Top Cold-Weather Vegetables: What to Plant in July in Zone 3.

The 2024 garden season has been a bit of a rocky one between late frosts, cool weather, and unending rain. May and June delivered over 105 mm of rain in our area and temperatures well below average; about 15 degrees C for June. This strange weather means many of my warm-weather crops are suffering and I need to think of a quick strategy to get a full harvest this year in my zone 3 climate. So, I'm pivoting my plans and focusing on getting a second harvest of my cold-weather plants.

If you're in zone 3b, you may get away with planting some beans and cucumbers, but otherwise, you're SOL with warm-weather vegetables. Even still, you'll want to double-check the first frost date. If it's still more than 60 days out, you're likely good to go. Otherwise, you'll want to stick to cold-weather vegetables.

Implementing cool season crops is a great way to incorporate a continuous supply of food for your family. These vegetables have short growing times so you can get multiple harvests; one mid-summer and a second in the fall. Here are some ideas of vegetables that you can get started this month!

Tubers

Tubers are great cool-season crops because they are insulated by the soil. So, even if you get a frost before you're able to harvest the plant will be fine!

Beets

A staple in our Ukrainian heritage household, I love having them around to make pickled beets for a yummy perogy topper!

Turnips

Another great tuber to get started this month.

Carrots

Home-grown carrots always taste 100 times better than the store-bought version. In the fall, if they get hit by a frost they tend to be extra sweet because the plant will pull all its nutrients down into the roots (the carrot).

Brassicas

Anything in the brassica family is are viable options when planting in zone 3 for a fall harvest. However, you will have to plant from transplants. Here are some ideas:

• broccoli

• cabbage

• kale

• cauliflower

• kohlrabi

Leafy Greens

July is really your last chance for these guys because an early frost will absolutely destroy their delicate leaves:

• swiss chard

• lettuce

• spinach

• arugula

Extending your growing season by planting a late-summer crop with cold-weather vegetables can easily be done in zone 3, despite our early frost date! If this is something you're thinking of taking on, don't forget to plan ahead. Thinking about cold weather and frost is the last thing we want to do right now, but brainstorming ways to protect your crops can extend your season even past the first frost date.