Summer/Off Season

Sweet Potato Vines on Trellis

Florida summers are pretty brutal. It is hot and muggy even by mid-morning during the summer. By June, most plants are starting to get stressed by the constant heat and high humidity, the fungal spores are beginning to proliferate, the insect pests are swarming, and the weeds are taking over. Not only do the plants not thrive when the daytime temperatures are in the upper 90s, but most of us humans don't enjoy working outside in these conditions either. After a couple of summers where I tried to do battle with the weeds and pests in the heat, I finally accepted that growing vegetables during the summer is going to be a frustrating, losing battle. I have given up trying to grow most plants during June, July, and early August. Up north, farmers and gardeners take the winters off. In Florida, we can still have a very productive garden in the winter, but instead we can take the summers off....and go to the beach! There are a few things that grow well during the summer. The main summer crops that grow easily (besides tropical fruits) are sweet potatoes, okra, and black-eye peas (cowpeas), and some other types of southern peas. Also, my pepper plants usually live through the summer and continue to produce some fruit, although they aren't as productive when it's really hot. Cowpeas are good "cover crops." They compete with the weeds, and they add fertility to the soil. The are known as "nitrogen fixers."

Summer Season Vegetables For Your Central Florida Garden

Sweet Potatoes
Black Eye Peas and other types of Cowpeas
Okra
Peppers
Everglades cherry tomatoes (the tomatoes are a tiny size)
Seminole Pumpkin
Moringa trees
Asian greens:
- Chinese Cabbages
- Tat soi
- Bok Choy
- Mizuna
Tropical fruits:
- Bananas
- Mangoes
- Pineapple
- Papaya
- Citrus
- Avocado
Tropical greens:
- Malabar Spinach
- New Zealand Spinach
- Water Spinach (Kang Kong)
- Amaranth Greens