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Nothing like Southern heat!
If you live in the South, where temperatures often exceed 100 degrees during the summer, forget about growing conventional vegetables like tomatoes, lettuce, or broccoli. Yes, many of these plants require the warm weather of summer, but more so in northern states where summers are not as extremely hot. Here in Florida and many southern states, most conventional vegetables will fry before they grow during the hot summer months. Yet, don’t panic, there are very loving-heat vegetables that are not as famous, but they can be delicious if cooked properly. Many of the vegetables that we buy in the supermarket are plants that are better suited to grow in Europe and the Northern United States during the warmer months. Perhaps you haven’t considered it, but there are undoubtedly historical, economic, and political implications associated with our diet. There are also practical reasons. Florida is not an easy state in which to grow vegetables. Yet, I believe that challenges always bring opportunities!
To begin with, gardening is an opportunity to reconnect with the past generations in the land we live in. Many heat-loving plants are staples of Southern cuisine, such as field peas, okra, and collards. What I love about these plants is that they are super nutritious and super easy to grow. With proper soil and water, you don’t need to attend to them so much, and they produce a ton of food. I firmly believe that plants that can grow in challenging environments, with minimal care, are the most nutritious. However, there are also steps you can take to mitigate the heat. Trees or shrubs can create partial shade, which can create microclimates in your garden. These can provide better conditions for certain plants and even make your house cooler. Typically, it is better to plant Trees and big plants on the north side of your garden as they can also catch more heat during the winter months (for the sun crosses the sky leaning south during the winter). Another essential thing you can do is to cover your soil with straw, grass clippings, or leaves for vegetable plants (use mulch for fruit trees). This will maintain good humidity and a cooler temperature in the soil.
Furthermore, remember that we live in a vast world where there are many places with extremely hot summers. There are many varieties now available in the United States that originate from various countries in the southern hemisphere. For example, there is a great variety of tropical spinaches that love high temperatures, and they are super hardy and nutritious, even more than conventional spinach. Some of these are Longevity spinach, Okinawa spinach and Malabar spinach (you can order them online). My favorite plant of all time, which grows like crazy in the summer and is extremely hardy, is the Moringa. It doesn’t taste great, but it is one of the most nutritious foods on the planet! It has more minerals and antioxidants than any conventional vegetables. You can dry the leaves and make a powder to consume throughout the year; it is, without a doubt, nature's best vitamin supplement. Since it is a fast-growing tree, you can use it to provide shade for other plants or keep it at the desired size.
Remember that gardening is a beautiful way to connect with life, and experimenting and learning will only improve the skills that we can pass on to the next generation; that’s what our ancestors did. It's fun to eat the vegetables we like to buy at the store, but it's also super fun to explore the unknown and try new varieties of plants. At the end of the day, as a busy gardener with a life, a wife, kids, and a job, it's also always good to work with nature. Grow what grows best in your land with little input, and experiment for fun, pushing nature's boundaries here and there. Have fun and don’t be afraid to sweat a lot and receive tons of vitamin D, stay well hydrated, and enjoy a great hot summer!
Here is a list of some plants you can try growing in the southern summer heat:
- Okinawan spinach
- Longevity spinach
- Surinam spinach
- Malabar spinach
- Sissoo (Brazilian) spinach
- New Zealand spinach Egyptian spinach
- Ethiopian kale
- Katuk
- Moringa
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