Top Veggies to Grow in the Heat

Photo: Debbie Wolfe

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Plants That Love the Heat

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

Photo: Debbie Wolfe

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Sweet Potatoes

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.

Photo: Debbie Wolfe

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Southern Peas

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.

Photo: Debbie Wolfe

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Yard Long 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.

Photo: Debbie Wolfe

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Hot Peppers

Hot Peppers grow and produce well from spring into fall. While some of the larger types slow down production when warm summer nights arrive, many of the smaller, hotter types produce well straight through.

Photo: Debbie Wolfe

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Green Beans

Beans are easy to grow and productive. Choose bush varieties for a quick crop or pole beans for a long season of steady production.

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Okra

Okra is one of the most self-sufficient summer vegetables because of its love of heat and adaptability to dry conditions. Harvest the pods every other day to keep both quality and production at a high level.

Photo: Debbie Wolfe

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Zucchini Squash

Squash, both summer and winter types, are best grown in the heat. Where squash bugs or squash vine borers are a problem, start seeds indoors and transplant into the garden in late June or early July. Protect with row covers until the plants begin to bloom. Covering the stems with soil as they mature will help protect against squash vine borer damage.