What to Plant Now: Your Twin Cities Succession Garden Update
Posted for the week of June 21, 2026
Summer is here, and so is round two for the garden. If your spring lettuce has bolted or your early beds are looking a little tired, good news: there is still plenty of time to plant a full second wave of crops before our first fall frost in early October. This week we are spotlighting a group of easygoing, nutrient-dense greens in the amaranth family — spinach, chard, orach, and their cousins — that are perfect for keeping your harvest basket full all season long.
Here in the Twin Cities (Zone 5a), we are sitting at about day 49 of our roughly 159-day frost-free season, with our average first fall frost landing around October 7. That leaves about 110 frost-free days on the calendar — plenty of room for a strong succession planting.
Greens Spotlight: The Amaranth Family
Spinach, chard, beets, orach, and lamb's quarters all belong to the amaranth family (Amaranthaceae), and they share a few wonderful traits: they tolerate cool weather beautifully, many actually taste better after a light frost, and they keep producing for months with the right care. If you only plant one new bed this week, make it one of these.
| Crop | Days to Maturity | Plant By | Harvest Window | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spinach | 40–50 days | Sept 15 | Through Nov; can overwinter under cover | Skip the hottest weeks of midsummer — resume sowing mid-August for the sweetest leaves |
| Swiss Chard | 50–60 days | Aug 1 | Continuous through November | Sow once and harvest outer leaves all season; frost only improves the flavor |
| Orach (Mountain Spinach) | 40–50 days | Aug 15 | Through October | A heat-tolerant spinach substitute with striking red or green leaves — great where true spinach struggles in summer heat |
| Lamb's Quarters | 30–45 days | Sept 1 | Through October | Often grows wild, but worth sowing intentionally for a mild, tender green packed into salads and sautés |
Still Wide Open This Week
Beyond the greens above, plenty of garden favorites are still wide open for planting as of June 21:
Bush beans
Summer squash and zucchini
Cucumbers
Carrots and beets
Kohlrabi
Basil, dill, and cilantro
Quick greens — lettuce, arugula, Asian greens
Bok choy and chard
Parsley
Closing Soon — Get These In Within 1–2 Weeks
Short-season winter squash, melons (with row cover), and fast pumpkin varieties are on a tighter clock — if these are on your list, this is the week to act.
Why Plant a Second Round?
Succession planting is not just about filling space — it is a genuine strategy. Many greens bolt and turn bitter in the long, hot days of July, so a fresh sowing timed for late summer matures into the cooler, shorter days of fall, with better flavor and far less bolting. Root crops like carrots and beets convert starch to sugar after a light frost, so a fall harvest is often sweeter than a midsummer one. And staggering your plantings spreads the harvest out over the season instead of producing one overwhelming glut all at once — which makes it much easier to keep up with donations for Como Grow a Row.
Find Your Seeds at the Little Free Library
Spinach, chard, orach, and many of the other crops featured here are available now at CCSL Little Free Library locations around Como Park, as part of our Como Grow a Row campaign with Como Park Lutheran Church. Take what you need, plant a little extra, and consider donating a row of your harvest back to the community this fall.
Questions about what to plant or how to get involved? Reach out anytime at dlamm@comoseedlibra