Warm Season Crops
There is a wonderful array of summer loving vegetables that thrive with the long days, sunshine and heat of summer.
There is a wonderful array of summer loving vegetables that thrive with the long days, sunshine and heat of summer.
As summer approaches, the days are getting longer, the weather is warming up and it’s time to get in your summer loving crops (also known as warm season crops). There is a wonderful array of vegetables that love long, hot days and produce an abundant harvest that is indicative of summer.
Warm weather and frost-free nights bring the vegetable gardening season into full swing. Summer vegetables are grown primarily for their fruits (rather than leaves or roots) and many will continue producing throughout the season with a little care. If you’re new to gardening, summer vegetables can be a great way to get started with a small garden plot or a few pots on the verandah.
Warm season vegetables like plenty of sunshine to produce a good crop. It requires a great deal of energy to produce their fruit. Increased hours of direct sun results in more flavourful vegetables.
Soil temperatures need to have warmed adequately for seeds to germinate and for seedlings to grow well. Soil temperatures are ideal between 18 and 28°C for the seeds to germinate. A soil thermometer is a great way to monitor the temperature of your soil.
Summer garden care
By following a few simple practices, your summer garden will thrive:
Compost
A garden enriched with compost has more of an ability to retain water and nutrients and make these available to plants. Compost also increases the number and variety of microorganisms in the soil which enhances plant health and growth.
Water
Deep watering is a must for summer crops to grow and produce a good harvest. Water in the morning or later in the evening to avoid watering in the heat of the day.
Mulch
Mulching around the plants not only assists in moisture retention but insulates the roots of the plants and adds organic matter to the soil, helping to build its structure. Mulching will give your plants a great chance of success.
Harvest
Regular harvesting promotes new fruit which will prolong the fruiting season. You can be harvesting fresh produce right throughout summer.
Summer is a great time to be outdoors and tending to and harvesting from your vegetable garden. Even a few vegetables growing in pots can delight with a summer harvest.