Warm-season vegetables

The warm-up appears to be starting driving Ironwood trees and saguaros into their annual bloom. It also signals changes in the vegetable garden that may cause concerns for new gardens.

With the heat many vegetable garden plants begin changes in growth and water needs. Awareness of the typical changes makes gardening more rewarding.

Onions should be bulbing well now. If not then the variety chosen was not a short- day or day neutral variety. These varieties need much longer day lengths and will not form bulbs in our shorter summer days. If you onions are the right variety and they are blooming the year is also all but lost. The bloom tells of a lack of nitrogen fertility. Again, this year's onions will not make it if they bloom and cutting off the bloom just dries the plant out.

Onions are a bit of a challenge to grow. The Annual Sweet Onion Festival held at the Rock Springs Cafe on May 15 and 16 would be an excellent chance to see successful onion growers. There will be a lot of fun things to do there during the two days. A booth will be manned during the festival to answer questions about onions or other gardening problems.

Tomatoes react to the increased temperatures. While the fruits will keep coming until June or July the plants need extra care. The most common reaction will be yellowing and dropping of the older leaves. They seem to adjust to the heat by losing some of their leaves.

Don't change regular fertilizing patterns. They need light fertilizing every two weeks and a tablespoon of gypsum weekly. Water need increase so check the soil more often. Mulches of compost, bark material, shredded newspaper or straw help immensely to hold moisture in the soil.

The same holds for melons. One trick shown successful for years is 'rolling the vines.' When the melon vines have three or four melons set on its time to roll. Simply, pick up the vine runners and gently lay them back over the crown of the plant. If you have a number of vine runners do one side first and wate a week and do the other side.

We are not sure why this age-old technique works but it does make the melons bigger and sweeter. Remember this is a gently technique not intended to kink, twist or break the runners.

Peppers, except the bell types are in their hayday. They seem to love the early heat and the peppers will size and ripen nicely. Check them often because the green types blend in well with the foiliage.

Summer squashes and more summer squashes are probably coming out of your ears. Get creative and hope the neighbors want some. If neighbors don't come to the door when arrive carrying a bag; they are at their maximum also.

See you at the Sweet Onion Festival.

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