when and what to plant in Marshall

Since you live in Marshall, NC (USDA Hardiness Zone 7a) and your average first frost is around October 13, here's a planting calendar for the rest of the year. Month What to Plant July Sow beans, cucumbers, carrots, beets, Swiss chard, and another crop of basil. Start broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and kale indoors for fall. August Plant carrots, beets, kale, collards, mustard greens, turnips, lettuce, spinach (late August), radishes, and bok choy. Transplant broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower into the garden. September Continue sowing lettuce, spinach, arugula, radishes, cilantro, and Asian greens. Plant more kale and mustard greens. October Harvest warm-season crops before frost. Continue planting garlic, spinach, lettuce (under row covers), radishes, and winter onions. November Plant garlic until the ground freezes. Mulch garlic and perennial herbs. Harvest kale, collards, spinach, carrots, and turnips. December–February Plan next year's garden. Start onion seeds indoors in January if growing from seed. March Plant peas, potatoes, onions, spinach, lettuce, carrots, beets, radishes, and turnips. April Plant broccoli, cabbage, kale, and other cool-season crops. Wait to plant tomatoes and peppers outdoors. Early May After the last expected frost (around May 1–10), transplant tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, basil, cucumbers, squash, beans, and other warm-season vegetables. Crops that do especially well in Marshall Cool season: Spinach, kale, lettuce, Swiss chard, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, beets, peas, radishes, garlic, onions. Warm season: Tomatoes, peppers, beans, cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, basil, Malabar spinach, bitter melon. Since I know you grow Malabar spinach It is very frost-sensitive. Harvest it until the first frost in October. Before frost, you can save seeds from mature berries or take stem cuttings to root indoors for next year. A tip for fall spinach For Marshall, the best time to sow spinach is late August through mid-September. Spinach germinates best when soil temperatures are below 85°F (29°C), so if the weather is still hot, keep the soil moist or provide a little afternoon shade to improve germination. With your climate in Marshall, you can harvest fresh vegetables from March through December, and with row covers or a cold frame, you may even be able to harvest spinach and kale throughout much of the winter. Meteorological summer Meteorologists define summer as: June 1 – August 31 So, by this definition, summer ends on August 31 every year. Astronomical summer Astronomically, summer ends at the autumnal equinox, which usually falls on September 22 or 23. In 2026, the autumnal equinox is on September 23, so summer officially ends then. For gardening in Marshall, NC In terms of weather, Marshall often stays quite warm into September. Typical conditions are: July: Highs around 85–87°F (29–31°C) August: Highs around 84–86°F (29–30°C) September: Highs around 77–80°F (25–27°C), with cooler nights (around 55–60°F / 13–16°C). For gardeners, the intense heat usually begins to ease in late August, making it an excellent time to plant fall crops such as: Spinach Lettuce Kale Broccoli Cabbage Carrots Radishes Even though the weather becomes cooler in September, you can still expect about 3–5 weeks before the average first frost around October 13. That gives many cool-season vegetables plenty of time to establish before colder weather arrives.