Coastal & Tropical South: What's surviving the July heat?

I go with the early/first planting dates for my veggies, starting off the tomato and pepper seeds in early January so I have plant starts ready to go in March. This lets me get a full harvest before the heat and stink bugs kick in(stink bugs are more a problem with tomatoes than peppers). I've already ripped up all my tomato plants because they do so poorly during the really hot months.

Cucumbers aren't doing well, most of the older leaves are dying, yet it still struggles to put out a cucumber once every other week. Stink bugs have already tried to infest my tomatoes, so I figured I'd not give them much of an opportunity this year. Peppers are doing fine, so are my peanuts and sweet potatoes.

Well guys, it's a tough summer, that's certain! Sounds like I'm not the only one who's having some successes and some failures. The weather is crazy here; too much rain some days, no rain at all on others, and too hot always. My part of town often gets missed by the rain when other parts of town get hit...sadly that's the part of town that needs it least, where the flooding won't go down without pumps to take the water away. There are still people who can't access their homes in some areas, though I think most major roadways are open now where there weren't sinkholes to wash away the road bed during the TS.

The tomato plants I have left are having problems; something is drilling tiny holes in the tomatoes before they ripen, and I can't find a cause. The only plant not affected is my cherry tomatoes, but at least I have those to count on! That plant is producing beyond my expectations.

Strangely my bean plants, which nearly dried up, are now producing new leaves, vines, and flowers. But the cucumber plant next to them refuses to let go of the mold problem, so it will be pulled instead. My Carrot Week carrots are ready for pulling, I have lots of peppers ripening, and that's all that's left.

We need to plant for fall, but I have not been well (hence my disappearance for so long) and so it's had to wait. Hopefully I'll have a better day very soon, and we can get the planting done; it's definitely time. I'm working on a lot of stuff right now, when I can, and hope to share some of it with you soon. I'll try to be around more, but can't promise anything yet.

Hope you feel better soon Michelle !!!

Take care of yourself and get well soon.

Thanks guys, you're very sweet!

Maybe leaf-footed bugs drilling the holes in the tomatoes? I've had those before.

Something is attacking my okra.

A friend who started SFGing this spring had to move. Asked me to come over and get her MM and boxes. Actually, I thought she just had one box, but she had 3! They are 4x4s and I'm used to 2 by 8s or 10s that I put up along the fence so that I don't take up too much of the kids' play space. I know I'll put one on top of my existing 4x4 to make it double deep. Even with the drip irrigation, I like the greater margin a deeper bed gives me when it comes to things drying out (and more room for more compost/food for an extremely long growing season).

Debating if I can get away with double stacking the other 2 and putting them along a fence on one side if I leave space to walk around on the other 3 sides. What do you think? The trellis would be on that side anyway. I wish I had a bigger backyard!

My son has five 4x4s along a fence line. We set them about 18" from the fence so we could squeeze about halfway into the space from each side for harvesting behind the trellis. And the neighbor doesn't mind if we hop the fence and stand on his side. They think the garden is a great thing even though they don't garden. The non trellis one is easy to deal with.

Kay

I think I'm going to try the 4x4 along the fence. I can always move it in the cool of winter if it's a pain. It's the best location in terms of access to my existing drip irrigation and in terms of leaving space for the kids.

Okra damage turned out to be leaf cutters. Going to try Amdro Ant Block (read an article specific to Texas leaf cutting ants that says that's the only hope) in the front yard where they are also attacking and hope it wipes out the whole colony, or at least slows them down

Last night I sat down and put together a comprehensive plan for the fall, along with expected planting dates. I'm terrible at following such things, but I'm really going to try! I've always planted my fall garden later than recommended because it just boggles my mind to get out there in the heat of summer, knowing that we've still got a couple months of it, and plant broccoli!

Managed to clear and replenish my existing 4x4. Only thing left in there is a marigold. Then I remembered that the plan was to stack one of the new 4x4s on top and make it double deep. Must resist temptation to put new 4x4s in that dead strip next to the driveway in the front yard! The whole reason some of my beds are doubled is that I expanded too fast (and moved to a smaller yard) and wasn't keeping up well with that many squares. I've done great with the number I have this year, so I want to add just 1 double-stacked 4x4 with the materials I "inherited."

Excited for my fall plans. The ants are helping me along with the decision to pull the okra within the next month. I way over planted and have thrown so much away and probably already have enough in the freezer for the few times I put it in soups over the winter.