Beginner Gardening: is it too late to plant NOW?, 1 by dividedsky

dividedsky wrote:
8b - that's confusing! that's in texas, too. now i see the problem with the zone map.

check out this chart and see if it helps you. http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/html/grow/grow/plan... If you have a good nursery around, they should be able to give you a chart or tell you more about the cool weather crops and when to plant them in your area.

what i've learned so far on this forum is that there are cool weather vegetables and hot weather vegetables. hot weather vegetables, such as corn and summer squash and tomatoes thrive on the heat of the summer and don't do well when it's cooler. cool weather vegetables, such as broccoli and lettuce, can be ruined if the weather gets above certain temperatures. so you grow them in the spring OR plant them in late summer. the trick with the late summer planting is to keep the young plants cool with shade until the weather cools off.

I made the mistake of planting both broccoli and lettuce in my summer garden and both bolted - flowered before they produced the parts that we like to harvest. just look at my elegant, inedible romaine! good luck. i'm going to do so more research for my area and see if i can get it right the second time around. :o)