By B.J. Jarvis
Every year about this time, residents call the Extension office requesting information about a “spring garden.” Typically these questions come from new residents hailing from point’s north where April and May are the appropriate time to plant a vegetable garden.
In central Florida, spring is approaching the end of the growing. However, if you’ve just gotten around to growing a vegetable garden, you can select carefully to be successful.
Forget about leaf lettuce, broccoli and sugar snap peas. Even cantaloupe and cucumber may be unhappy with our heat and humidity. Never fear, there are a few that seem a bit oblivious to summer extremes.
Rock solid, heat-loving vegetables that will reliably perform include:
–Sweet potato
–Okra
–Peppers of all types
–Eggplant
–Southern peas, such as crowder or black-eyed
These plants started as seeds, transplants or even “slips” in the case of sweet potatoes, can all be planted now. Sweet potatoes are one of those plants that tolerates, even prefers, our typically sandy soils, so even the poorest soils found in new gardens should be successful.
Unlike the self-reliant sweet potato, okra and eggplant prefer a little TLC. Regular doses of fertilizer or compost applications will go a long way to assuring a consistent edible crop. Ready to harvest in just about a month, pick both okra and eggplant small to avoid a plateful of seeds and tough skin.
Whether you like green peppers or chili peppers, black-eyed peas or cowpeas, summer is a good time to raise a bumper crop. Periodic fertilizer doses with a complete fertilizer will hold off blossom-end rot on peppers. This is often mistaken for a fungus, but is actually calcium deficiency. Be sure to have a calcium supplement such as Blossom-end Rot Spray on hand.
Watch for pests enjoying your crop during the summer too. Insects are often found under the leaves. I wonder if they are smart enough to hide or just avoiding the blistering sun? Either way, a regular inspection will help you correct any problems before they get out of hand. Remember, these are plants you plan to eat, so if you use a pesticide check for the length of time between application and eating. For some chemicals, it can be as much as two weeks. Your okra will be woody by then.
For more information on vegetable gardening any time of the year, contact the Pasco master gardeners weekdays between 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at (352) 518-0474 or (800) 368-2411, then ask for Cooperative Extension.
–B.J. Jarvis is Pasco Extension Director and Horticulture Agent. She can be reached at .
