Please help? Is it too hot?

[AL]

I am a bona fide thread killer
Please can someone help me? I am very new to gardening -- planted a garden (40'x60') and did... meh.. ok I guess. I would like to try again summer. I am in NW Florida

I have my garden plot tilled and now I am wondering is it just too hot for tender young plants? I want to plant southern peas, okra, corn, pumpkins and MAYBE try tomatoes again (didn't have much luck with those 1st go 'round). I am in zone 8b and my "what to plant now" from mother earth news names these things. It just seems awfully hot

 

[sonjab314]

I'd say in your zone, you'd have an extended growing season to plant whatever you wanted. If you know when your average first frost is, you can gauge if you have time by how fast the plant matures. Happy growing.

 

[AL]

Thank you!!! I was more concerned about heat than frost (it may be January before we get one ).

thanks again!

 

[bid]

I think you will be fine planting peas, corn and okra now. Pumpkins and tomatos also, they will all just need a bit of extra TLC (lotsa water) for a few weeks to get established roots. Expect a few losses just from getting fried in that hot sun until the plants do get a bit of size on them. Good luck!

 

[jamespm_98]

Okra should be fine, love heat and can stand some lack of water
Corn, may have more issues with pest, but give it a try you will need to make sure it gets plenty of water
Tomatoes, plant a good heat tolerant variety and mulch very heavly
Southern peas should do fine, they seem to not mind heat as much
I would wait a month or so on the pumpkins unless you can water well

 

[boggybranch]

Whatever you plant out.......mulch around them to conserve moisture and keep the soil cool. It'll help ALOT.

 

[sequin]

Is there a way you can put a shade cloth over the new starts until they really take root?? That might help. I thought our lettuce would all die once it hit 90, but it hasn't bolted at all - even the new transplants. So, if I can do it with lettuce, I am betting you can do it with your plants too.

 

[AL]

wow thanks everyone.
I don't think I could shade them... unless I just plant a smaller plot. At this point it is more hobby gardening than food supply, so that is a feasible alternative.
I was thinking of buying straw bales to spread on top of newspaper for mulch?

re:water - I don't have soaker hoses (yet). I watered this past garden when I got home from work (130am). Some people told me that was bad bad bad because of mold or something - and then from there it was "never water in the morning, water in the evening" and "never water in the evening, ALWAYS water early morning"

 

[hoodat]

Of all those you mentioned only tomatos will give you real problems in the heat. Tomatos like it from warm to moderately hot. In scalding heat they will wilt and come down with all sorts of diseases. Your pumpkin leaves will wilt in the heat but usually recover at night so long as you keep the ground moist at all times. If you do your watering slowly at ground level and do not get the foliage wet you can water at any time it's convenient to you. Those who advised you not to water in the evening were thinking of the foliage being wet for the entire night. In warm weather that's a sure recipe for fungus diseases, especially powdery mildew.

 

[Hollywood Gardens]

Hi, I am in zone 9B.

okra is great in the heat, I have hundreds of plants.

Right now my cantaloupe is doing amazing and zooming along in this heat.

It is kind of hot for tomato, but I have some in pot that are giving 1 pound a week.

I never planted pumpkin, and I am allergic to beans so I can't help you there.