Hey everyone! I'm gardening in zone 12b where it regularly hits around 90°F. I'm wondering if I can sprout anything in this intense heat. So far, I'm experimenting with radishes (germinating them outside and then bringing them in after transplanting, haha) and working on a few sunflowers. Is there anything else I can grow right now, or should I just wait until September? I'd love to focus on fruits, veggies, or herbs, but I'm also open to plants that attract pollinators. For context, I have a rooftop container garden with an avocado tree, olive tree, pomegranate tree, grape vine, plus tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, cucumbers, and onions.
3 Answers
Remember, it’s more about the soil temperature than just the air temp. Seeds for most warm-weather crops should sprout fine in air temps around the high 80s to low 90s. If you’re concerned about moisture, especially for shallow-sown seeds, keep your soil well-watered. You can check soil temps with a thermometer too—I recommend looking up germination temp graphs for specific veggies.
Germination can typically handle high heat, but flowering and fruit set might struggle in extreme conditions. I’ve had success with yard-long beans, okra, and Armenian cucumbers even in the summer when tomatoes won't do well anymore.
That makes total sense, thanks!
No need to wait until September! You can direct sow a whole bunch of things like cowpeas, Puerto Rican black beans, yard-long beans, okra, sweet potatoes, Seminole pumpkins, roselle, boniato, amaranth, chayote squash, and even luffa while they're young. Tomatoes and cucumbers can be tricky right now, so keep an eye out for pests and maybe invest in some 50% shade cloth.
Wow thank you! I’m from the Midwest and really missing my chances to grow new potatoes, so I’m super excited to try the sweets. Gonna add some beans too!
Thanks for the helpful tips! I used to garden in Chicago, but now I’m on the Caribbean side of the Yucatán, so this is definitely a new challenge for me. I’ll definitely give okra a try since it seems popular!