Well, it’s certainly HOT. Remember when we couldn’t wait for it to warm up a little? And, of course, since it’s so hot, it’s also dry. It’s not that we have too little rain here in south Louisiana, it’s just that it’s distributed so poorly. First we get too much, then not enough. Oh, well, if we had just enough, just when we needed it, that would be heaven, and we’re not there yet.
But there are some things we can do in the garden now, early in the morning and late in the evening, to be sure. Don’t go out from 10 a.m to 2 p.m. for sure. Please, when you do go out, make sure to use sunscreen, wear a hat, and stay hydrated. You don’t want to suffer from heat stroke or heat exhaustion.
By now you should have harvested a lot of tomatoes. If you planted any of the heat set varieties, they should be doing well now. They are called ‘heat set’ because they are resistant to the changes induced by high temperatures that cause normal tomatoes to stop setting fruit when the temperature rises. You might even save some of your regular tomatoes if you prune them back, give them a fresh coat of organic mulch and feed them well. Compost tea works very well here, as does fish emulsion. Both work great as foliar feedings. Then by the time the temperatures come down moving into fall, those great root systems should push out new growth and a fresh crop of tomatoes. You can save money on new transplants and get a great fall crop to boot.
You can do the same to peppers if they stop producing. Eggplant should continue straight through as they love the heat. You might want to give them a boost with a foliar feed of compost tea or fish emulsion while they’re bearing heavily. Also you can begin planting fall crops now. If you’re quick you can plant cantaloupe, okra, summer squash, southern peas, and watermelon from seed, and bell pepper and tomato transplants through early August. Then starting in mid-August you can plant bush and pole snap beans, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, Swiss chard, kohlrabi, Irish potatoes and lettuce. You might want to protect the lettuce from the afternoon sun. Throughout the month of August you can plant Lima beans, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, collards, cucumbers, mustard, pumpkins, rutabagas, shallots, and turnips.
The Ag Center tests different varieties throughout the state and chooses the best performers to recommend, so you can trust that these varieties will give you a good chance of a plentiful harvest. Some of these suggestions are for broccoli: Arcadia, Diplomat, Gypsy, Packman, Premium Crop, Windsor, Green Magic, and Everest. I have planted both Packman and Premium Crop and had long plentiful harvests. One stand of Packman kept producing for 18 months. Every time the plant started to flower I cut them off and new side shoots developed. For cauliflower they recommend: Candid Charm, Cumberland, Freedom, Snow Crown, Incline, Majestic, and Wentworth. I’ve grown Snow Crown with excellent results.
Recommendations for bush Lima beans include: Dixie Butterpea, Fordhook 242, Henderson Bush, Jackson Wonder and Thorngreen. The only one that I have seen locally is Henderson Bush. I’m sure you could find any of the others if you search online sites such as Southern Exposure Seed Exchange http://www.southernexposure.com, which specializes in seed for the South, or Seed Savers Exchange www.seedsavers.org, a cooperative/commercial venture. Membership to the latter gets you a catalog larger than many phone books where people offer seeds that they have grown and collected. There is often an interesting tale attached to these seeds. Of course there are many strictly commercial ventures out there in web land where you can purchase heirloom seeds, like Johnny’s Select Seed or Baker Creek Heirloom Seed, or you might be interested in Southern Seed Legacy http://anthropology.unt.edu/anthatunt-ssl.php, an effort of the anthropology program of the University of North Texas, which encourages seed saving and seed exchange among its members. Membership starts at just $15 a year and entitles you to a directory and two free seed packets through their annual seed exchange. A quick search online will open the doors of seed exchanging for you. It’s a great way to maintain biodiversity and food security.
Until next month, Good Gardening
But there are some things we can do in the garden now, early in the morning and late in the evening, to be sure. Don’t go out from 10 a.m to 2 p.m. for sure. Please, when you do go out, make sure to use sunscreen, wear a hat, and stay hydrated. You don’t want to suffer from heat stroke or heat exhaustion.
By now you should have harvested a lot of tomatoes. If you planted any of the heat set varieties, they should be doing well now. They are called ‘heat set’ because they are resistant to the changes induced by high temperatures that cause normal tomatoes to stop setting fruit when the temperature rises. You might even save some of your regular tomatoes if you prune them back, give them a fresh coat of organic mulch and feed them well. Compost tea works very well here, as does fish emulsion. Both work great as foliar feedings. Then by the time the temperatures come down moving into fall, those great root systems should push out new growth and a fresh crop of tomatoes. You can save money on new transplants and get a great fall crop to boot.
You can do the same to peppers if they stop producing. Eggplant should continue straight through as they love the heat. You might want to give them a boost with a foliar feed of compost tea or fish emulsion while they’re bearing heavily. Also you can begin planting fall crops now. If you’re quick you can plant cantaloupe, okra, summer squash, southern peas, and watermelon from seed, and bell pepper and tomato transplants through early August. Then starting in mid-August you can plant bush and pole snap beans, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, Swiss chard, kohlrabi, Irish potatoes and lettuce. You might want to protect the lettuce from the afternoon sun. Throughout the month of August you can plant Lima beans, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, collards, cucumbers, mustard, pumpkins, rutabagas, shallots, and turnips.
The Ag Center tests different varieties throughout the state and chooses the best performers to recommend, so you can trust that these varieties will give you a good chance of a plentiful harvest. Some of these suggestions are for broccoli: Arcadia, Diplomat, Gypsy, Packman, Premium Crop, Windsor, Green Magic, and Everest. I have planted both Packman and Premium Crop and had long plentiful harvests. One stand of Packman kept producing for 18 months. Every time the plant started to flower I cut them off and new side shoots developed. For cauliflower they recommend: Candid Charm, Cumberland, Freedom, Snow Crown, Incline, Majestic, and Wentworth. I’ve grown Snow Crown with excellent results.
Recommendations for bush Lima beans include: Dixie Butterpea, Fordhook 242, Henderson Bush, Jackson Wonder and Thorngreen. The only one that I have seen locally is Henderson Bush. I’m sure you could find any of the others if you search online sites such as Southern Exposure Seed Exchange http://www.southernexposure.com, which specializes in seed for the South, or Seed Savers Exchange www.seedsavers.org, a cooperative/commercial venture. Membership to the latter gets you a catalog larger than many phone books where people offer seeds that they have grown and collected. There is often an interesting tale attached to these seeds. Of course there are many strictly commercial ventures out there in web land where you can purchase heirloom seeds, like Johnny’s Select Seed or Baker Creek Heirloom Seed, or you might be interested in Southern Seed Legacy http://anthropology.unt.edu/anthatunt-ssl.php, an effort of the anthropology program of the University of North Texas, which encourages seed saving and seed exchange among its members. Membership starts at just $15 a year and entitles you to a directory and two free seed packets through their annual seed exchange. A quick search online will open the doors of seed exchanging for you. It’s a great way to maintain biodiversity and food security.
Until next month, Good Gardening
MaryAnn Armbruster, Ph.D.
MaryAnn Armbruster, Ph.D. is a certified Advanced Master Gardener and member of the Lafayette Parish Master Gardeners.
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