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Vegetable Gardening

To late to plant cucumbers, beets and spaghetti squash?

9 years ago

I put the tomatoes in the ground at the end of April and never got around to planting the rest of the garden. I normally plant everything else at the same time so I don't have any experience planting things this late. I would like to plant beets, cucumbers and spaghetti squash. We've got a long season... it doesn't really frost here until late October. If I'm going to plant, it has to be NOW.

Do these plants suffer if planted in the middle of the summer? Most people plant in the spring, and I've seen that squash is a "spring" plant and beets are "cool season" plants. I've also seen that spaghetti squash referred to as "winter" squash, so I would assume you harvest it right before winter or even during it and cold temps wouldn't bother it on the back side of the season.

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Comments (5)

Peter1142
9 years ago
I'm planting my fall beets in August, you should be good doing that too.

I don't think its too late for cukes (faster maturing variety is best), probably too late for spaghetti squash, they take a while to mature yes. They are called winter squash because with the tough skin the fruits last into the winter.

The seeds/seedlings will need a lot more water in the summer.. they need consistent moisture at least until they germinate.
jim_1 (Zone 5B)
9 years ago
Give it a shot, plants lots. If you have the seeds, what do you have to lose? Consider it an experiment.
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farmerdill
9 years ago
Concur. Your major problem will be getting the beets to germinate in the hot soil. Shade them if you can. If you get quick germination, the sphaghetti squash are still good to go. Depending on variety, they will ready in about 3 months. Harvest just before first frost.
gmatx zone 6
9 years ago
You might try shading the row where you plant your beets by laying a 1"x4" board down on it for a few days after you plant. Be sure you check daily and when you begin to see signs of the seeds germinating, remove the board. That should help the soil to be slightly cooler and will help keep it moist to aid germination.
Cobarchie
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks for the info and the advice with the beets. I figured I'd just give it a shot and see what happens; it's just nice to know if it would be a complete waste of time before I tried it.

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