GROWING OTHER
VEGETABLES
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| 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”.
