Summer Vegetables

Only a few vegetables survive and flourish in the heat of summer. The list , albeit short contains a diverse group of plants. Included in the list is sweet potatoes, okra, native colored corns, gourds, peanuts and eggplant.

Each can be planted now for a successful summer gardening experience. Of the group two stand out as more interesting. Eggplants now offer a wide variety of shapes colors and sizes and peanuts should be on every gardeners list for their fascinating method of burying the part we eat.

Each do best in lighter, sandy soils but perform even in heavy soils. Prepare the soil by incorporating three to four inches of organic matter, a high phosphorous fertilizer and soil sulfer. The heavier the soil the more critical the organic mater becomes. After planting a thick layer of mulch on the soil keeps the soil cool and evenly moist. Neither plant need much extra fertilizer while growing so use it lightly.

Eggplants now come in the familiar large purple form to a white egg-sized type to long cylindrical ones of varying color. The long tube types are usually called Japanese or Oriental. Breeders have tapped in on the popularity these shapes established recently to produce many selections with that shape. Fruit shape aside, eggplants offer an interesting tough looking large leafed plant with dramatic purple and yellow blooms.

The true Japanese eggplants sport a purple colored leaf cap over the tip of the fruit. Only these offer the great benefit of skin that doesn't turn bitter if left too long on the plant. Tasting skin-turned-bad have made many people gunshy about eggplants. The true Japanese should be the choice if gardeners are not sure when to pick eggplants.

Peanuts offer an interesting look into an oddity in the plant world. After planting from seed (either buy seed or plant raw peanuts) the plant produces shiny green trifoliate leaves. Blooms show up bright and yellow making this a nice plant to look at. Now the interesting part begins.

After the bloom gets pollinated and the petals fall the stem hoding the flower begins to elongate. It grows quickly away from the plant towards the soil. We know call it a peg. The peg then drives itself into the soil where the maturing peanut grows. Its really a pod similar to garden beans but it grows underground.

Looking at the plant after blooming it looks like a bunch a roots arose from stems and went into the soil. They grow like this all summer getting ready for a fall harvest.

Sometime in November the whole plant, tops and roots is dug out of the ground. This is when most gardeners do some OOHing and AHHing at the sight of all those peanuts growing in amonst the roots. At this time simply tie the plant to anything to keep it off the ground. Let it dry down and voila you have peanuts for roasting, boiling, admiring or buttering.

As with eggplants and peanuts any of the plants listed above for summer planting offer an adventure for the gardener. All of these can thrive in the summer, offer nice looking plants, something to eat and an offer a bit of oddity. With that in mind and knowing that there are not many other things to do in the summer garden these offer a fun, easy and successful use of the garden space.

Written by Terry Mikel, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Arizona, 602-470-8086.
Material originally appeared in Arizona Republic
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