What to plant this week in Kansas City, MO
Kansas City gardeners are in the final push of late summer, with a long window until October 24th to harvest your last melons and squash before the first frost. While nights can dip toward -5°F by January, this week's warm air allows you to pull those heat-loving crops like Ghost Pepper and Okra while they peak.
The next 7 days
Kansas City, MOGrowing in Kansas City right now
- Scour your soil for leftover Sweet Potato slips or Watermelon vines now; these roots rot quickly in our heavy clay loam if left over winter.
- Harvest Zinnias and Sunflowers immediately for cut arrangements, as the city's afternoon thunderstorms often drop them to the ground within hours of blooming.
- If you started Garlic bulbs indoors earlier this year, transplant them into your beds now before the soil fully cools down for dormancy.
- Keep an eye on young transplants like Malabar Spinach; while they are harvestable soon, Kansas City's erratic fall rains can encourage rapid bolting.
Sow this week
No direct sowing windows open this week.
Transplant this week
Nothing is due to go out this week.
Harvest soon
41 crops- Basil
- Borage
- Bush Bean
- Cantaloupe
- Celery
- Cleome (Spider Flower)
- Cosmos
- Cowpea (Black-Eyed Pea)
- Cucumber
- Dahlia
- Edamame
- Fennel
- Flour Corn
- French Marigold
- Garden Verbena
- Garlic
- Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia)
- Gourd (Ornamental/Bottle)
- Honeydew Melon
- Lima Bean
- Lisianthus (Prairie Gentian)
- Loofah (Luffa)
- Malabar Spinach
- Nasturtium
- Okra
- Pole Bean
- Pumpkin
- Roselle (Cranberry Hibiscus)
- Scarlet Runner Bean
- Shiso (Japanese Basil)
- Summer Savory
- Sunflower
- Sweet Corn
- Sweet Potato
- Thai Basil
- Vinca (Madagascar Periwinkle)
- Watermelon
- Winter Squash
- Yellow Summer Squash
- Zinnia
- Zucchini
Seasonal tips
- Succession sow bush beans and cucumbers every two weeks for continuous harvests through August.
- Mulch heavily around young transplants and newly planted garlic to retain moisture as daytime temperatures rise.
- Pinch back the tips of bush beans and zucchini plants once they reach 6 inches to encourage branching and heavier fruit production.
Pest & disease watch
- Monitor Okra and Cowpea plants closely for Loopers, which thrive in our humid July/August weather and can strip leaves overnight.
- Check the undersides of Basil and Shiso leaves for Spider Mites, especially if recent heatwaves have stressed the plants in exposed sunny spots.
- Inspect Zucchini and Summer Squash for Squash Vine Borers, whose larvae are still active before the first hard freeze signals their death.
Watering this week
Water deeply at the base of plants early in the morning to reduce evaporation and prevent fungal diseases.
Harvest zucchini and summer squash frequently when they are small (6 inches) to signal the plant to keep producing fruit.
Kansas City gardening questions
3Can I still plant Cold Hardy Garlic now?
Yes, you can transplant Garlic cloves immediately into prepared soil in your backyard or community plot. Ensure you water them deeply once planted to help establish roots before the ground freezes for winter.
My Zucchini plants are producing a lot; how do I store the surplus?
Harvest green zucchini when they are small and firm, then cure any larger ones in a dark, well-ventilated area for 10 days to extend their shelf life. Keep harvested squash off the ground on slatted shelves to prevent rot from our damp soil.
Are there specific pests I should watch for on my Ghost Pepper plants right now?
Watch carefully for Aphids and Thrips, which are drawn to the spicy foliage during this warm weather window. A strong jet of water or a neem oil spray applied early in the morning is usually effective for containment.
Other cities in zone 6b
12See the full zone 6b guide → · Plan your Kansas City garden in SproutGuide →