There is no denying that global warming is happening now. Climate does have a natural cyclical nature and we are definitely in a warming period that is exacerbated by human made pollutants.
Surviving now depends on adapting to the new normal.
I have always had to grow heat resistant plants through the summer. But, even I, don't know of many plants that can stand temperatures over 100 well, and water is also becoming a pricey and scarce commodity. Other kinds of techniques need to be used to conserve water as well as finding plants that can adapt to the higher temperatures. The saving grace for me is that even though our temperatures are rising a few degrees, it is nowhere near the extreme temperatures being experienced in normally cooler parts of the country.
The most heat resistant lettuce I have are salad bowl and grand rapids, but I don't expect to grow them through the summer.
The winners in the heat challenge have been many of the usual summer plants
Okra, eggplant, peppers, kale, gray leafed herbs (lavender, sage, thyme), established citrus trees, green onions, ginger (given some shade from the midday and afternoon sun),vining crops (sweet potato, gourds, upo, corn, winter squash. TYLCV tomatoes for the most part are not heat tolerant, but the red currant is TYLCV resistant, indeterminent, and heat resistant. I have found some TYLCV resistant roma tomatoes as well, so I am going to try those because they will do better in the summer heat. I have to find a resistant cherry tomato.
Beets and daikon have done fairly well in a modified self watering container. Holes are drilled two inches up from the bottom of the container and there are no holes on the bottom. This leaves a muddy reservoir on the bottom of the container that allows it to dry slower. I have also used this method with the ginger. It requires a deep container at least 18 inches deep, managing water, and choosing crops that can handle being moist all the time.
I have used taller plants to create shade for smaller ones. Many of my plants are in pots so I can move them around. The neighbor's trees are blocking the setting sun from my garden. It causes other problems though.
I have planted mostly drought resistant plants in the front yard and the established plants have been used to living on rain and occasional watering for years. Palms, mussaenda glabra, crepe myrtle, roses, Euphorbia, ti, bromeliads, rabbit foot ferns, rhapsiolepsis indica have preservered for years with little care. Last year was the first time the rhapsiolepsis (40 yrs old), showed signs of drought stress.
I added the pollen and nectar garden this year with plants that I know don't need a lot of water. Alyssum (expanded what was already there), false heather, ice plant, angelonia ( looks delicate, but is actually pretty tough), gladiolus ( replanted new ones this year), nasturtiums ( will reseed annually and come up when conditions are good), lavender, and a few summer annuals zinnia, dill, cosmos, sunflowers, marigolds, and a volunteer Thai basil. I am going to put out a water source ( a saucer with some river stones in it) for the pollinators and probably the birds will take advantage of it too.
I have already started to wean the front yard from daily watering and I water about every 2-3 days. I am watering slow and deep to encourage deep rooting. This summer is expected to be hotter than last year, so I will have to continue deep watering as I don't expect much rain for help. The grass has already gone dormant. Only the grass that is near plants I am watering is green. At least I don't have to weed whack as much now.
I am up potting plants that are pot bound and I have changed from a 50/50 to a 60/40 peat lite. Getting peat moss has been a problem and the supply is spotty. Coir has not worked out well. It is more expensive and even more difficult to find. Plants in coir dry out very fast and don't look very healthy. Only plants that like to be dry between watering and are salt tolerant will tolerate coir.
Some plants in the pots can tolerate less frequent watering. Orchids and succulents can be watered once or twice a week for the most part. Some like the vandas and honohono still need daily watering.
Peppers, citrus, sweet potato that are in large 18 gallon containers can go a little longer. Things like the tomatoes can go a day and a half. Cabbages on the other hand will wilt if they are not watered within 24 hours.
I am regrouping plants that are in pots and using the bigger plants to provide shade for the smaller ones and combining plants with similar watering needs. The spacing is closer than I would like, but closer spacing conserves water and increases humidity around the potted plants.
I have mostly peppers in the garden now, since I have so many pepper plants. I will be harvesting out the cabbages and solarizing part of the main garden later. I may cover some of the pots once they are harvested out as well and not plant them again till the fall.
I will still have peppers, eggplant, kale, herbs (parsley, dill, thyme, lemon grass, oregano, mint, kaffir lime, Indian curry, ginger), sweet potato leaves, katuk, pandan, tomatoes,citrus ( lemons, limes, calamondin), cucumber, and beans. I can also raid my mom's house for limes and papaya.
I just planted muir lettuce ( heat resistant) for the first time and swiss chard. Chard is a good cut and come again plant.
Right now I have more beans, tomatoes, okra, snow peas and the cucumber is producing again. It is more than I can eat. I just gave away about 5 lbs of tomatoes, beans, and some of the overgrown okra to my friend to feed her worms. My worms have enough food.
July and August are the hottest months here and usually I will just harvest and solarize at that time. I am taking out weeds when I see them while I am watering. In the rainy season, I will let weeds grow in the succulents because they will help use up some of the excess water, but now, I pull them out since the plants don't need the competition. The plumeria has leafed out and is in bloom now and the shade is helping to keep the orchids from burning. I did pull some branches from the bilimbi, but the plants there can handle more sun. The bilimbi does provide shade for the vanda and the pots under the tree.
Bilimbi will grow 10 ft in one year, so I head it back a couple of times a year.
Short season gardeners have to grow in their growing season. While I can grow year round, the best time for me to plant is September-June and plant fewer annuals in the summer heat. It is hard to work in the garden in the hottest days of summer so it is the best time for me to amend and solarize the garden for the fall. Many of my plants are perennials like the hot peppers, eggplant, kale, many of the herbs, and citrus trees. Once they are established, they don't take much maintenance and have large enough root systems to sustain them. Tropical plants like the sweet potato, long beans, taro are adapted to hot humid climates anyway. Cucumber, tropical corn, squash, gourds, cherry tomatoes usually can handle very hot temperatures with enough water.
If I had more space, I would consider a shade house. Some people here put tarps on the roof of their shade houses to block the sun and keep the plants from burning. I have shade cloth on my orchid benches but I would have to build a more substantial frame for a shade house and that would be costly because it would require permits as well as labor, since, I can put up something simple, but my building skills are limited.
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pepperhead212
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 2878
- Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
- Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b
I am always trying to find heat resistant plants - NJ didn't used to be a place we had to worry about heat, but no place is immune from it now. I just heard about record temps in Canada - 121° in British Columbia! And it's forecast to be 99° here today - the last day of June. Usually, it's the end of July/beginning of August when the highest temperatures occur.
Most of my hot peppers are lovers of heat, being from tropical areas. I also try growing veggies from those areas, and some have grown well, while some were surprisingly not heat resistant! Some of the eggplants labeled Malaysian, FI, stopped flowering before my favorite varieties. One, the Hari, from southern India, produced through one very hot summer, when all others stopped flowering and growing when it was in the high 90, and even 100+. Many tomatoes drop their blossoms at these high temps, and recently I've been trying some varieties that a lady in Florida has been breeding, attempting to get heat resistance, as well as disease resistance for growing in that horribly humid region she is in. If it can grow down there, I figured, how could it be worse here? (Don't answer that...) I also have ordered some seeds from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, where they carry a lot of heat resistant varieties for down south. And Seeds Of India and Tradewinds Fruit are other seed sources that have seeds for a lot of tropical fruits and vegetables. I just wish I had more space...but then, I need time to cook and eat this stuff, too.
Most of my hot peppers are lovers of heat, being from tropical areas. I also try growing veggies from those areas, and some have grown well, while some were surprisingly not heat resistant! Some of the eggplants labeled Malaysian, FI, stopped flowering before my favorite varieties. One, the Hari, from southern India, produced through one very hot summer, when all others stopped flowering and growing when it was in the high 90, and even 100+. Many tomatoes drop their blossoms at these high temps, and recently I've been trying some varieties that a lady in Florida has been breeding, attempting to get heat resistance, as well as disease resistance for growing in that horribly humid region she is in. If it can grow down there, I figured, how could it be worse here? (Don't answer that...) I also have ordered some seeds from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, where they carry a lot of heat resistant varieties for down south. And Seeds Of India and Tradewinds Fruit are other seed sources that have seeds for a lot of tropical fruits and vegetables. I just wish I had more space...but then, I need time to cook and eat this stuff, too.
I ordered Carolina Pepper and Carolina cayenne from Southern Exposure this year. It was my first experience ordering from them. The Carolina bells are nematode resistant and I needed that for the nematodes in the garden. They are a little over a foot now and starting to flower.
Florida has developed some heat resistant tomatoes that can take up to 100 degrees. I have tried Solar Fire, but it did not turn out to have a lot of disease resistance. The Creole tomato bred in Louisiana is heat resistant as well.
Most of my plants fare well as long as they are in big pots and are not pot bound.
I definitely have a season for cool season crops like lettuce and cilantro, but surprisingly, kale, chard, and beets can handle the heat with adequate water and planting them where they can get some shade from the hottest sun. Trees also help. The plumeria and bilimi provide shade for the orchids, bromeliads, and ferns as well as some of my other potted plants like the calathea, anthuriums, and pitcher plant. Trees help to cool the house. I miss my tree that was in the front yard, but it outgrew the space. I am thinking of replacing it with a plumeria. Plumeria does not have invasive roots, but it is messier than the rubbish tree I had before. It only grows to about 20 ft which makes it manageable to prune from the ground and it will help cool the house. Plumeria is an orchid friendly tree so I can hang orchids and succulents on it.
Florida has developed some heat resistant tomatoes that can take up to 100 degrees. I have tried Solar Fire, but it did not turn out to have a lot of disease resistance. The Creole tomato bred in Louisiana is heat resistant as well.
Most of my plants fare well as long as they are in big pots and are not pot bound.
I definitely have a season for cool season crops like lettuce and cilantro, but surprisingly, kale, chard, and beets can handle the heat with adequate water and planting them where they can get some shade from the hottest sun. Trees also help. The plumeria and bilimi provide shade for the orchids, bromeliads, and ferns as well as some of my other potted plants like the calathea, anthuriums, and pitcher plant. Trees help to cool the house. I miss my tree that was in the front yard, but it outgrew the space. I am thinking of replacing it with a plumeria. Plumeria does not have invasive roots, but it is messier than the rubbish tree I had before. It only grows to about 20 ft which makes it manageable to prune from the ground and it will help cool the house. Plumeria is an orchid friendly tree so I can hang orchids and succulents on it.
The summer here was actually milder than last year. It is only now starting to get really hot and muggy and I run the fan at night to sleep. I have an air conditioner but it is so expensive to run, I have to be really desperate. The temperature now is around 89 degrees max, but it can still get down to the low 70's on some nights.
I have watered everything, including the plants that usually live on rain this year. It is starting to rain at night again from the passing tropical storm remnants. It is not enough to actually keep the plants hydrated, and it does steam up afterwards with daytime heating.
It is August and I have already pulled some of my plants and some of the pots are fallow now since it has always been a challenge to start any seeds it August. They just don't want to grow. I also have fewer pots to water and that will save me some water.
I am looking at what does survive and produce even now. The plants that have been able to produce for most of the year and some for more than one year for me.
These have been:
Eggplant. I have a new eggplant. the other one just wasn not happy. Diamond eggplant is producing 2 large eggplant every 2-3 weeks. It is not calorie dense but here eggplant fits a number of cuisines and dishes.
Ginger: My ginger is starting to bloom so I will have to harvest it early again this year. I still have preserved ginger from last year in the refrigerator. Ginger can be harvested as young as 5 months old, but just breaking off a piece of the root. A little goes a long way. I will store the ginger I harvest in a tray with some peat moss. Sand will work, but I don't have any. It will live in my lanai in a bucket until it starts to sprout. It should sprout around April, but it has been sprouting earlier.
Tomatoes: I normally prefer to grow indeterminate tomatoes which are good for about 9 months. However, because of tomato yellow leaf curl virus, I can no longer grow most of the heirlooms and I have a limited number of mostly determinate tomatoes to pick from. I am surprised how long the determinates last. They are in general less heat tolerant, so they stop producing in the heat. They have come back to start flowering again. They have been more disease tolerant than the tomatoes I had before. They have lasted over 5 months. They just are pretty red round tomatoes and don't have a lot of taste so I usually use them for cooking.
Cucumbers: I have a pot with 3-4 cucumbers on a trellis. They are Japanese type so they are seedless. Suyo, Soarer, and now Progress. I get more cucumbers than I can eat and I can grow them year round.
Sweet Potato: This is the first time I grew sweet potatoes in an 18 gallon pot. I have to harvest them. I pretty sure I waited too long. The bonus is that sweet potato leaves are also edible as long as you don't take too much, which will have a negative impact on the roots.
Kale: I lost one kale, it was 2 years old, and I did replace it. I still have the lacinato kale going strong and it grows year round.
Perpetual spinach: It is dying now, but it is another one that produces leaves year round.
Komatsuna: Does not make it past July, but it has fed my worms in its old age and I get good leaves from Nov- June.
Papaya: I don't have one currently, but I can raid my mom's house anytime for ripe or green papaya. Green papaya can be eaten Thai green (half ripe) papaya salad, and the green papaya can be cooked like squash in soup. It takes about 9 months from seed to produce a continuous supply of fruit. It can live up to 8 years, but I cut it down once I can't reach the fruit anymore.
Citrus trees: I have a lot of them so I have an almost constant supply. The Meyer lemon and calamondin are the most productive and produce multiple times of the year. They are also good for trade.
Peppers: Hot peppers are ridiculously productive and good for trade. Sweet peppers have been productive, but a lot more work with fewer peppers. I still get a lot of peppers, it just took a while for them to get started. The long peppers are more productive than bell peppers.
Swiss Chard: Cut and come again and very easy to grow. I did not like them because of the earthy taste, but my friend told me how to cook them so they are great now.
Beans: Beans are fast, 50-65 days, and very productive. The bush beans put out all the beans all at the same time. The pole beans put out a few every day.
NZ spinach: Hot weather spinach substitute. I just can't eat it fast enough.
Bitter melon: It is a weed in my yard. It is edible and I pull it and give it away. The leaves as well as the fruit are edible. I don't even take care of it. The birds bring it.
Herbs: I have several herbs. Italian parsley, Jamaican oregano, Mexican tarragon,rosemary, lavender, thyme (well I do have to keep replacing that one), mint, ajaca basil, Blue fil basil, Thai basil, Rama tulsi. I cannot grow sweet basil because of basil downy mildew. The holy basils are immune and the Thai basil will get the disease but not as bad and can still be productive. I also have pandan, Indian curry tree (murraya koenegii), bilimbi, and now roselle (hibiscus sabdariffa) which is an annual. I have a lot of hot peppers, and citrus trees in pots. I would not have enough space if the trees are in the ground. The herbs don't need much care and they provide a lot of flavor that you can't get with dried herbs.
Gourds: If I had the space, gourds are very productive. Although, I only have 2 recipes for it. I used to grow this in my community garden plot. I don't have the space for the vines at my house. The vines can easily grow 50 ft and cover my entire back yard.
The least productive for me:
Lettuce: It has such a short season and I still have not figured out how to plant them so I can finish them before they bolt. I can only grow decent lettuce from Nov-May since they will bolt and be bitter in summer. I really don't like lettuce much so I just don't eat it fast enough and it does not keep. It is one of those things I buy when I need it. Thankfully, I don't need it much. It costs $3 lb at the store. Good thing, I usually buy the small and lighter manoa lettuce.
Garlic and onions: While I can grow them, I don't grow them well. They take up a lot of space for 5 months (Oct-May). I can grow something else that is more productive and more expensive to buy like bok choy in that same space.
Zucchini: It would be productive if it were not for all the fruit flies it attracts. I have to grow parthenocarpic varieties because zucchini will stop making female flowers once it gets too hot. The parthenocarpic varieties have better mildew resistance, but is not easy to grow it in the rainy season.
I did grow semposai, komatsuna, bok choy, pak choy, beets and daikon. They are short crops and grow best before July. They are the crops that when finished, I remove and let the garden rest or I have planted the peppers or beans in their place. They are productive when they are in season. I even got one cilantro to make it through to August before it fizzled. That was amazing even for leisure cilantro. I did have to grow it in partial shade. They will be replanted again in September-October.
I have watered everything, including the plants that usually live on rain this year. It is starting to rain at night again from the passing tropical storm remnants. It is not enough to actually keep the plants hydrated, and it does steam up afterwards with daytime heating.
It is August and I have already pulled some of my plants and some of the pots are fallow now since it has always been a challenge to start any seeds it August. They just don't want to grow. I also have fewer pots to water and that will save me some water.
I am looking at what does survive and produce even now. The plants that have been able to produce for most of the year and some for more than one year for me.
These have been:
Eggplant. I have a new eggplant. the other one just wasn not happy. Diamond eggplant is producing 2 large eggplant every 2-3 weeks. It is not calorie dense but here eggplant fits a number of cuisines and dishes.
Ginger: My ginger is starting to bloom so I will have to harvest it early again this year. I still have preserved ginger from last year in the refrigerator. Ginger can be harvested as young as 5 months old, but just breaking off a piece of the root. A little goes a long way. I will store the ginger I harvest in a tray with some peat moss. Sand will work, but I don't have any. It will live in my lanai in a bucket until it starts to sprout. It should sprout around April, but it has been sprouting earlier.
Tomatoes: I normally prefer to grow indeterminate tomatoes which are good for about 9 months. However, because of tomato yellow leaf curl virus, I can no longer grow most of the heirlooms and I have a limited number of mostly determinate tomatoes to pick from. I am surprised how long the determinates last. They are in general less heat tolerant, so they stop producing in the heat. They have come back to start flowering again. They have been more disease tolerant than the tomatoes I had before. They have lasted over 5 months. They just are pretty red round tomatoes and don't have a lot of taste so I usually use them for cooking.
Cucumbers: I have a pot with 3-4 cucumbers on a trellis. They are Japanese type so they are seedless. Suyo, Soarer, and now Progress. I get more cucumbers than I can eat and I can grow them year round.
Sweet Potato: This is the first time I grew sweet potatoes in an 18 gallon pot. I have to harvest them. I pretty sure I waited too long. The bonus is that sweet potato leaves are also edible as long as you don't take too much, which will have a negative impact on the roots.
Kale: I lost one kale, it was 2 years old, and I did replace it. I still have the lacinato kale going strong and it grows year round.
Perpetual spinach: It is dying now, but it is another one that produces leaves year round.
Komatsuna: Does not make it past July, but it has fed my worms in its old age and I get good leaves from Nov- June.
Papaya: I don't have one currently, but I can raid my mom's house anytime for ripe or green papaya. Green papaya can be eaten Thai green (half ripe) papaya salad, and the green papaya can be cooked like squash in soup. It takes about 9 months from seed to produce a continuous supply of fruit. It can live up to 8 years, but I cut it down once I can't reach the fruit anymore.
Citrus trees: I have a lot of them so I have an almost constant supply. The Meyer lemon and calamondin are the most productive and produce multiple times of the year. They are also good for trade.
Peppers: Hot peppers are ridiculously productive and good for trade. Sweet peppers have been productive, but a lot more work with fewer peppers. I still get a lot of peppers, it just took a while for them to get started. The long peppers are more productive than bell peppers.
Swiss Chard: Cut and come again and very easy to grow. I did not like them because of the earthy taste, but my friend told me how to cook them so they are great now.
Beans: Beans are fast, 50-65 days, and very productive. The bush beans put out all the beans all at the same time. The pole beans put out a few every day.
NZ spinach: Hot weather spinach substitute. I just can't eat it fast enough.
Bitter melon: It is a weed in my yard. It is edible and I pull it and give it away. The leaves as well as the fruit are edible. I don't even take care of it. The birds bring it.
Herbs: I have several herbs. Italian parsley, Jamaican oregano, Mexican tarragon,rosemary, lavender, thyme (well I do have to keep replacing that one), mint, ajaca basil, Blue fil basil, Thai basil, Rama tulsi. I cannot grow sweet basil because of basil downy mildew. The holy basils are immune and the Thai basil will get the disease but not as bad and can still be productive. I also have pandan, Indian curry tree (murraya koenegii), bilimbi, and now roselle (hibiscus sabdariffa) which is an annual. I have a lot of hot peppers, and citrus trees in pots. I would not have enough space if the trees are in the ground. The herbs don't need much care and they provide a lot of flavor that you can't get with dried herbs.
Gourds: If I had the space, gourds are very productive. Although, I only have 2 recipes for it. I used to grow this in my community garden plot. I don't have the space for the vines at my house. The vines can easily grow 50 ft and cover my entire back yard.
The least productive for me:
Lettuce: It has such a short season and I still have not figured out how to plant them so I can finish them before they bolt. I can only grow decent lettuce from Nov-May since they will bolt and be bitter in summer. I really don't like lettuce much so I just don't eat it fast enough and it does not keep. It is one of those things I buy when I need it. Thankfully, I don't need it much. It costs $3 lb at the store. Good thing, I usually buy the small and lighter manoa lettuce.
Garlic and onions: While I can grow them, I don't grow them well. They take up a lot of space for 5 months (Oct-May). I can grow something else that is more productive and more expensive to buy like bok choy in that same space.
Zucchini: It would be productive if it were not for all the fruit flies it attracts. I have to grow parthenocarpic varieties because zucchini will stop making female flowers once it gets too hot. The parthenocarpic varieties have better mildew resistance, but is not easy to grow it in the rainy season.
I did grow semposai, komatsuna, bok choy, pak choy, beets and daikon. They are short crops and grow best before July. They are the crops that when finished, I remove and let the garden rest or I have planted the peppers or beans in their place. They are productive when they are in season. I even got one cilantro to make it through to August before it fizzled. That was amazing even for leisure cilantro. I did have to grow it in partial shade. They will be replanted again in September-October.
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pepperhead212
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 2878
- Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
- Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b
Imafan A green you might want to try out is Misome - like senposai, a komatsuna cross, this one with tatsoi, and with this intense heat I've had here this season, it still hasn't bolted, and I'm talking about the one I planted early in the spring! The senposai lasted almost to August, but even after this last heat wave we had - the worst of the season - not a sign of bolting. This really surprised me. And like all those types of "cut and come again" greens, the output is incredible - they just keep coming back after harvesting most of the outer leaves.
As for lettuce, which is always my first green to bolt, I have an unknown variety that I found 6 or 7 years ago in a "mesclun mix" that was the absolute last one to bolt, well into July, and so I saved seeds from it, since I didn't know what it was, and I have never done that, before or since! I was just about out of those seeds, and again, it was the last to bolt (all the rest I had pulled 2 weeks before they started (that included one from a Florida lady, who said it was a variety from Hawaii, that she liked), and I saved seeds from the last bolting of the 3. I got about ¼ tsp, so far (actually a lot of lettuce leaves), but the pappuses were just starting to open there are far more open today. In the years since I discovered this variety, I've tried every similar light red leaf lettuce, but not one lasted as long. It's also a good grower in hydroponics in the off-season, and again, goes for months w/o bolting.
Something I did this year was to plant two cucumbers, about 6 weeks after the other 5, that I also got more than I could use from, but are pretty much dying off, though there are a few still showing up. These are starting to flower now, and the heat isn't bothering them, and should take over soon, so I might plant fewer early next season - maybe 3 then 3 later ones. I'm thinking of doing the same with tomatoes, next year.
As for lettuce, which is always my first green to bolt, I have an unknown variety that I found 6 or 7 years ago in a "mesclun mix" that was the absolute last one to bolt, well into July, and so I saved seeds from it, since I didn't know what it was, and I have never done that, before or since! I was just about out of those seeds, and again, it was the last to bolt (all the rest I had pulled 2 weeks before they started (that included one from a Florida lady, who said it was a variety from Hawaii, that she liked), and I saved seeds from the last bolting of the 3. I got about ¼ tsp, so far (actually a lot of lettuce leaves), but the pappuses were just starting to open there are far more open today. In the years since I discovered this variety, I've tried every similar light red leaf lettuce, but not one lasted as long. It's also a good grower in hydroponics in the off-season, and again, goes for months w/o bolting.
Something I did this year was to plant two cucumbers, about 6 weeks after the other 5, that I also got more than I could use from, but are pretty much dying off, though there are a few still showing up. These are starting to flower now, and the heat isn't bothering them, and should take over soon, so I might plant fewer early next season - maybe 3 then 3 later ones. I'm thinking of doing the same with tomatoes, next year.
I have seen misome in Kitazawa's catalog, maybe I will try it. I really liked the semposai and it lasted a very long time. I have one left in the garden but it is definitely on its' way out. Another asian green that lasts that I have grown is mizuna. When it is young in the cooler months it can be added to salads as a bitter green. It is not as bitter as mustard. It is used traditionally to make ozoni, a new year soup. Mizuna is usually cooked in stir fries and hot pot recipes. It is a cut and come again and will last a very long time. I just don't have a lot of use for it. It can become a thick bushy plant. One of the Filipino workers liked it so I would give most of it to him. I don't know how he used it.
I thought the Soarer cucumbers were done, but a couple of weeks later they started blooming again and put out a few more. It is done and pulled out now. Manoa is usually a good lettuce but it does not do well in summer. I like buttercrunch better. Red or Green Oakleaf, salad bowl, and grand rapids have also done well. They just don't really last through summer and I have to grown them in morning sun only. I am going to try new red fire lettuce. It has a good heat tolerance and seeds are available. I have a heat tolerant romaine, but that being said romaine still does not like it above 75 degrees. The UH has done some summer lettuce trials. The lettuce looked good, but I don't know how they tasted. I saw them growing (actually they were ready to bolt) in the test garden.
I thought the Soarer cucumbers were done, but a couple of weeks later they started blooming again and put out a few more. It is done and pulled out now. Manoa is usually a good lettuce but it does not do well in summer. I like buttercrunch better. Red or Green Oakleaf, salad bowl, and grand rapids have also done well. They just don't really last through summer and I have to grown them in morning sun only. I am going to try new red fire lettuce. It has a good heat tolerance and seeds are available. I have a heat tolerant romaine, but that being said romaine still does not like it above 75 degrees. The UH has done some summer lettuce trials. The lettuce looked good, but I don't know how they tasted. I saw them growing (actually they were ready to bolt) in the test garden.
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pepperhead212
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 2878
- Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
- Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b
Imafan, That mizuna is another green I've had good luck with, indoors and out, and it goes fairly long, before bolting. However, the two red/purple varieties I've tried bolted quickly, even in my hydroponics, while the greens lasted a long time, especially when cut frequently.
I have grown that red fire lettuce, thinking maybe that was this unknown, but it wasn't, and bolted earlier, though later than some others, like salad bowl and grand rapids.
If you want some of these seeds, I'd be happy to share. I'm up to about 3/4 tsp now, which is a lot of lettuce seeds, and this isn't even half of them yet!
I have grown that red fire lettuce, thinking maybe that was this unknown, but it wasn't, and bolted earlier, though later than some others, like salad bowl and grand rapids.
If you want some of these seeds, I'd be happy to share. I'm up to about 3/4 tsp now, which is a lot of lettuce seeds, and this isn't even half of them yet!
Thanks, but the department of Ag does not allow seed in without a certificate. If it is a local lettuce, I can ask Jari which one it might be if you can post a picture of it. Jari is the extension agent at U.H. that has done extensive vegetable trials and she also did the lettuce trials as well. It is kinda nice to be connected this way. She may be able to recognize the lettuce variety with luck. I know Red Sails does well, but still will not last for the whole summer. Freckles and Frizee also does well in summer in the hydroponic houses. I have grown green lettuce but not the red.
I tried Muir lettuce. It did pretty well through the summer in indirect sun. It was slow to bolt. It has very thick frilly leaves.
I tried to save seeds from my lettuce this year. They flowered but I wasn't able to capture many of the seeds.
I tried Muir lettuce. It did pretty well through the summer in indirect sun. It was slow to bolt. It has very thick frilly leaves.
I tried to save seeds from my lettuce this year. They flowered but I wasn't able to capture many of the seeds.
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pepperhead212
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 2878
- Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
- Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b
I forgot about that problem you have, getting seeds in there, due to possibly bringing disease in on them. The lady I know in FL has the same problem, though not as bad as there.
That first year I saved these lettuce seeds I couldn't believe how long it took for the seeds to form, and finally open! That year, it was even later, as the heat that caused the bolting was later, and it was close to September when I saw the first pappuses open! This year, there were heat waves in June (causing the bolting of many lettuces, as well as brassicas), early July, mid July (the one that finally got this one!), and late July, and finally this last one, that was worst. Hopefully, it's the last.
That first year I saved these lettuce seeds I couldn't believe how long it took for the seeds to form, and finally open! That year, it was even later, as the heat that caused the bolting was later, and it was close to September when I saw the first pappuses open! This year, there were heat waves in June (causing the bolting of many lettuces, as well as brassicas), early July, mid July (the one that finally got this one!), and late July, and finally this last one, that was worst. Hopefully, it's the last.
Your temperatures this year are worse than mine. I am still around 70 degrees at night which is still good for August. Around October the day and night temperatures are about the same. My day temperature is around 88 degrees which is hot but not unusual. La Nina has kept things cooler. The trades are off today, so it feels muggier.
I have a few holes in the tower planter so I will probably look to fill it with bush beans and peppers. I might try to see if I can get some bok choy started. Bok choy can take more heat and one side of the planter faces the house so it gets a little more shade.
There is no rush to fill the holes. It would be better to wait till September. I still have a lot of weeding and cleaning up to do. I collected some pots from the yard and I am bleaching them now. There are more of those too. August is a better month for cleaning and prepping than for planting.
I have a few holes in the tower planter so I will probably look to fill it with bush beans and peppers. I might try to see if I can get some bok choy started. Bok choy can take more heat and one side of the planter faces the house so it gets a little more shade.
There is no rush to fill the holes. It would be better to wait till September. I still have a lot of weeding and cleaning up to do. I collected some pots from the yard and I am bleaching them now. There are more of those too. August is a better month for cleaning and prepping than for planting.