2nd Summer Planting in South

[hangin'witthepeeps]

So I'm a Georgian, and after another TEG member pointed me in the direction of the County Extension Agent I found out we have a 2nd summer crop "season". Tomatoes are to be planted around June 1 through Aug 10. Am I planting started veggies by this date or sowing seeds in the ground? Anyone out there with this type of knowledge? I've filled up my SFG, now I have buckets to fill up. Love those tomatoes!!!

 

[obsessed]

I struggled with this last year as well. Last year was my first year in the South. So what I found out is to make sure you use a short season tomato for your second season. and to start the plant EARLY.

This is what I did wrong. I planted seeds in august. which didn't give the plants enough time to mature in time to bare fruit. Then I tried to plant a few transplants from the nursury in august. And they died and dried up. It was just too hot for them. I tried again in September and those took but those are the ones that didn't barefruit.

What I did right is leave my plant in spring alone. The ones that I didn't pull had a second crop. Now they didn't get ripe until Nov and Dec and only then barely. But these were just generic sweet millions from the nursury.

This year I went with all early croppers. That way I can get a good crop before the death heat arrives in Early June. In early June I will take cutting and nurse them until late August when I will plant them to replace the plants that the heat killed. I will also just leave my early plants alone for a second crop.

This second crop thing also works with pepper and eggplants. Just leave them alone and they will bare all the way until frost (with the peppers, the buggs at my eggplants in Oct).


now take all this with a grain of salt cause I am so new to the south with this being my 2nd year. But I have read and researched all I could!

 

[hangin'witthepeeps]

So just nurse along what I have and they "should" have a 2nd crop and last until Nov or Dec? WOW, I never knew that. As a small child my family plowed over everything in September to plant winter "greens". We never left them to see if they would produce more. Good to know.

 

[vfem]

So just nurse along what I have and they "should" have a 2nd crop and last until Nov or Dec? WOW, I never knew that. As a small child my family plowed over everything in September to plant winter "greens". We never left them to see if they would produce more. Good to know.

If you can start some from seed inside your house in July, that's when we do the second planting here. That way we have tomatoes again in October. Baby your first plants and you will get more, but usually 1/3 or less of what they produced before. You know?

But try it both ways and see which you are happier with to decide what you will do next year!

 

[Andy J]

As soon as your tomato plants start producing suckers off the main stem,pinch them off and root them in some fairly moist soil.You can have tomatoes in various stages of growth and you will be assured of fresh tomatoes until frost gets them.

Plant more summer squash,southern peas,bush snap beans,bush butterbeans and greens until about the middle of August.

I think broccoli and cabbages,along with collards,do better in the fall in the south.I tried Brussell sprouts last fall,but they didn't make.I'm going to experiment more with them this fall.

If you like asparagus,start an asparagus bed.Mine are doing great.

Andy J