Zone 9 - What are you growing right now?

[cymbeline]

Hey mamas! I have a couple of spots left in the garden, and I am trying to figure out what to plant. What's in your garden right now? :

[Close2Me]

San Diego here: Tomatoes Galore! Zukes, Cukes, Squash, and every variety of Peppers plus a healthy Herb garden.

Planning ahead for what I'll plant in August for cool weather crops: cauliflower, broc, etc.

I really want info on a "Bright Shade" garden but all I can find is plants & flower not much edible choices.

[Talula Fairie]

Just outside of Sacramento here, so it's hot as heck in the summer. I'm growing tons of tomatoes like every other gardener I know as well as zucchini, summer squash (yellow croockneck), watermelon, cantelope, corn, cucumber, basil, a handful of random herbs.

I also started some winter squash (spaghetti and butternut) which I don't expect to harvest until late fall, it won't do much when it's hot like this.

[Talula Fairie]

Originally Posted by Close2Me

I really want info on a "Bright Shade" garden but all I can find is plants & flower not much edible choices.

I have a bright shade situation going on. Dappled sunlight or partial shade I think is the technical term. Anyway, ime, thicker stemmed plants seem to do the best even if they are supposedly light hogs, at least those plants won't fall over if they get a little spindly. Tomatoes, squash, and cucumber seem to be doing the best for me, but I've yet to harvest anything so we'll see how it goes. Oddly enough herbs don't grow very well for me, go figure. Everyone says that's what you should plant if you don't have full sun, but it doesn't work for me. Lettuce supposedly is great for partial shade, but it's too hot here right now to grow it. It just wilts and dies ime.

[cymbeline]

Originally Posted by Talula Fairie

Oddly enough herbs don't grow very well for me, go figure.

This is true for me too! I have tried basil in full sun, part sun, full shade -- no dice. All my neighbors claim to have more success with basil than anything -- I don't know what I am doing wrong!!

We've had 100-degree days here now for a week, and many of my crops are finished (corn, broc, carrots, lettuces). I've been trying to figure out if there is anything I can plant now, in this insane heat, or if I should just wait and plant fall crops in late August. I'm a little nervous the baby will arrive before I have time to plant for fall and we will have an empty kitchen come December!

[Talula Fairie]

Originally Posted by cymbeline

This is true for me too! I have tried basil in full sun, part sun, full shade -- no dice. All my neighbors claim to have more success with basil than anything -- I don't know what I am doing wrong!!

We've had 100-degree days here now for a week, and many of my crops are finished (corn, broc, carrots, lettuces). I've been trying to figure out if there is anything I can plant now, in this insane heat, or if I should just wait and plant fall crops in late August. I'm a little nervous the baby will arrive before I have time to plant for fall and we will have an empty kitchen come December!

You could probably start the winter squash now, it just won't fruit until fall. Bush beans will do well right now, as well as tomatoes. I think it's not too late for melons as well. And maybe even eggplant or cucumbers. It does depend on your growing season though, I'm basing this on mine where it's hot well into October and the first frost isn't until mid November.

I don't know what I do wrong with my basil either. It's always one of my least-happy plants. It gets plenty of water, it looks alright it just doesn't GROW.

[dillonandmarasmom]

Originally Posted by cymbeline

This is true for me too! I have tried basil in full sun, part sun, full shade -- no dice. All my neighbors claim to have more success with basil than anything -- I don't know what I am doing wrong!!

We've had 100-degree days here now for a week, and many of my crops are finished (corn, broc, carrots, lettuces). I've been trying to figure out if there is anything I can plant now, in this insane heat, or if I should just wait and plant fall crops in late August. I'm a little nervous the baby will arrive before I have time to plant for fall and we will have an empty kitchen come December!

http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/filelibrary/2557/8233.pdf

This master gardener list is awesome!! There's quite a lot to be planted int he next couple of months!

[I~love~pie]

I think im zone 9. Im in Az , I just moved here. last week. Im itchen to plant something. Is it to hot to start stuff? Its been about 113' every day since we got here. My problem is we are renting and I can not plant anything in the ground but I want to grow all kinds of things, how can I do this, I understand pots are the way to go but should I keep them off the ground , there are tons and tons of ants.I thought I had lots of ants in Mass
should I construct potting benches? what the heck do I do with the dirt when we move?

[Annikate]

I just asked this very question on our Zone 9 thread. Come join - it should be at the top now.

My garden is doing awesome (I'm in FL) but I have some spots where I pulled up old yellow squash plants and recently some pole bean plants and I really want to plant something else without having to wait till the fall garden stuff.

What about zucchini? That does pretty well zone 9 this time of year doesn't it?

I CANNOT wait for broccoli this fall!

ETA: I have not had much success w/herbs either. I think it's just too HOT.

[cymbeline]

Ok, so using everyone's suggestions...

In the shady/dappled light bed I planted some chard and kale seedlings (we'll see...), bush beans, and a few herbs (parsley, cilantro, lemon balm, basil).

In the hot bed we have a watermelon vine that is really taking off, and it was suggested that I plant a combo of sweet corn and pole beans in rows under the vine. Fingers crossed!

The cukes and zucchini are really doing well, and oddly my basil went a little nuts in just the last week, so I made a huge batch of tomato/basil sauce tonight and even have a little leftovers for a small batch of pesto!

The tomatoes are done, but if I can keep them alive, they may end up providing a strong fall harvest after all. I've got canteloupe and honeydew seedlings starting... but I have no idea where to put them!