Planting the Hot Weather Crops

May 1st has come and gone and soil temperatures are on the rise.  Time to get those heat-loving crops in the ground.

I planted two 12-foot rows of Clemson Spineless Okra in between the rows of beets.  I've read that in raised beds one may use a "matrix" spacing allowing six to eight inches between the plants in each direction.  If that's the case, I have room for one more row down the middle of the bed.  I'll tackle that another day.

If all goes as expected, about the time the beets are finishing up the okra will have sprouted and will be ready to take off.  I followed this plan last year and it worked beautifully.  Last year, I planted the okra seeds while the beet greens were still small and learned that the okra didn't do much of anything until the weather got really hot.  Okra plants prefer warm temperatures and grow quickly so there’s really no rush to plant them.  So this year I waited longer to plant the okra, which made it more difficult to work around the larger beet greens!  Oh, the pros and cons of it all...

Okra is well suited to the long, hot growing season we experience here in the piedmont of North Carolina.  Each plant will produce numerous pods from July to October.  Production is encouraged by keeping the pods picked.  That presents no problem for this family.  We're all looking forward to okra all ways ... steamed, stewed, sauted, fried, grilled ... even pickled!  Okra pickles are the best accompaniment to a plate full of deviled eggs.

Okra is in the same family as hollyhocks and hibiscus.  In addition to a delicious and prolific vegetable crop, okra produces beautiful flowers!

Eggplants also do not like to be cold and will suffer from failure-to-thrive syndrome when conditions are not to their liking. I hope days will be consistently sunny enough for the eggplant. Today I purchased eggplant starts at the Lowes Home Improvement garden center. They didn't have many plants available, but I didn't need many so that was OK. I bought two plants each of the Japanese Ichibon and Black Beauty.

I haven't had much luck with eggplant in the past, but I do love eating it, so I wanted to try again. I went on-line and read up on growing eggplant. Here are some tips that I learned:

• Eggplants are very susceptible to flea beetles, which make pin holes in the leaves and can cause considerable damage. - This I know from experience. I picked the flea beetles off by hand last year. Other methods of dealing with the critters is to cover the plants with gardening fabric early in the season to prevent the first infestation of the bugs. Once they're on the plants, treat with insecticidal soap. Most healthy plants will recover from the leaf damage.
• Eggplants do not like standing water, so mature plants should be watered deeply and infrequently. But do not allow the leaves to wilt during the day. If water is adequate, and wilting still occurs, check for root knot nematode damage by digging into a section of side roots and looking for the nematode knots in the roots. The best defense against root knot nematode damage is a healthy root system. 
• Feed eggplants once or twice during the growing season with a light application of fish emulsion or compost/manure tea. This helps to supply potassium, which the plants need to keep producing fruit.
•  As the eggplants grow and bear fruit, they will need support. I put tomato cages in place to give my eggplants something to lean on.
• Pick eggplants when they are bright and shiny. Dull-skinned fruits have begun to form mature seeds and tough skin. In very warm climates, eggplants may not reach full size before loosing their shine. Don’t hesitate to harvest them when they are small in order to enjoy firm, mild, seedless flesh.

Edamame seeds do not germinate in cool soils - ground temperature must be at least 60 degrees - so there's no point in getting an early start.  I was wondering if one could take a little short-cut by soaking the seed, but today I read DO NOT PRESOAK EDAMAME SEED.  It turns out that edamame seed is susceptible to rot if exposed to too much moisture.  OK then!  I planted two rows, 1-inch deep, 3-inches apart, on the outside edges of the bed that currently holds the sugar snaps.  I've got Lek's Long Pole Beans growing down the center of that bed.  Lots of legumes!

The interesting thing about edamame is it has an optimum harvest period of just a few days.  All the pods tend to develop at the same time. If I can manage the space, I may do successive plantings every couple of weeks to spread out the edamame joy.