15 Top Veggies to Grow in the Heat

When summer gets cranked up, certain vegetable garden crops naturally outshine others. Here is a compilation of hot-weather all-stars.

Sweet Potatoes grow well in summer and produce abundantly in as little as 90 days. Wait to plant them until the weather is good and hot for best results. As a bonus, sweet potatoes need little cultivation once the vines begin to spread across the ground.

Southern Peas, also known as cowpeas are wonderfully versatile. They may be eaten like snap beans while the pods are young, before the peas mature. As green shelled peas, they make a delicious side dish or salad topping. When the peas are mature and dried, they store easily for months and cook up more quickly than dry beans.

Yard long beans are long podded cowpeas, grown for fresh use of their lengthy green (or purple) pods. Also known as asparagus beans, they have a sweet nutty flavor similar to the spring spears. Grown on teepees, they are highly productive on their own and provide shade to cool, more sensitive crops.