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richsd

Is anyone in the Phx area growing veggies this time of year?

richsd
10 years ago

I don't bother w/ growing vegetables this time of year due to the huge water demand. I'd rather just relent and buy the produce in a store. My water bill is big enough as it is...

Is anyone out there determined to grow summer veggies? What are you growing? I still have a big, potted cherry tomato producing fruit, but they're not as sweet as they were in the cooler months.

I have some ornamental (foliage) corn seeds I'm anxious to plant, but I think I'll wait until fall. I don't want them to battle this heat.

Comments (8)

  • tomatofreak
    10 years ago

    I have a couple of eggplants, a few sweet potatoes, peppers, and blackeye peas that are doing well. The watermelon and zuchini are struggling. Go figure; most people are awash in zuchini and I can't get one to produce. Oh, yeah, and 2 peanuts. I have no idea if I'll get even one peanut but it's a fun experiment. My dad grew great peanut patches down South, but this ain't the South.

  • campv 8b AZ
    10 years ago

    I am 1 1/2 hours north of Phx so not quite as hot.
    My veggie garden is in full swing. I got 4 kinds of peppers, 2 kinds of eggplants, zuk's, cuc's, watermelon, cantaloupe tomatoes etc. It has been great no watering for a few days, mother nature has been very nice

  • Fascist_Nation
    10 years ago

    The nice thing about PHX and much of Arizona is the ability to food garden year round and usually abundance. You have water and shade concerns in the summer but usually little frost concerns in the winter.

    You usually want annuals (seeds) that are ready to pick within 75 days or less of germination or transplant. It is true you can only rely on around 10 plants (melons! are one of them) and 10 herbs for consumption this time of year but also remember you must plant NOW for the things you wish to eat in Oct.

    There are planting guides specific to the area:
    http://www.phoenixpermaculture.org/forum/topics/planting-calendars-to-print

    http://www.urbanfarm.org/tidbits

    http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/az1005.pdf

    And Catherine (The Herb Lady) Cromell writes extensively (incl. monthly planting/maintenance garden schedules) on gardening here in "PHX Home&Garden" as well as upon the PHX Permaculture website (VPA) and has grown the impossible here.

  • greendesert
    10 years ago

    hell yeah. The reason I keep my veggies going through the summer is because in the fall when the weather cools, the plants will be already established and go crazy. The rain and the cloud cover has been helping for the last couple of weeks and things actually looke pretty darned good given the circumstances. Tromboncino squash is rambling all over, Armenian cucumbers are producing like crazy, we can barely keep up. Watermelons look great, but need some serious fertilizing. (leaves look a lighter green than some of the other stuff... maybe that's normal) Tomatoes look ragged, but still producing some. Eggplants still producing a little, but I bet in September the garden will explode. I'm still waiting for a muskmelon to ripen, after that I might cut them back and see if that stimulates new growth. Water bill? oh well... my garden is my entertainment... I don't go to movies, I don't spend money at bars, video games and other stuff, so I figure I should be allowed to splurge a little somewhere :)
    Besides, my new rainwater tote - (future aquaponic setup) got 200 gal of rainwater from the recent monsoon rains, so I ain't complaining there. Also, I use the greywater from my bathtub to water my trees, so I don't have to feel guilty about taking long showers and baths.

  • greendesert
    10 years ago

    I forgot to mention the okra plants, they love heat, and mine are just getting going. Basil is another one that does fine with heat. Actually it's kinda hard for me to remember all the plants I've got going, I always try to plant stuff so it has shade on the west side. That way they get sun in the morning and they're shaded in the afternoon. Trying to grow stuff in full sun here is just not a good idea. there aren't many plants that can take Arizona full sun without some degree of stress. Even cactus looks better if it gets some shade during the hottest part of the day.

  • tomatofreak
    10 years ago

    "Trying to grow stuff in full sun here is just not a good idea. there aren't many plants that can take Arizona full sun without some degree of stress."

    No kidding! I've gone to great lengths in the recent past to put up big shade structures - and had some success. Still, the ambient heat takes a toll on the more sensitive plants. My hat's off to anyone who has tomatoes that are currently producing. I just gave up on tomatoes, much as I love 'em. I may try a fall plant or two; optimism often overrides reality. ;-) Right now, I need to be getting some seeds started for fall. Thanks for that reminder.

  • sundrop07
    10 years ago

    Every year I vow not to try to garden in the summer but something always draws me out in spite of the heat. Or maybe I spend too much time out in the heat! Anyway, I'm harvesting okra, peppers, a few tomatoes, swiss chard, green onions, the occasional cucumber, basil, garlic chives and oregano. I have 2 big beautiful Japanese eggplants blooming their heads off but no fruit yet. We're still eating onions harvested late may. I have 3 kinds of watermelons setting fruit nicely and one winter squash vining like crazy but not blooming. I also have Jade bush beans that have been a huge disappointment. Planted them in April and they've been blooming like crazy with a lot of beans but they're stunted little curled up things so I'm going to just chop them into the soil and plant blackeyed peas. I'm starting seeds now for more tomatoes and peppers for fall transplant and preparing rows for planting fall varieties in a couple of weeks.

    The taste of tomatoes can be really affected by the heat, I pick them at first blush and let them ripen inside and the taste is better. I have 2 cherry types still setting fruit in spite of the high temps but barely edible if not picked early.

    This post was edited by sundrop07 on Thu, Jul 25, 13 at 14:41

  • captaininsano (9b/13) Peoria, AZ.
    10 years ago

    Still have 3 kinds of watermelon in full swing, 2 kinds of cantaloupe, Armenian cukes, herbs, tomatoes are just surviving they will produce again when it cools a little, tomatoes can be a perennial if they do not get frost bitten in the winter, but minimal production in the summer so I just pull all fruit that starts in july and august and let the plant concentrate on surviving, sunflowers are going good, yardlong beans, orange bell peppers and aneheim peppers are producing, planted pumpkin patch July 16th with pumpkins, corn, and sunflowers, everything is in full sun and doing well I water daily in the evening, and get a good soak every other day. I also have a couple volunteer watermelon that are starting to produce melons, and these are in a part of my yard that is all landscaping rocks and they are going nuts.

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