9 Best Summer Vegetables to Grow in Southern California

From the Green Thumb Nursery garden team in Southern California.

Southern California’s long, sunny, frost-free summers make it one of the best places in the country to grow vegetables. With the right heat-loving crops, a little planning, and steady watering, you can harvest fresh tomatoes, peppers, squash, and beans from early summer right into fall. Here are the nine best summer vegetables to grow in a Southern California summer vegetable garden, when to plant them, and how to keep them productive through the heat.

What Are the Best Summer Vegetables to Grow in Southern California?

The best summer vegetables for our climate are warm-season crops that love heat and sun. These are the ones to build your garden around:

• Tomatoes: the summer classic. Reliable varieties include ‘Better Boy’, ‘Early Girl’, and the heirloom ‘Brandywine’.
• Peppers: both sweet bell peppers (‘California Wonder’, ‘Golden California Wonder’, ‘Purple Beauty’) and chile peppers thrive in the heat.
• Eggplant: glossy and productive in hot weather; try ‘Black Beauty’, ‘Long Purple’, or ‘White Egg’.
• Zucchini and summer squash: fast and prolific. Look for ‘Black Beauty’, ‘Cocozelle’, ‘Golden’, or ‘Yellow Crookneck’.
• Cucumbers: crisp and quick; ‘Marketmore’, ‘Straight Eight’, and ‘Lemon’ are dependable.
• Bush beans: easy and heat-tolerant; ‘Blue Lake’, ‘Contender’, and ‘Topcrop’ yield heavily.
• Basil: the perfect summer herb to tuck in alongside your tomatoes.
• Melons: cantaloupe and watermelon love our heat and a long, sunny season.
• Okra: a heat-loving Southern favorite that thrives once summer really warms up.

Corn also grows well in summer if you have room to plant a block for good pollination.

Summer Vegetable Planting Guide

Use this quick planting guide to plan your summer garden. Days to harvest are approximate and vary by variety.

What to Plant in July (and June) in Southern California

Is July too late to plant a summer garden? Not at all. Thanks to our long warm season, you can still sow fast, short-season crops in June and July and harvest before fall. Good choices to plant now include:

• Bush beans (ready in about 50 to 60 days)
• Summer squash and zucchini (about 50 to 55 days)
• Cucumbers (about 55 to 65 days)
• Basil and other heat-loving herbs
• Heat-tolerant greens like Swiss chard

You can also set out transplants of peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes in early summer for a later harvest. Planting a fresh round of beans, cucumbers, and squash in midsummer is an easy way to extend your harvest into fall.

How to Grow a Summer Vegetable Garden in Southern California

A few basics keep a summer garden productive through our heat:

• Sun: give vegetables full sun, at least 6 to 8 hours a day.
• Water: water deeply and less often, early in the day so the water soaks in before the heat. Deep watering encourages deeper, more drought-resilient roots.
• Mulch: a layer of straw or compost mulch holds in soil moisture, keeps roots cooler, and suppresses weeds.
• Feeding: summer vegetables are hungry plants. Start with compost-rich soil and feed with a balanced vegetable fertilizer, basing amounts on a soil test rather than a high-phosphorus “bloom” product. According to UC IPM, moderate nitrogen and phosphorus are all most crops need; most garden soils already hold plenty of phosphorus, and adding more does not boost fruiting and can run off into waterways.
• Pest control: watch for aphids, caterpillars, hornworms, whiteflies, and spider mites. Start with the gentlest fix: handpick larger pests, knock off aphids with a strong spray of water, and use insecticidal soap or neem oil for heavier infestations (avoid spraying in the heat of the day, above 90 degrees F, or on drought-stressed plants, and skip broad-spectrum pesticides that kill the good bugs too). Beneficial insects like ladybugs and lacewings help keep pests in check, and a healthy, well-watered plant resists trouble best.

Two notes for our climate: vegetables in containers dry out much faster than those in the ground and may need water every day during a heat wave, so check them often. And when temperatures climb above about 95 degrees F, tomatoes and peppers often drop their blossoms and pause fruit set. This is normal, and they usually resume once the weather cools.

Easiest Summer Vegetables to Grow in California for Beginners

If you are new to vegetable gardening, start with crops that are quick, forgiving, and heat-tolerant:

• Bush beans (‘Blue Lake’, ‘Contender’, ‘Topcrop’) are easy to plant, care for, and harvest.
• Summer squash and zucchini grow fast and produce heavily.
• Cucumbers grow quickly and reward you with a steady supply.
• Swiss chard is heat-tolerant and keeps producing leaves all summer.

For more quick wins, see our guide to the fastest-growing vegetables for your SoCal garden.

Moving into Fall

As summer winds down, late summer is the time to start thinking about cool-season crops. In August, SoCal gardeners begin planting broccoli, kale, beets, and cabbage for a fall and winter harvest. For the full timeline, see our late summer planting guide and our guide to vegetables to grow in fall and winter.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best vegetables to grow in Southern California in summer?

The best summer vegetables for Southern California are heat-lovers: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, zucchini and summer squash, cucumbers, bush beans, and basil. Melons, okra, and corn also do well with enough space and heat.

What are the easiest summer vegetables to grow?

Bush beans, summer squash and zucchini, cucumbers, and Swiss chard are the easiest. They grow quickly, tolerate heat, and are forgiving for beginners.

What vegetables can you plant in July in Southern California?

In July you can still plant fast, short-season crops: bush beans, summer squash and zucchini, cucumbers, basil, and heat-tolerant greens like Swiss chard. You can also set out pepper, eggplant, and tomato transplants for a later harvest.

Is it too late to plant a summer garden in July?

No. Southern California’s long warm season means July is still a good time to plant fast-maturing crops. Choose varieties that mature in about 50 to 60 days so they finish before cooler weather.

Is it too late to plant cucumbers in Southern California?

No. In Southern California you can sow cucumbers through midsummer. Choose a fast variety that matures in about 55 to 65 days so it finishes before cooler fall weather.

When should you plant summer vegetables in Southern California?

Plant most warm-season vegetables after the last frost, usually around March to April. Our long season lets you keep sowing quick crops through early and midsummer.

How often should you water a summer vegetable garden?

Water deeply and less often rather than a little every day, and water early in the day. Mulch helps hold moisture; exact frequency depends on your heat, soil, and whether plants are in the ground or containers.

Sources

• UC IPM, Tomato Fertilization
• UC IPM, Aphids
• UC IPM, Whiteflies (Pest Note 7401)
• UC IPM, Spider Mites
• UC IPM, Tomato Hornworms
• UC Master Gardeners, Warm and Cool Season Vegetables
• Iowa State University Extension, Vegetable Harvest Guide
• NDSU Extension, The Myth of High-Phosphorus Fertilizers

With sun, steady water, and the right heat-loving crops, a Southern California summer garden is hard to beat. Visit any of our Green Thumb Nursery locations for transplants, seeds, soil, and advice from our garden experts, and we will help you grow your best summer harvest yet.

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