If you spent the winter dreaming up a summer garden but then life got in the way and it never quite happened, there is good news: You still have plenty of time. Focus on these three, easy-to-grow crops and that bountiful garden will quickly be well within reach.      

Carrots

Carrots are such a fun, easy vegetable to grow, and always a big hit with my kids. They’re not as complicated as most people think. Since they are a root vegetable, I’ll always recommend they should be grown from seed, as transplanting would disturb what’s happening underground. 

In my experience, carrot seeds germinate more quickly in the summer, which is a great reminder that even if it’s July, it isn’t too late to start that garden. The key to great carrot seed germination is moisture. You’ll want to water daily while you await those first green sprouts. If you forget and the soil dries out, it can form a kind of crust and make it more difficult for those first delicate shoots to emerge. So keep an eye on the forecast in your area — a good soaking from some rain means less time with the hose for you.

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Once the seedlings get a bit bigger and you start to see a few of their true leaves — usually within a few weeks — it’s time to thin the row. Pluck out excess seedlings so there’s about 2 inches between each plant. This is going to give your carrots the space they need to send down a long, happy taproot. 

In my garden, the soil is rocky with quite a bit of clay, so I grow all my carrots in raised beds. This gives me control over the soil conditions and helps me grow more uniform carrots. 

Carrots are ready in about 75 days after planting, so if you start yours this weekend, you can have a bumper crop by the end of September. Harvesting carrots is one of life’s simple joys. When it’s time, grasp the greens just at the soil level and give a small tug. The carrot will come free with a satisfying “pop!” 

If you can resist the temptation to eat them all, allow some of your crop to stay in the ground once temperatures drop below freezing. That cold snap signals to the carrots that it’s time to prepare for winter, so they convert starches into sugar, effectively lowering their freezing point. Your reward for waiting will be sweeter, tastier carrots. 

Green beans

Another fast grower for the home garden, green beans are a crowd pleasing veggie that is also easy to manage. Plunge seeds about 1.5 inches into the soil, water regularly, and before you know it, there will be beans by the handful. 

Most bush varieties of green beans mature within 60 days and will keep producing if you can stay on top of harvesting. To keep things interesting with my kids, I like to plant green, yellow, even purple varieties.

Sunflowers

A bouquet of fresh cut flowers on your kitchen counter is one of life’s great pleasures. Sunflowers are an excellent way to grow your own, and there’s still plenty of time left in the growing season to do so — as long as you select the right variety.

When scoping out seed packets, look for where it says “days to maturity.” This will let you know how long it takes for a plant to go from seed to harvest. In the case of flowers, this is like a cheat code on when you can count on that homegrown bouquet.

The ProCut series of sunflowers is favored by flower farmers in particular, not only because they grow quickly in just 50-60 days, but because they are beautiful, offer diverse color options, and are mostly pollenless. Other fast-growing sunflowers include Jua Maya (45 - 50 days) and Cherry Rose (40 days).

Many sunflowers are what’s known as “one and done,” meaning that one plant will produce one flower. If you plant successive crops over a few weeks, you’ll have armloads of sunflowers for your dining room table in a little more than a month.