Maturing at 45 days as a baby carrot and 55 days to full size, this is a good fall weather option.

Kohlrabi

Delicious sliced with salt or as an addition to salads, kohlrabi serves as a great fall crop. It has even been used medicinally (though without scientific evidence to support its use) to help prevent cancer, heart disease, obesity, and constipation.

The Trero Kohlrabi and Azur Star Kohlrabi have best quality as a fall harvest.

Root Vegetables

Beets and Turnips are other options to add to your fall garden. Beets are rich in folate, which is really helpful to help your body’s cells grow and function efficiently. They have a beautiful, vibrant color which can be used as a natural food dye as well.

Turnips are also a great healthy crop to grow for your garden. Some plant based chemicals in the vegetable may even help prevent cancer, have anti-flammatory effects, and support blood sugar control.

You can check out beet varieties here and turnip varieties here!

Tips for a Fall Garden

It’s hard to believe that there are things to plant now in July for a fall harvest, but you’ll definitely be glad you did as you enjoy these delicious fresh vegetables! Here are some tips to consider as you prepare to enjoy your crops into fall.

• Mulch can be really helpful to prevent hard frosts from penetrating your root crops
• Make sure you have space! Replacing a spot in the garden that has already been harvested (like early spring greens, early peas, or garlic) is a nice way to make sure you have room for these fall crops.
• Make sure your soil is ready for another crop of vegetables. Adding in organic matter and compost before planting can be very beneficial.
• Consider experimenting! See what works for you and your garden. Want to try growing a late season zucchini? You might get away with it if the frost comes later than expected. Try out some experiments and keep track of them to see what works and what doesn’t. It’s fun to conduct experiments! That’s what gardening is all about!

Looking for More?

Check out some of these other posts on gardening in Wisconsin!

• THIS IS WHAT AND HOW MUCH TO PLANT FOR A SELF-SUFFICIENT GARDEN THIS YEAR
• BEST VEGETABLES TO DIRECT SOW IN ZONE 4
• EDIBLE NUT TREES FOR YOUR COLD-HARDY HOMESTEAD
• VEGETABLE AND FLOWER COMBINATIONS TO TRY IN YOUR GARDEN THIS YEAR
• CHOOSING COLD HARDY TREES FOR YOUR SMALL HOMESTEAD ZONE 4 ORCHARD

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