Some of you may know that I am a group administrator for a localized neighborhood gardening group on Facebook. As such, I get asked a lot of questions. I also see a lot of different techniques and responses. I do not always agree with all of the responses, but welcome them all the same. That being said, it is not too late to get that garden started this year. I’ll explain.
I am of the mindset of there is no one correct way to garden and welcome other’s opinions even if I don’t agree with them. Heck my own father and sister do not always agree. Honest truth! They have more experience (my father was a dairy farmer) and education (my sister is a master gardener), but I have done a crap ton of research and think through reasoning behind some of the gardening advice given openly in the world.
I hope to annihilate one of the biggest misunderstandings I am seeing right now.
Claim: It is too late to plant now!
There is a huge camp out there that says, “it is too late to plant now.” They are referencing the fact that we are into June and here in North Central Texas, at least, summer is taking hold. The truth is, we are already 9 days into June. We are almost halfway through 2026. It is a known fact that it is hot here in Texas even in early June.
This generalized statement, however, blows my mind! Why?!.
I always reference reality on this one. My reality is that I am blessed with a very long growing season, the days between last frost in the spring and first frost in the fall.
In fact, based on information from Almanac.com, it is approximately 235 days for my zip code. Obviously, there are some nuances for this, but that only leaves about 35% of the year that is not considered part of the growing season. We can grow something 64% of the year.
I struggle to understand why there is a hard and fast “stop planting date” in June.
Problem: There is a lot of growing season left
Why is it too late to plant anything at only 80 days into the 235 day growing season? Why?!. We still have over half of the growing season to go! To me, that means there is a lot of time to get started and to continue growing.
So no, it is not too late to get started with some exceptions.
It may be too late for SOME THINGS, but not all things. Broad generalizations like this make beginners believe that there is nothing left to plant between now and the first frost. I was included in this beginner group just 6 years ago. I planted my first pepper and squash plants on May 21, 2020. If it had been too late, I never would have started.
Gardening is largely about experimentation. Even growing the wrong things at the wrong times teaches new gardeners lessons in the process. So please quit believing it is too late if you are in a long growing season area.
Solution: Know your plants and know your microclimate
I emphasize that you should KNOW YOUR PLANTS when you are planting. Varieties do matter!
For example, here in Little Elm, Texas (north of Lewisville Lake) it is already rather warm. Okay, it is already hot. I have a backyard weather station for a reason and it is reporting consistently higher than local weather forecasts. This is not a surprise! Today, the weather station maxed out at 97.7˚F. For the month of June, it has recorded 103.3˚F already. It is already hot! Any direction you slice it, those temperatures are HOT!
Why does it matter?
Broccoli and other cole-crop vegetables do not like it hot. Too many of our herbs are considered cool weather crops. Even more important is that tomatoes fail to set fruit over a certain temperature. At least, that is what we are told. For generally available seeds and plants, this is probably true, but there are exceptions and you can skew the results with some microclimate adjustments.
I try to focus on varieties that are bred for my climate. They are heat tolerant varieties. These can and do grow longer than your average varieties.
Plant varieties matter, but it is not too late
For example, Imperial Broccoli has grown in my garden when it was 115˚F at the height of severe drought conditions. Was it ideal? Probably not. Broccoli tends to get very woody when it gets stressed. It needs a LOT of water when it is that hot. The variety is bred for heat tolerance. It performs accordingly. That being said, success is increased with “shaded conditions” to keep the soil cool.
You can often find more heat tolerant varieties of most vegetables. Some varieties perform better in your area do to the climate conditions.
A little research is required when growing a garden – flowers or vegetables. Your local agriculture extension office may have a list of recommendations. You may need to know your region or ecoregion to get this narrowed down, especially if your state is particularly large.
If you are in the great State of Texas, the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension is an amazing resource for gardeners of all types, especially with their soil testing and growing guides. My only complaint is that their guides are largely focused on larger farm type settings, but these can easily be adapted to the home or rural gardens. Here is their list of recommended vegetable varieties for North Central Texas (PDF). The list includes recommended planting dates.
If you are shopping big box stores for plant starts, you will have more struggles finding recommended varieties. However, when you are shopping for seeds, you can reference the list when purchasing seeds from trusted sources. Sometimes you’ll find the recommended varieties are common varieties found in plant or seed format, other times you will have to hunt for the varieties you want.
Gardening is experimenting
Gardening is about experimenting. See what works. See what does not work. When you are in a warmer (or cooler) than average climate, you may have to experiment with several varieties before you find what works best for you. Do not fear the hybrid varieties, they may be the best performers in your garden because they handle the heat, disease, or bug stress better than other varieties.
And remember, it may be hot, but we still have a lot of time still in the season. If you plant something that requires 180 days to mature, you may not get a large crop, but you may still get enough for your immediate needs. Don’t fret it.
I got a late start this year, but I am counting on the rain and the odd cool fronts that keep rolling through for a little help in getting plants producing. If they don’t produce before the heat sets in, I’ll work to keep them healthy until the temperatures drop again.
Here is to a happy gardening season in 2026!