Vegetables That Do Well in Really Hot Climates

Too Hot to Handle?

Some vegetables thrive in hot weather and in fact, vegetables such as corn, tomatoes, some peppers, eggplant, squash and melons will not grow well unless they have at least a month of 80 to 90° weather. These vegetables tend to require lots of water, so maintain a consistent watering schedule or use a soaker hose to make sure they get the moisture they need.

If you are gardening in really, really hot climates like Southern Florida, Texas or Arizona, you might want to focus on vegetables that do well in extremely hot weather. Vegetables like corn, okra, eggplant, hot peppers, tomatillos, and even though they aren’t vegetables, melons like watermelons and cantaloupes.

Corn

Corn originated as a tropical grass. It does best between 77 and 90℉, but corn can handle temperatures as high as 112℉ for short periods of time.

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Okra

Okra is a true hot weather vegetable, originating in Egypt, Western Africa or possibly South East Asia. Okra is easy to grow and delicious as long as you harvest it before it starts to get woody!

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Eggplant

Does great in the heat and does especially well in warm climates with long growing seasons.

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Hot Peppers

You can have a lot of fun with hot peppers in hot climates. There is endless variety and many of them will do much better in hot weather than their milder cousin, the bell pepper. And, spicy food helps you feel cool.

Tomatillos

These little fruits, sometimes called husk tomatoes, are popular in Mexican foods like Salsa Verde. And they are healthy, too! Tomatillos are a good source of niacin, potassium, and manganese and are rich in antioxidants.

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Article courtesy of Seed Sheets