If you’ve been staring at your garden beds and thinking you missed your chance to plant this year, there’s good news—June is far from too late. While spring often gets all the gardening glory, many vegetables, herbs and flowers actually thrive when started in early summer. With warm soil, longer days and plenty of sunshine, June can be the perfect time to sow seeds and set out new plants.

According to one gardening expert, Jamie Walton from @nettlesandpetals, there are six standout choices that are particularly well-suited for a summer start—and some may surprise you.

Think You Missed Planting Season? These 6 Plants Love a June Start

1. Parsnips

Parsnips are often overlooked, but June is an excellent time to get them in the ground. One clever tip is to sow parsnip seeds between rows of lettuce. Since lettuce matures relatively quickly, you can harvest it and free up space while the slower-growing parsnips continue developing underneath.

This technique, known as succession planting, helps maximize garden space and keeps beds productive throughout the season. Parsnips will be ready to harvest late autumn into winter.

2. Zucchini and Cucumber

If you're looking for quick-growing crops with big rewards, zucchini and cucumbers are hard to beat. Warm summer temperatures help these plants establish quickly, and many gardeners find that seeds sown directly into June soil catch up fast.

Before long, you'll be harvesting fresh cucumbers for salads and more zucchini than you know what to do with.

3. Kale

Kale is another smart choice for a June planting. While it tolerates heat, it truly shines as temperatures begin cooling later in the season. Starting kale now gives plants plenty of time to establish before fall, when the leaves often develop an even sweeter flavor.

4. Kohlrabi and Fennel

These unique vegetables deserve more attention in home gardens. Kohlrabi produces crisp, bulb-like stems with a mild, slightly sweet flavor, while fennel offers feathery foliage and aromatic bulbs. Both perform well when planted in early summer and can provide a welcome change from more common garden vegetables.

5. Basil, Cilantro and Dill

Herbs are among the easiest ways to add flavor to your garden and your meals. Basil thrives in warm weather, while cilantro and dill can be planted in succession for repeated harvests. A few packets of seeds can provide months of fresh ingredients for everything from pasta dishes to homemade pickles.

6. Coreopsis

Not every summer planting has to be edible. Coreopsis brings cheerful yellow blooms to the garden and offers an unexpected bonus: its flowers can be used for natural dyeing projects. Gardeners interested in crafts and sustainable living often use the blooms to create beautiful shades of yellow and gold.

So if you thought gardening season had passed you by, think again. June offers plenty of opportunities to fill your beds with productive vegetables, fragrant herbs and colorful flowers. In many cases, a summer start may be exactly what these plants have been waiting for.