What to plant?

I've harvested all my onions and garlic and have them drying in the shop. It has left me with a lot of bare dirt and my tomatoes and squash look lonely in their raised beds. I can't figure out what I can plant in the summer heat and expect it to grow and produce. I thought about planting some carrots, but my success growing carrots in the past has been dismal. Any suggestions?

Ted

[KarenO]

How about some cucumbers and melons? If you have the space, sweet corn likes heat. I am No expert on the Texas climate but those are my suggestions.
Karen O

[Rockporter]

Pumpkin? I think I remember someone telling me they like the heat.

Originally Posted by KarenO

How about some cucumbers and melons? If you have the space, sweet corn likes heat. I am No expert on the Texas climate but those are my suggestions.
Karen O

Karen,

Thanks! I am growing cucumbers in two beds and some containers. I've grown some melons on trellis in the past with decent results. I think I am looking for some type of green like kale or spinach that will germinate in the heat. Most leafy greens are now bolting or dieing in the heat. I don't know if any leafy green exists that will germinate and grow in high heat.

I also have peppers and eggplant doing well in the heat as well as a few other things I can't think of at this moment. I just pulled all my beets and the wife and I spent yesterday learning how to prepare a few pint jars of pickled beets. They turned out great.

Ted

[FarmerShawn]

Originally Posted by tedln

Karen,

I think I am looking for some type of green like kale or spinach that will germinate in the heat. Most leafy greens are now bolting or dieing in the heat. I don't know if any leafy green exists that will germinate and grow in high heat.


Ted

You could try New Zealand Spinach. It grows well all summer for me, although I am pretty far north. We do get hot spells, though, and the NZ Spinach just keeps on growing. And it's tasty, too.
Shawn

[KarenO]

If you are looking for a green that will take heat, Swiss chard marches on through the heat with no problems here. The very best green in my opinion. try bright lights, rhubarb or an old fashioned white ribbed green chard called fordhook giant. will grow well even in difficult conditions and doesn't bolt. another thing to try is germinating the seed indoors in cooler conditions and transplanting the seedlings out in the garden. as an example, beets do fine in heat once they are growing but they don't like to germinate in heat. you could try sowing indoors and transplanting them to see if that would work.
K

[ArthurDent004]

I think you would need to wait till August for planting your greens.

[eatmoreyeah]

If you like southern peas they thrive in heat and are quite drought tolerant. They dont need much fertilizer and don't require much attention. I pulled my 1st planting of corn a few days ago and planted my 5 crop of southern peas today. I grow the Top Pick Pink Eye Purple Hull and Mississppi Silver peas. From seeding to harvest is 50-60 days.

Besides peas, you can plant okra, cantaloupe/muskmelons, watermelons and sweet tators.

Charles

[kath]

How about bush beans?

On second thought maybe your intense heat doesn't allow the flowers to set, huh?

[jillybeantx]

Malabar will thrive in the heat. I grew it last summer and it lasted from spring until i ripped it out in the fall. The taste is similar to spinach. When the leaves get bigger I thought it was bitter, but the smaller leaves were ok. This will need support...I grew mine on a trellis. And the bonus-the grasshoppers didn't bother it!

[jerryinfla]

I second (eatmoreyeah) Charle's suggestions -- especially southern peas and okra. Both do great in the heat and southern peas are excellent cover crops that not only improve your soil but are also delicious to eat. Okra thrives in the heat but if you have RKNs, it will attract the little buggers thus compounding that problem.

[Worth1]

Swiss chard Okra any bean Black eyed peas, summer squash, corn.

Worth

[shelleybean]

Chard, field peas, okra, bush snap beans.

[mdvpc]

Eggplant

Originally Posted by KarenO

If you are looking for a green that will take heat, Swiss chard marches on through the heat with no problems here. The very best green in my opinion. try bright lights, rhubarb or an old fashioned white ribbed green chard called fordhook giant. will grow well even in difficult conditions and doesn't bolt. another thing to try is germinating the seed indoors in cooler conditions and transplanting the seedlings out in the garden. as an example, beets do fine in heat once they are growing but they don't like to germinate in heat. you could try sowing indoors and transplanting them to see if that would work.
K

Yep, growing bright lights and fordhook giant chard and they do like the heat. Thats a good idea about germinating the beets indoors and transplanting them.

Ted