Forest Girl Farm

It feels strange to be thinking about fall while the tomatoes are still climbing and the squash is taking over, but out here in zone 9b, July is exactly when the fall garden needs to get started. Our long growing season is one of the best things about gardening in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and succession planting is how you actually make the most of it instead of letting the beds go quiet the second summer crops fade.

Why start fall crops in the middle of summer

Fall and winter vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and kale need a good stretch of warm weather to size up before the days shorten and growth slows way down. If you wait until it actually feels like fall to plant them, you’re often too late — the plants stay small and never quite catch up. Starting seeds now, even in the heat, gives them the head start they need so they’re ready to take off once the weather cools.

What to start now

• Broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage — start in trays or a shaded nursery spot, transplant out in a few weeks
• Kale and collards — tough enough to direct sow, just keep the soil consistently damp
• Beets and carrots — direct sow now for a fall harvest, thinning as they come up
• Bush beans — one more quick round before it’s truly cool-season territory
• Lettuce and other greens — start in the shadiest corner of the garden or under cover so the heat doesn’t bolt them before they get going

Getting seedlings through the heat

The tricky part of summer seed starting isn’t the planting, it’s keeping tender seedlings alive in the heat while they establish. A bit of afternoon shade cloth or even the dappled light under the redwoods at the edge of a bed can make a real difference for cool-season starts that would otherwise scorch. Consistent watering matters more here than almost any other time of year — dry soil and summer heat together will stall germination fast. I like starting trays in a shadier spot near the house and only moving them out to their permanent bed once they’ve got true leaves and a bit of resilience.

Making room in the beds

Succession planting also means being willing to pull something that’s past its prime to make space for what’s next. If a squash plant has gone downhill or the first round of bush beans is winding down, that’s your cue. Refresh the spot with a bit of compost before the new seedlings go in — after a full summer of production, the soil has earned it. Think of it less as ending the season and more as handing it off to the next round of crops before the light starts to change.