Recs for any 'greens' that will grow well in HEAT?

nancyruhl · June 16, 2016

The one I am growing is Beauregard. Is that one edible?

Stvrob · June 16, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by nancyruhl

The one I am growing is Beauregard. Is that one edible?

Beauregard is an excellent sweet potato!

luigiwu · June 16, 2016

Nancy are you growing it in containers on your gutter rig??? I didn't consider it coz I heard potatoe and like need earth...

Zeedman · June 16, 2016

Concur with amaranth, sweet potato leaves & New Zealand spinach.

NZ spinach can be very slow to germinate unless pre-soaked, and the tiny seedlings can easily be mistaken for weeds. The plants are not only heat tolerant, they will take a few frosts. I agree with the blanching recommendation.

Egyptian spinach (or molokhia) is another good hot weather green, it is on the left side of the photo above. An upright, heavily-branched bush. The leaves are mucilaginous (like okra) and somewhat bland, but it is good with fish, and the dried powdered leaves can be used as a soup thickener. The young leaves are mint-like in appearance, deep green, tender, and can be used raw in salads.

My favorite hot weather green, though, is water spinach. It grows across the ground very much like miniature sweet potato vines (it is in the same family). The tender vine tips & the first few leaves are harvested. The more it is cut back, the more branches form. Filipinos call it Kang Kong, and I like it cooked & seasoned with soy sauce, vinegar, and garlic powder. The plants thrive in wet soil... but in some of the warmer states, it is classified as a noxious weed, because it is a water-borne invasive. Seeds are hard to come by, but shoots are often sold in Asian markets, and those can be rooted.

The last hot weather green I could recommend is Moringa oleifera - which is actually a small tree. The tiny leaflets are eaten, and are very nutritious. I grow them each year from seed & transplant them into the garden; but it can also be grown in pots & brought indoors for the winter, or left outside in frost-free zones. It will not produce as heavily as any of the greens above, but it is worth growing for its health benefits. The trees need well-drained soil, and will languish or die if waterlogged. If grown as an annual, the trees can be spaced much more closely than in the photo.

nancyruhl · June 19, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by luigiwu

Nancy are you growing it in containers on your gutter rig??? I didn't consider it coz I heard potatoe and like need earth...

I thought I would give them a try on the gutters. I'll know if it was a good idea in the fall. The decorative ones do so well in containers and produce tubers.

June 16, 2016	#3
luigiwu Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: ny Posts: 1,219	Nancy are you growing it in containers on your gutter rig??? I didn't consider it coz I heard potatoe and like need earth... __________________ Subirrigated Container gardening (RGGS) in NY, Zone 7!

June 16, 2016	#1
nancyruhl Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Metro Detroit, Michigan Posts: 1,051	The one I am growing is Beauregard. Is that one edible?

June 16, 2016	#4
Zeedman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 313	Concur with amaranth, sweet potato leaves & New Zealand spinach. NZ spinach can be very slow to germinate unless pre-soaked, and the tiny seedlings can easily be mistaken for weeds. The plants are not only heat tolerant, they will take a few frosts. I agree with the blanching recommendation. Egyptian spinach (or molokhia) is another good hot weather green, it is on the left side of the photo above. An upright, heavily-branched bush. The leaves are mucilaginous (like okra) and somewhat bland, but it is good with fish, and the dried powdered leaves can be used as a soup thickener. The young leaves are mint-like in appearance, deep green, tender, and can be used raw in salads. My favorite hot weather green, though, is water spinach. It grows across the ground very much like miniature sweet potato vines (it is in the same family). The tender vine tips & the first few leaves are harvested. The more it is cut back, the more branches form. Filipinos call it Kang Kong, and I like it cooked & seasoned with soy sauce, vinegar, and garlic powder. The plants thrive in wet soil... but in some of the warmer states, it is classified as a noxious weed, because it is a water-borne invasive. Seeds are hard to come by, but shoots are often sold in Asian markets, and those can be rooted. The last hot weather green I could recommend is Moringa oleifera - which is actually a small tree. The tiny leaflets are eaten, and are very nutritious. I grow them each year from seed & transplant them into the garden; but it can also be grown in pots & brought indoors for the winter, or left outside in frost-free zones. It will not produce as heavily as any of the greens above, but it is worth growing for its health benefits. The trees need well-drained soil, and will languish or die if waterlogged. If grown as an annual, the trees can be spaced much more closely than in the photo.