When your spring crops like lettuce, herbs, radishes and garlic have finished producing, you’re left with valuable garden space that is primed for a quick-growing crops for the summer. Sure, some of your other crops could crawl their way over and occupy that space. But why not try to squeeze just a little more produce out of your limited space instead? Take advantage of the freed-up space, warm soil and long summery days to grow fast-maturing crops that’ll be harvestable by the end of the season.

We’ve put together a list of quick-growing crops for your consideration:

Quick-Growing Beans

Beans are a perfect follow-up crop. Specifically, bush beans (as opposed to pole beans) are quick to germinate and begin producing in as little as 50 to 60 days. If you pull one head of lettuce out of the garden, fill that space with two bean seeds, and repeat whenever you remove other plants. That way you’ll have successive plantings and then successive harvests so you’re not swimming in a whole harvest of beans all at once! Fast-producing varieties include ‘Provider’, ‘Tendergreen’ and ‘Bountiful’.

Carrots

Again, this is an excellent veggie to plant whenever spaces open in your garden. One small empty space? Scatter a few carrot seeds, lightly cover and water gently. Choose quick-growing varieties such as ‘Adelaide’, ‘Scarlet Nantes’ or ‘Paris Market’ for fast harvests. And remember, you can harvest those carrots at any size. Harvest when you’re hungry!

Beets

I love beets because they are two crops in one—the beetroot and the beet tops, which I cook as I would Swiss chard. You may have had a spring round of beets, but they do really well in summer, too, as long as they receive consistent moisture. They’re ready in about 55 to 70 days, with ‘Early Wonder’ being one of the most popular early varieties.

Quick-Growing Turnips

Yes, turnips! In all honesty, I’ve not had good luck growing turnips, but maybe that’s because I set my expectations quite high. This summer when spaces open in my garden I’ll pop in a few turnip seeds and give ‘em another go. A Japanese variety, ‘Shogoin’, is ready to harvest in just 30 days! Bonus: You can eat the turnip tops, too.

Baby Greens

Just because you harvested spring lettuces and greens doesn’t mean you can’t plant another round of them. Swiss chard, kale, collards, mustard greens and all the kinds of lettuce can be harvested at any point of their growth. The same goes for green onions.

Spring-to-summer succession planting is the way you’ll make the most of your garden’s productivity this year. Choose fast-growing, heat-tolerant crops to ensure your garden continues to produce fresh, homegrown food well into early fall.