Hey everyone! I've got a 2x4 foot raised deck planter where I attempted to grow radishes, spinach, arugula, and lettuce. Unfortunately, all of them failed after some rough weather—first there were torrential downpours, then a heatwave, and none of the plants made it. I did manage to munch on a couple of micro radishes, though! Since it's now the end of June here in Michigan, I'm wondering if there's still time to plant something else in the planter. I'm looking for something small and compact since a lot of summer plants can get pretty big. Would peppers be a good option, or are there other choices?
3 Answers
At this point in the season, you have plenty of options for direct sowing or transplanting! It really depends on how deep your planter is. If it's a foot deep, you could go for compact varieties like tomatoes and cucumbers. Last year, I had success with compact cucumbers in a raised planter. You could also try bush tomatoes, bush beans, compact zucchini, strawberries, and even bush melons! Just make sure to leave some space for the cooler crops you had before, as they can provide some nice shade once they get going. Good luck!
Just a heads up—if you're dealing with heavy rain, you may need to fertilize a bit more often. Rain can wash away a lot of the nutrients in the soil, which might have contributed to your previous failings. Happy gardening!
How deep is your planter, by the way? That’ll help determine what you can plant!
Great! With that depth, you could try direct sowing cauliflower, beans, brussels sprouts, squash, cabbage, beets, or chard. If you want to go the transplant route, think about tomatoes, eggplants, or peppers. Just be sure to get them from a nursery and check they're not rootbound.
It's about 1 foot deep.