Now that the hottest summer days are upon us, you may think that it's time to put away your gardening gloves and trowel. Not really! While your peas plateau and lettuce bolts in the heat of July, there are many heat-loving or heat-resistant crops that you can plant in midsummer for a fruitful bounty come fall. We're happy to provide this list of vegetables that are great to start planting in July.

1. Cucumbers
   Cucumbers are a classic summer vegetable perfect for pickling, tossing in salads, or eating straight off the vine. These plants are fast-growers and most varieties can be harvested in just 52 days. This gives you enough time to get your harvest before your first frost. Growing cucumbers on a trellis helps keep leaf spots at bay, provides good air circulation, allows the plants to take up less room in your garden, and makes harvesting a snap.
2. Beans
   It's not too late for a first or second crop of beans. They love warm weather and have a surprisingly short growing time. Seeds will germinate quickly and require between 40 and 60 days to maturity. Beans are classified as either pole or bush varieties. Bush beans are self-supporting, while pole beans require some type of support structures, like a net, climbing frame, or trellis. Choose pole varieties for a long season of steady production and bush beans for a quick crop.
3. Sweet Potatoes
   Unlike regular potatoes, sweet potatoes like warm weather and soil. They are cold-sensitive and thrive best when planted about a month after the last frost date. Provided the weather and soil are warm, sweet potatoes will quickly mature to an abundance of vines in as little as 90 days. Plus, sweet potatoes need little cultivation when the vines begin to spread. Plant them in well-drained soil mixed with compost. 
4. Eggplant
   Eggplant is a heat-loving, semi-tropical plant that belongs to the Solanaceae family. They thrive in high temperatures much like tomatoes and peppers do. Because eggplants need warm, well-drained soil throughout the growing season, they are usually started indoors about 2 months in advance or purchased as 6- to 8-week-old transplants. The plants also do well in containers. Be sure to protect them from flea beetles by monitoring for pinholes and treating with pyrethrin insecticide.
5. Amaranth
   Amaranth is a true summer crop that requires an abundance of sunlight and fertile, well-drained soil to do well. Related to Swiss chard, quinoa, and beets, amaranth is grown for its foliage, including its grains and brilliantly hot-colored yellow, green, or red leaves. Amaranthus easily adapt to most soil types and are drought tolerant once they are established. They can be planted with eggplant or corn to shade the soil.
6. Greens
   Greens like kale, collard greens, Swiss chard, Mizuna, and Malabar spinach are heat-tolerant and can survive a light frost. These leafy vegetables can be harvested before the leaves reach full size because the small leaves are tastier and tender than mature ones. To start your fall crop of greens, sow the seeds in rows and plant the crops in succession every few weeks depending on how much garden space you have. Water regularly and remember to give a little extra water on the hottest days.