How I Transition My Garden from Cool Season to Warm Season

When a gardener really likes to pack in the plants the way I do, it may seem like it’s impossible to move between seasons without ripping everything up and starting afresh. But that’s just not the case. I’ve found that a slow transition is best. First of all, it helps to keep your soil covered, which means you don’t have to water as often or worry as much about weeds. Secondly, keeping some plants while you add in more ensures your plant babies have the support and insulation they need when they’re young. 

Read on to find out how I slowly transition from cool season to warm season in my raised kitchen garden once the final threat of frost has passed. 

Figure Out What Can Stay

There are actually a lot of plants in my garden right now that will stay throughout summer and into fall, even though I planted them back in March. Kale and Swiss chard may be cool season plants, but they’re also biennials, which means they want to continue their life cycle. Carrots will need the rest of the summer to grow before they’re picked. 

Interplant Warm Season Plants

When my Napa cabbages are almost ready for harvest, I go in between each head and add pepper plants. To avoid damaging existing plants, I use my hori hori to dig a compact but deep hole and then slip my pepper plants right in amongst the cabbage. As I harvest the final cabbage heads, I can add more warm season plants to the recently vacated spaces. 

While these warm season babies are getting used to their new surroundings, they’re well-insulated and have plenty of support, moisture from the soil, and sunlight. 

Harvest Strategically

If a warm season plant hasn’t yet grown tall enough to receive enough sunlight and is being shaded by a cool season plant, I make sure to prioritize taking leaves from the larger plant the next time I harvest. My kale, for instance, was casting a shadow on my eggplant in my front bed, so I made sure to cut those kale leaves for my morning green smoothie. Pretty soon, this eggplant will be tall enough that I won’t have to worry about it getting enough sunlight.

Plan Out Trellis Time

I plant tomatoes right next to my sugar snap peas just as the peas are starting to really climb up my arch trellises. Pea plants have a very small root structure, so they don’t need a ton of room underground, which allows you to dig a nice, deep hole for your tomatoes nearby. As soon as my peas finish producing, I will cut them from the base, tug them away from the trellis, and let my tomatoes do their thing. By that time, the tomatoes will be in need of support and ready to grow up the trellis.

Add New Climbing Structures

As my lettuce plants are finishing up their life cycle and being harvested, I go in and plant pole cucumbers in the now-open spaces. Unlike lettuce, cucumbers and other vining plants need something for their little tendrils to climb on. I take the hoops I use during the winter for frost cloth supports away and swap them for obelisk trellises, which provide structure for the warm season plants that need more support than cool season ones. Make sure to push your trellises at least six inches into the dirt to hold them in place.