What to plant this week in Grand Rapids, MI
With Grand Rapids hovering near the -10°F hardiness limit and an average last frost still lingering until mid-April, this week is all about capitalizing on your current late-summer harvest window rather than starting new cold-season crops. While you can't yet transplant anything outdoors, now is the perfect time to pull your maturing beans, peppers, and tomatoes before the first frost hits in mid-to-late October.
The next 7 days
Grand Rapids, MIGrowing in Grand Rapids right now
- Grand Rapids clay-loam soils dry out quickly during our humid summers, so prioritize deep watering for your remaining squash and melons to prevent blossom drop.
- Don't rush into sowing cool-season crops like carrots or lettuce this week; wait until after the first frost of mid-October when soil temperatures finally drop enough for reliable germination.
- Take advantage of the current warm weather to deadhead your cosmos, zinnias, and sunflowers now to encourage a final flush of blooms before autumn sets in.
Sow this week
7 crops- Bush Bean
- Cucumber
- French Marigold
- Nasturtium
- Okra
- Yellow Summer Squash
- Zucchini
Transplant this week
Nothing is due to go out this week.
Harvest soon
58 crops- Anaheim (New Mexico) Pepper
- Banana Pepper
- Basil
- Beefsteak Tomato
- Beet
- Bell Pepper
- Borage
- Brussels Sprouts
- Bush Bean
- Cantaloupe
- Carrot
- Cayenne Pepper
- Cleome (Spider Flower)
- Cosmos
- Cowpea (Black-Eyed Pea)
- Cucumber
- Dahlia
- Edamame
- Eggplant
- Fennel
- Flour Corn
- French Marigold
- Garden Geranium (Zonal)
- Garden Verbena
- Garlic
- Honeydew Melon
- Jalapeño
- Lantana
- Lima Bean
- Malabar Spinach
- Marconi Pepper
- Nasturtium
- Okra
- Ornamental Sweet Potato Vine
- Parsley
- Parsnip
- Petunia
- Poblano Pepper
- Pole Bean
- Potato
- Roma Tomato
- Rutabaga
- Scallion (Bunching Onion)
- Scarlet Runner Bean
- Serrano Pepper
- Shiso (Japanese Basil)
- Snapdragon
- Summer Savory
- Sunflower
- Sweet Corn
- Thai Basil
- Tomatillo
- Tomato
- Vinca (Madagascar Periwinkle)
- Watermelon
- Yellow Summer Squash
- Zinnia
- Zucchini
Seasonal tips
- Succession sow bush beans every two weeks for a continuous harvest throughout summer.
- Mulch around established tomato and pepper plants to retain moisture as soil temperatures rise.
- Prune dead or diseased foliage from Brassicas like Brussels Sprouts and Kale to improve air circulation.
Pest & disease watch
- Watch closely for late-season aphid colonies on your tomato vines and basil as temperatures remain mild into October.
- Check your beans and peas for bean leaf beetles or pod borers which often have their last active cycle before winter dormancy.
- Monitor your squash plants for gourd moths, a common local pest that can still lay eggs during these unpredictable warm spells.
Watering this week
Water deeply in the morning to encourage strong root growth while minimizing fungal disease risk.
Pinch back the tips of young Bush Bean plants if they are leggy to encourage bushier, more productive growth.
Grand Rapids gardening questions
3Can I start my fall garden seeds indoors this week in Grand Rapids?
No, because our average last frost date is typically April 21st, there is no point in starting cold-season crops now for a spring harvest; you should wait until soil temperatures drop after mid-October to sow directly outside.
When exactly should I stop harvesting my tomatoes and peppers?
You can continue picking your beefsteak, Roma, and bell peppers daily through the week of October 17th, but plan to pull up all indeterminate plants immediately when hard freezes arrive.
Are there any specific vegetables from this week's harvest list that store best for winter?
Your parsnips, rutabagas, carrots, and beets are ideal for storing in a cool root cellar or buried in sand after the ground freezes solid later this month.
Other cities in zone 6a
12See the full zone 6a guide → · Plan your Grand Rapids garden in SproutGuide →