Guide to Growing Warm Weather Vegetables

This A to Z guide includes growing information for warm season vegetables: green beans, cucumbers, eggplant, okra, peppers, summer and winter squash, tomatoes, and watermelon.

The first step in gardening is to create the a garden with healthy soil. And then you’ll be ready to plant. Below are tips for growing the most common varieties of warm weather vegetables in your organic garden.

Remember, this is a guide, not a rule book. Have fun and experiment with how you garden – it’s an art!

Growing Warm Season Vegetables

Green Beans

Green beans are a warm season vegetable which grow in two forms – bush or pole. Bush beans stay compact and do not need trellising. Bush beans are determinate, meaning that they produce all of their crop at roughly the same time. To extend the season, sow successive planting every week or two. Pole beans must be trellised. Since they are indeterminate, they keep producing all season right up until frost, so they yield many more beans from the same area as bush beans. It is important to keep beans picked so that they will continue to produce. A wonderful way to preserve the harvest is to lacto-ferment your green beans.

Sunlight: Full sun.
Soil: Moist, but well-drained.
Hardiness Zone: 3 – 10
Height: Bush: 1 – 2′; Pole 5 – 10′.
Distance Between Plants: Bush 12″; Pole 3″.
Planting Information: Sow seed 1″ deep directly into the garden; beans do not like to be transplanted. Plant after all danger of frost has passed.
Care: Keep plants evenly moist especially when they are flowering and developing pods.
Harvesting: Harvest beans while they are still young and tender, preferably before the bean seeds begin to form. Be sure to harvest pole beans regularly. Allowing the beans to mature on the vine signals the plant that it’s time to form seeds, and the plant will stop producing.

Cucumber

Cucumbers are a popular, easy-to-gorw garden plant, ideal for beginners and children. There are numerous varieties; choose based on whether you want your cucumbers for pickling or for eating fresh. It’s always nice to grow a little of both. It’s also helpful to choose a variety that is disease resistant.

Sunlight: Full sun.
Soil: Prefers well-drained, fertile soil high in organic matter.
Hardiness Zone: 4 – 11
Height: 1 – 6′ depending on variety.
Distance Between Plants: 3″ between vining plants; 18 – 24″ between bush varieties.
Planting Information: Direct sow seed 1″ deep. The general recommendation is to plant after all danger of frost has passed. But I plant mine about 2 weeks later because that helps to prevent bacterial wilt.
Care: Cucumbers become bitter if the soil is allowed to dry out. They are also prone to bacterial wilt, but planting late can prevent this disease. When insects hatch, there is now no host plant on which to feed. All but bush varieties of cucumbers require trellising.
Harvesting: Gently cut the cucumber from the vine when they are firm and dark green, but before they start to form large seeds.

Eggplant

Eggplant are one of my absolute favorite plants to grow; they are lovely plants with beautiful, purple flowers. I often grow them with flowers such as zinnia and bachelor buttons. I love grilling a freshly harvested eggplant and tossing it with some pasta for a simple summer meal. It also makes a wonderful Greek dip.

Sunlight: Full sun.
Soil: Prefers well-drained, fertile soil high in organic matter.
Hardiness Zone: 4 – 10
Height: 2 – 4′
Distance Between Plants: 18 – 24″
Planting Information: Start seeds indoors 6 – 8 weeks before the last average spring frost for your area. Transplant to the garden after all chance of frost has passed. Eggplant loves heat.
Care: Eggplant may need staking if they are particularly heavy with fruit. They are prone to attack by flea beetles. Use a small amount of diatomaceous earth dusted on the leaves of the plant.
Harvesting: Harvest eggplant before the skin becomes dull; to prevent damaging the plant, use garden pruners to cut the eggplant from the plant. Keep the cap and stem attached until use.

Okra

Okra definitely wins the prize, in my estimation, for most beautiful vegetable flower. Okra is traditionally a southern crop. It is very sensitive to cold, so choose a very sunny, protected location if you are a northern gardener.

Sunlight: Full sun.
Soil: Prefers well-drained, fertile soil high in organic matter.
Hardiness Zone: 3 – 9
Height: 2 – 6′
Distance Between Plants: 18 – 24″
Planting Information: Start seeds indoors 6 weeks before last spring frost. Transplant to the garden 2 weeks after all chance of forst has passed for your area. Okra loves heat.
Care: Okra appreciates a side-dressing of compost of a feeding with fish emulsion/seaweed fertilizer every 4 – 6 weeks.
Harvesting: Okra’s beautiful flower will soon turn into a pod. Harvest using garden pruners while they are still young, about 3 – 4″ long, to keep them from becoming tough. If a few get away from you, use those to make okra Santa Christmas ornaments.

Peppers

Peppers are a year-round staple in my kitchen. They can be temperamental to grow in the north, requiring warm temperatures to fruit.

Sunlight: Full sun.
Soil: Prefers well-drained, fertile soil high in organic matter.
Hardiness Zone: 4 – 10
Height: 1 – 3′
Distance Between Plants: 12 – 18″
Planting Information: Start seeds indoors 6 weeks before last spring frost. Transplant to the garden 2 weeks after all chance of frost has passed for your area. Peppers love heat.
Care: Some taller varieties require staking. Peppers prefer consistent moisture.
Harvesting: Sweet and hot peppers may be harvested at any stage but are tastier when mature. Both sweet and hot varieties generally lose their green color and begin to turn colors when mature. The color varies depending on variety. Use garden pruners to cut stem to prevent damaging the plant.

Pumpkins

Pumpkins are a winter squash native to North America. The variety you choose to grow will depend on whether you are using them for jack-o-lanterns or for pie. Read more about growing pumpkins here.

Sunlight: Full sun.
Soil: Prefers well-drained, fertile soil high in organic matter.
Hardiness Zone: 3 – 9
Height: 18 – 24″
Distance Between Plants: Depending on the variety, pumpkins can spread from 5 – 15′
Planting Information: Direct sow pumpkin seeds 1″ deep into your garden after all danger of frost has passed in the spring. Don’t be in a rush since tender, young pumpkin plants are sensitive to cold.
Care: Avoid wetting the leaves when watering your plants since they are prone to fungal disease. Watering early in the day helps to assure that any leaves that do get wet will dry. Mulch is helpful in keeping the fruit off the ground.
Harvesting: Harvest pumpkins when they are uniformly orange and the rind is hard. Use garden pruners to harvest, leaving several inches of stem attached to the fruit. Don’t carry the pumpkins by the stem. After harvesting, like all other winter squash, the pumpkins should be cured in the sun for a week or so, and then stored in a cool, dry area.

Summer Squash

Summer squash comes in all sorts of varieties, from zucchini to patty pan squash to crookneck. Each has a slightly different taste, but all of them are yummy; try fermenting them! Most of them form a bushy vine.

Sunlight: Full sun.
Soil: Prefers well-drained, fertile soil high in organic matter.
Hardiness Zone: 3 – 11
Height: 1 – 3′
Distance Between Plants: 2 – 4′
Planting Information: Direct sow squash seeds 1/2 – 1″ deep into your garden after all danger of frost has passed in the spring. Don’t be in a rush since tender, young squash plants are sensitive to cold.
Care: Avoid wetting the leaves when watering your plants since they are prone to fungal disease. Watering early in the day helps to assure that any leaves that do get wet will dry. Mulch is helpful in keeping the fruit off the ground.
Harvesting: Summer squash grows very quickly; for tender fruit be sure to harvest when small and young.

Winter Squash

Don’t let the name fool you; winter squash is grown in the summer and loves heat. But it is not harvested until late summer and is stored for winter use. Growing winter squash is a fantastic way to have produce from your garden all winter long. Winter squashes include acorn, butternut, Turban and more. We love to use winter squash in pie!

Sunlight: Full sun.
Soil: Prefers well-drained, fertile soil high in organic matter.
Hardiness Zone: 3 – 11
Height: 1 – 3′
Distance Between Plants: Depending on the variety, winter squash can spread from 5 – 15 feet.
Planting Information: Direct sow squash seeds 1/2 – 1″ deep into your garden after all danger of frost has passed in the spring. Don’t be in a rush since tender, young squash plants are sensitive to cold.
Care: Avoid wetting the leaves when watering your plants since they are prone to fungal disease. Watering early in the day helps to assure that any leaves that do get wet will dry. Mulch is helpful in keeping the fruit off the ground.
Harvesting: Harvest winter squash when the rind is hard and cannot be punctured with a fingernail. The rind will also become dull rather than shiny. Use garden pruners to harvest, leaving several inches of stem attached to the fruit. With the exception of acorn squash, after harvesting, the squash should be cured in the sun for a week or so, and then stored in a cool, dry area.

Tomatoes

Visit any vegetable garden and you’ll be sure to find a patch of tomatoes. They are a favorite for just about everyone. Even those who don’t like fresh tomatoes will grow them for sauce. Tomatoes are available in a seemingly endless number of varieties. I generally try at least one new variety each year.

Sunlight: Full sun.
Soil: Prefers well-drained, fertile soil high in organic matter.
Hardiness Zone: 2 – 10
Height: 2 – 8′ depending on variety and growing conditions.
Distance Between Plants: 18 – 24″
Planting Information: Start seeds indoors 6 weeks before last spring frost. Transplant to the garden after hardening them off, and a week after all chance of frost has passed for your area. Tomatoes love heat. Plant tomatoes deep; roots will form along the buried stem.
Care: Tomato plants will take up less room and be less prone to disease if staked. Tying the plants to a simple 6′ stake in the ground can be effective, or use an arbor to grow them like we do.
Harvesting: Your tomatoes will be sweetest if left on the vine until ripe. They should be firm, not mushy. Unripe tomatoes may be ripened in a paper bag.

Watermelon

Eating a sweet, ripe watermelon is, to me, like eating summer itself. What could be more refreshing on a hot afternoon?

Sunlight: Full sun.
Soil: Prefers well-drained, fertile soil high in organic matter.
Hardiness Zone: 3 – 11
Height: 1 – 2′
Distance Between Plants: Depending on the variety, watermelon can spread from 5 – 15′.
Planting Information: Direct sow watermelon seeds 1/2″ deep directly into the garden a week after the last frost for your area. In colder climates, they may also be started indoors 2 – 4 weeks before setting out.
Care: Avoid wetting the leaves when watering your plants since they are prone to fungal disease. Watering early in the day helps to assure that any leaves that do get wet will dry. Mulch is helpful in keeping the fruit off the ground.
Harvesting: Watermelons don’t continue to ripen after harvest, so it’s important to leave them on the vine until mature. It’s not always easy to tell when a watermelon is ripe. Some indications that your melon is ripe include a hollow sound when tapped, and dulling of the skin. Check the curly tendril closest to the fruit. If it’s still green, the melon is not ripe; wait until the tendril begins to dry to harvest. Smell the melon; if it’s sweet, that’s another indication of ripeness.

More Posts You’ll Love

Guide to Growing Cool Weather Vegetables Part 1

Guide to Growing Cool Weather Vegetables Part 2

Organic Insect Control for Your Vegetable Garden

10 Common Mistakes When Using Wood Chips in Your Vegetable Garden

Your Guide to Raised Bed Gardening

Frost Protection For Plants in Your Vegetable Garden