Vegetables that Grow in the Spring and Summer in North Florida

The Neighborhood Newspaper
of Niceville, FL

The Front-Yard Farmer

Warm season vegetables for north Florida

Here's a list of the warm season vegetables commonly grown in north Florida home gardens from the University of Florida IFAS Extension. Included are Suggested Varieties, Plant Family, Harvest Information, and Helpful Comments.

Suggested varieties are based on availability, performance and pest resistance. Other varieties may produce well also.

In column 2 in the chart below the plant families are named to help practice crop rotation. Avoid planting family members following each other.

Column 3 in the chart is a transplantability rating: I, easily survives transplanting; II survives with care; III, use seeds or containerized transplants only.

Column 4 is pounds of yield per 100' row.

Column 5 is days from seeding to harvest. The values in parentheses are days from transplanting to first harvest.

WARM SEASON VEGETABLES
Beans, bush
Snap: Bush Blue Lake, Contender, Roma, Harvester, Provider, Cherokee Wax , Bush Baby, Tendercrop Shell: Horticultural, Pinto, Red Kidney	Leguminosae	III	45	50-60
Comment: Fertilizer at ½ rate used for other vegetables. Seed inoculation not essential most soils. Flowers self polinated. Use shell beans green or dry. For color, try Purple Teepee and Burgundy
Beans, pole
Dade, McCaslan, Kentucky Wonder 191, Blue Lake	Leguminosae	III	80	55-70
Comment: See Beans, bush. Support vines. May be grown with corn for vine support.
Beans, lima
Fordhook 242, Henderson, Jackson Wonder,Dixie Butterpea, Florida Butter (Pole), Sieva (Pole)	Leguminosae	III	50	65-75
Comment: See Beans, bush. Provide trellis support for pole varieties. Control stinkbugs which injure seeds in pods. Fordhook is large-seeded; Henderson is "butterbean" type.
Cantaloupes
Smith's Perfect, Ambrosia, Edisto 47, Planters Jumbo, Summet, Super Market, Primo, Luscious Plus	Cucurbitaccae	III	150	75-90 (65-75)
Comment: Bees needed for pollination. Mulch to reduce fruit-rots and salmonella. Harvest at full-slip stage.
Corn, sweet
Silver Queen, Gold Cup,Guardian, Bonanza,Florida Staysweet, How Sweet It Is, Supersweet	Gramineae	III	115	60-95
Comment: Separate super-sweets (last three varieties) from standard varieties by time and distance. Sucker removal not beneficial. Plant in 2-3 row blocks.
Cucumbers
Slicers: Poinsett, Ashley, Dasher, Sweet Success, Pot Luck, Slice Nice Picklers: Galaxy, SMR 18,Explorer	Cucurbitaceae	III	100	50-65 (40-50)
Comment: Bees required for pollination. Many new hybrids are gynoecious (female flowering). Monoecious varieties have M/F flowers. For greenhouse, use parthenocarpic type.
Eggplant
Florida Market, Black Beauty, Dusky, Long Tom, Ichiban, Tycoon, Dourga	Solanaceae	I	200	90-110 (75-90)
Comment: Stake your eggplants. Harvest into summer. Require warm weather. `Dourga' is white.
Okra
Clemson Spineless,Perkins, Dwarf Green, Emerald, Blondy, Burgundy	Malvaceae	III	70	50-75
Comment: Produces well in warm seasons. Okra is highly susceptible to root-knot nematodes.
Peas, Southern
Blackeye, Mississippi Silver, Texas Cream 40, Snapea, Zipper Cream, Sadandy, Purplehull	Leguminosae	III	80	60-90
Comment: See Beans, bush. The cowpea curculio is common pest. Tiny white grub infests seeds in pods. Good summer cover crop. `California No. 5 Blackeye' resistant to root-knot nematodes.
Peppers
Sweet:Early Calwonder, Yolo Wonder, Big Bertha, Sweet Banana, Jupiter Hot: Hungarian Wax, Jalapeno, Habanero	Solanaceae	I	50	80-100 (60-80)
Comment: Mulching especially beneficial. Continue care of peppers well into summer. Mosaic virus a common disease pest. Most small-fruited varieties are attractive, but hot. `Habanero' is extremely hot.
Potatoes, Sweet
Porto Rico, Georgia Red, Jewel, Centennial, Coastal Sweet, Boniato, Sumor, Beauregard, Vardaman.	Convolvulaceae	I	300	(120-140)
Comment: Sweet potato weevils are a serious problem. Start with certified-free transplants. Use vine cuttings to prolong season. `Vardaman' is a bush type for small gardens.
Pumpkin
Big Max, Funny Face, Connecticut Field, Spirit, Calabaza, Cushaw	Cucurbitaceae	III	300	90-120 (80-110)
Comment: Bees required for pollination. Foliage diseases and fruit-rot are common. For big ones try `Atlantic Giant.' For small ornamental type, try `Jack Be Little.'
Squash
Summer:Early Prolific Straightneck, Dixie, Summer Crookneck, Cocozelle, Gold Bar,Zucchini, Peter Pan, Sunburst, Scallopini, Sundrops Winter: Sweet Mama, Table Queen, Butternut, Spaghetti	Cucurbitaceae	IIIIII	150300	40-55 (35-40) 80-110 (70-90)
Comment: Summer types usually grow on a bush while winter squash have vining habit. Both male and female flowers on same plant. Common fruit rot/drop caused by fungus and incomplete pollination. Bees required. Crossing occurs but results not seen unless seeds are saved. Winter types store longest.
Tomatoes
Large Fruit: Floradel, Solar Set, Manalucie, Better Boy, Celebrity, Bragger, Walter, Sun Coast, Floramerica, Flora-Dade, Duke. Small Fruit: Florida Basket, Micro Tom, Patio, Cherry, Sweet 100, Chelsea	Solanaceae	I	200	90-110 (75-90)
Comment: Staking, mulching beneficial. Flowers self-pollinated. May drop if temperatures too high or low, or if nitrogen fertilization excessive. Florida varieties have best disease resistance. Some serious problems are blossom-end rot, wilts, whitefly, and leafminers. `Better Boy' appears resisitant to root-knot.
Watermelon
Large: Charleston Gray, Jubilee, Crimson Sweet, Dixielee Small: Sugar Baby, Minilee, Mickylee Seedless: Fummy	Cucurbitaceae	III	400	85-95 (80-90)
Comment: Due to space requirement, not suited to most gardens. Suggest small ice-box types. Plant fusarium wilt resistant varieties. Bees required for pollination. Florida record size melon is `Carolina Cross.'