Heat Tolerant Leafy Veggies

[Wolvendeer]

Florida is a pretty great place for growing most types of vegetables. As it turns out, however, it's not so great for growing salad crops. Most lettuce-like plants I've planted historically have ended up going to seed before their leaves were big enough to bother with harvesting. Regular spinach hasn't even bothered to stick around past its second set of leaves unless I grow it in the dead of the few weeks that pass as winter here.

Some plants that have worked out well for me this season are the romaine I've planted in a shady spot and my Dwarf Blue Curled Kale (I've heard Dinosaur Kale is good as well). I've also been turned onto the idea of growing Malabar and/or New Zealand Spinach. I'd like to grow a bigger variety, though, and just keep the ones I like and relocate/harvest the ones I don't. Does anyone have some suggestions for salad plants that do well in hot, humid climates?

 

[Beverly]

Hello @Wolvendeer and welcome to the forums. The following are noted as being heat tolerant: Collards, Kale, Mustard, Swiss Chard (a good substitute for spinach and one of my favorites), Beet Greens...just a partial list. I don't grow any of these but i have seen them listed among the heat tolerant greens. I don't grow vegetables at all, my garden is dedicated to providing habitat for pollinators, butterflies, hummingbirds. I do grow parsley for the Black Swallowtail caterpillars in shade and it does very well. It goes without saying, that all the leafy greens will want shade or dappled shade. Dandelion greens are also noted for being heat tolerant and are very nice if you use the fairly new leaves, the more mature leaves can be bitter.

 

[Chuck]

Swiss chard. It is hotter here in Texas than where you are and I can grow chard year round most of the time

 

[Beverly]

I was always a big fan of spinach, until i was introduced to Swiss Chard, it is just yummy. I don't know how the nutritional stats compare but i think they are similar. @Chuck do you grow it in shade or partial shade?

 

[Chuck]

I was always a big fan of spinach, until i was introduced to Swiss Chard, it is just yummy. I don't know how the nutritional stats compare but i think they are similar. @Chuck do you grow it in shade or partial shade?

Full sun but heavily mulched. There are chards that do not tolerate heat. These are the colored chards such as Golden Sunrise and Rainbow chard. Fordhook Giant will does good. It will slow down in the heat but will survive and come back as strong as ever when the temps lower

 

[Beverly]

Wowser @ Chuck. That is impressive. I don't think i would try that here but it would probably work for zone 9. I think i am a lot closer to the equator.

 

[Chuck]

Wowser @ Chuck. That is impressive. I don't think i would try that here but it would probably work for zone 9. I think i am a lot closer to the equator.

Try it. In the summer here it is day after day of 100+ F and it survives plus little or no rain

 

[Wolvendeer]

I'll definitely be adding some chard in my gardens, it sounds like. Just to make sure I understood correctly, Fordhook is a good variety for hot climates and Rainbow is not?

 

[Chuck]

I'll definitely be adding some chard in my gardens, it sounds like. Just to make sure I understood correctly, Fordhook is a good variety for hot climates and Rainbow is not?

correct

 

[Chuck]

I'll definitely be adding some chard in my gardens, it sounds like. Just to make sure I understood correctly, Fordhook is a good variety for hot climates and Rainbow is not?

If you are going to try Chard I guess I should explain how I do it. Chard seeds look like spinach or beet seeds and will send up numerous shoots per seed. What I do is to get a big shovel full of soil about every 18 inches and put it into a wheelbarrow and mix fertilizer with it. I then put the soil back into the hole and give it a good soaking. Then the next day or when the soil is still really damp I plant 4 seeds in a circle about 4 inches apart. When they sprout and get about 4 inches tall I remove the 3 weakest. Remember each seed will have more than one sprout and that is why they are 4 inches apart. I then do a light side dressing of fertilizer and put mulch down. The secret is to keep the soil as cool as possible and here that means about 3 inches of mulch. You must harvest the outside leaves periodically. When the outside leaves are about 6 inches long not counting the stems they are great for salads and sandwiches but not so much raw. Bigger than that they are excellent blanched and frozen. I think much better than spinach or collards. The leaves will grow to at least a foot long from the tip to where the stem begins and when they get to this size you should remove the stem from the leaf. The stems themselves are similar to celery in size and are excellent by themselves. Prepare them as you would asparagus. A healthy chard plant will be 2 feet tall and at least a foot wide and will keep producing unless it dries out. During the heat of the summer it will not grow as fast but will still give plenty of produce. About the only thing that harms them are grasshoppers and cabbage loopers. If kept separated fungus is not a problem but the secret is to keep the soil as cool as possible and that means mulch and water