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Saturday, September 3, 2016

Other vegetables for your desert garden



GROWING OTHER VEGETABLES

Sweet pepper ripen to several different colors
BEETS

Beets like cool weather, so plant seeds in late September. Standard red beets do fine, as do golden varieties. I like the golden beets because they don’t stain like red ones do.

BROCCOLI, CAULFLOWER AND CABBAGE

Starting these cruciferous vegetables from seed does work, but can be a bit challenging to start indoors in mid summer as there is usually not enough sun coming in a window to get them off to a good start and not too leggy.  I have had some success, but finally resorted to planting seeds in August, and keeping them shady until established.  Transplants work well too, but don’t set them out until September.  Provide shade so they can become acclimated as the sun is still pretty brutal.

Cabbage lopers are the main troublesome pest, so you will need to spray them with Bt (see Article 8; Biological Insect Controls) or hand pick.  They can decimate the leaves very quickly, so start spraying long before you see any signs of chewed leaves.

Harvest broccoli when the head is full and you just start to see a few yellow flowers.  This means it is as large as it will get.  Don’t let them go past that point, however, as they become bitter and tough.  Also, don’t pull the plant when you have harvested the main stalk, as they will continue to produce side shoots for months.

Harvest cauliflower before the head starts to open up.  You can tie the leaves over the head to keep it whiter, if desired.  Once harvested, the plant will not form another head, so you can remove the entire plant.

Cabbage should be picked while still compact and the leaves are tight.  Keep an eye out for cabbage lopers as they will work inside the leaves and eat the plant from the inside out. 

All of these only need to be protected from really hard frosts (into the teens).  Covering them with heavy duty polyester row covers will allow them to grow but keep them from freezing.  Remove the row covers if it starts to get too warm (over 85).  These plants prefer cooler weather.

CARROTS

Carrots like cool weather. Plant the seeds in late September. If the winter is too warm, they aren’t very sweet. Don’t expect to grow really long carrots here like you see in the store. Short varieties (like Nantes) are a good choice.

CORN

Corn is a summer crop. Growing corn is quite tricky and it requires a ton of attention.  Plant it in full sun after all danger of frost has passed, and in several rows.  Corn needs to cross-pollinate so a group of plants is much better than one long row.  Unless you are willing to hand pollinate (shaking the tassles over the silks), you will probably struggle getting ears to fill out.  Corn ear worms will drill holes in the tops and through the bottom, so you need to put mineral oil on the silk end weekly and use Bt for the exterior invasion. It also takes a lot more water than most crops.  However, if you are successful, you will have the best tasting corn ever.

CUCUMBERS

Cucumbers are a summer crop. Most standard cucumbers do not do well in the desert. The Armenian cucumber takes the heat very well, and produces long, crunchy fruits that do not need peeling. Keep an eye on them though, as they can grow several feet long if you let them.

Cucumber beetles can be a problem, and are difficult to control. I carry a bucket of soapy water around and shake the bugs off into the bucket.

EGGPLANT

Eggplants are spring planted. They do well here, but don’t expect to grow 2 to 3 pounders. They are usually much smaller here. Pick while their skin is still shiny purple to avoid seediness. The long Japanese eggplant is very prolific and a good choice.

Tomato hornworms will attack eggplants too, so spray the plants weekly with Bt.

GREENS (LETTUCE, KALE, ARUGULA, SWISS CHARD)

Fall is the time to plant greens in the desert southwest. There are many lettuce varieties to choose from, but I’ve always had excellent luck with Black Seeded Simpson which has frozen solid in cold winters but lived, and is the longest lasting lettuce when temperatures climb. It also easily reseeds itself if you let the plant go to seed. I haven’t had to plant lettuce in 10 years.

The only green I’ve had no luck with is spinach. If we have a mild winter, it bolts quickly or simply dies off.

PEPPERS

Sweet and hot peppers are planted in the spring. I love to pick sweet pepper varieties that ripen to a variety of colors. Look for red, orange, purple (black), and yellow.

Tomato hornworms will attack peppers too, so spray the plants weekly with Bt.

MELONS

Melons are a summer crop, and like rich soil, so compost is a must. There are very few pests that seem to bother them. Squash vine borers will sometimes attack them, but it is fairly rare.

I’ve had great success with the basic varieties of cantaloupe (no fancy hybrids for me). The Rocky Ford melon is delicious, and has green flesh. Honeydews need a very long growing season, which we have, and are harvested in late summer, early fall.


SUMMER SQUASH

Summer squash (like zucchini and scalloped squash (also known as patty pan) do extremely well here and are spring planted. The biggest pest is the squash vine borer. The telltale sign are holes drilled into the stems near the ground. You will see frass (what the borers leave behind) piled at the entrance hole. Once they have entered the plant, there really isn’t much you can do. I have read that you can split open the stem, remove the borer, and cover the incision with dirt. I have had no luck with this as the plant dies anyway. I have found the easiest and most effective thing to do is used Bt regularly.

Cucumber beetles can sometimes attack squash flowers. See the soapy water trick under “Cucumbers”.

WINTER SQUASH

Winter squash (pumpkins, butternut, acorn and others), do well, but prefer afternoon shade. Pumpkins will take over the garden, so give them lots of room. Squash vine borers also attack these, but butternut squash seem to be somewhat resistant, as the borers seem to prefer larger stemmed plants. Cucumber beetles will also attack the flowers, so see tip under “Cucumbers”.

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