Here in Minneapolis, we are getting into the 80's nearly every day now. My sweet banana and Anaheim peppers have been bearing for some weeks and now the Cubanelles are starting to set, and I am getting all kinds of tomatoes daily off my two 4th of July plants. No squirrel problem this year for some reason. I have to admit to not having felt the need to install the window air conditioner this year, though. I have seen hotter summers, and some of my sweet potatoes aren't vining all that well, but then they didn't last year either. Just OHenry is running well. Vardeman and Jewel are not so vigorous as I would have hoped, but then there may be close to two months, at least a month and a half, before we get a freeze, too. Peppers don't get much more reliable than the Sweet bananas and the Anaheims; so if you are having problems getting fruits on your peppers consider them. They are the main types I plant anymore. Yesterday I planted onion seeds (Copra) for sets (an experiment), all kinds of coles including both leafy types and winter radishes and turnips, lettuce, and carrots. I may just move some tiger lily bulbils today and I am watching daylily seed pods which should ripen here very soon. I have never had any luck with the daylily seeds but one of these times I am going to get it right. I get volunteers; so somehow I just haven't found the knack yet. A while back in the garlic bed I harvested first, I planted some Minnesota midget muskmelons and the little squirts are blooming already. Very soon now I will start to work up beds for this fall's garlic, potato onion and tulip plantings. I think I will also give the elephants one more chance. I am going over to Core and away from peat moss this year. I don't can or freeze, since I do not have a big enough garden for that and a bit of everything else I would like to try. So now that garlic has been taken up, it is back to planting. :) BTW I especially like things I can snack on while working in the garden. Some days those snacks will be my whole set of meals. I use as few pesticides as possible; so a light washing with the wand is usually enough.

I'll tell you what I did when I found myself in that happy situation last spring. I did not have time for a soil test and wanted to get started, so I made raised beds by selecting the sunniest spot in the yard, removing sod, lining the bed with cedar planks (used a kit actually), and filling with purchased top soil and compost. If I were you, I would concentrate on getting the garden properly started--whether you do raised beds or not. Let summer slip by as you do the hard work, and then start a fabulous fall garden. Then you can spend the winter planning the ornamentals you will plant elsewhere in the yard. Rodale's Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening is my bible, but there are tons of books out there. Enjoy!

I planted a bunch of bush beans in the places that I pulled my lettuce and spinach. I did this last year and it worked well. As an experiment, I put in some swiss chard, because the package said it could be planted in July. The other posters here seem to plant that in the early spring, so I may be way off base with that one. I'll post a follow up later and let you know how that goes. I have never grown it before. I planted about a week ago and I am going to need to thin soon, because it germinated right away.

Yeah, I started my broccoli from seed too late this winter, and it bloomed last week on that warm day, so it's pretty much out of the question this late. Like 'mams' said, I just planted seeds for carrots, potatoes, and radishes. Some baby lettuce and spinach, but I'm not sure they'll produce much before it warms up... Your summer plants (tomatoes, beans, cucumber, peppers) can be started from seed inside, but not put out until it stays reliably over 50-55 at night, usually late April or early May (especially peppers, they need that warmth). Being very lazy, I will not start inside, I'll just put seed in the ground in April or buy seedlings in April. For seeds, that shortens the length of production and harvest, but as I said, lazy. Nurseries and hardware stores are starting to stock pepper/tomato/bean seedlings now, but it's pretty early. They will mostly survive, but waiting a bit will get you healthier, more productive plants. As for zuchs, you can plant seeds directly outside as early as now. They are a bit more cold tolerant than the other summer standards. If buying zuch seedlings, maybe not now, but sooner than the others (early april?) On a side note, I'm trying brussels sprouts here in Sunnyvale for the first time. I planted in fall, and they've been sort of overwintering (not growing much, but staying alive). Does anyone know if I they will still grow into summer? I've always thought of them as not very heat tolerant, and If they're gonna end up not producing anything, I could use the space for the afore mentioned zucchini seed planting...