Squash and cucumbers grown in TX hot and humid summer weather?

[Rockporter]

My seed packets say it's growing time, but my instinct tells me I would be plagued with molds and probably every other garden disease known out there. What is the concensus, have you grown cucumber, summer squash, zuchinni or any other squashes in the hot and humid Texas summer garden?

Edit: I would like to add, what are the things you grow in the summer as well. Not just squash, but beans and??

[jillian]

I can't speak for you Texans, but I have a horrible time with squash and cukes. I just sprayed my cukes with Bill's bleach solution, might have waited too long we will see. SVB got all of my zucchini last year, not growing any now. I am not sure what is plaguing my cukes bUT I know it isn't bugs. Something fungal or bacterial arrgghhh

[Dark Rumor]

My cucumbers are doing ok, "Muncher" has produced very well while the others have done nothing.

I was just thinking today I would plant another hill of "Muncher" cucumbers this week, I try to have the base of the plant in the shade in a raised bed that holds moisture well. Keeping the base of the plant from direct sun does seem to help and with a cucumber the vine will run into the sunshine. Still gotta water them a lot, but they will keep going into the late fall.

[MikeInCypress]

My Divas and Sweet Success Cukes are doing great. from 3 plants I am getting enough to can 6 pints of pickle slices a week. The Poona Kheras died and I think I'll plant some Cool Breeze to take their place tomorrow. I water twice a day. (early in the AM and then again around 1PM.

MikeInCypress

[Worth1]

You can plant squash anytime, you just have to protect against the SVB's.
I have mine cleverly disguised as sweet potatoes.
I will be glad when my cucumbers start doing something.

[Rockporter]

I have two organic sweet potatoes I never cooked, now they are growing. Can I plant them now?

[Worth1]

Al little late but not really where you live.
Most people plant slips in the Austin area in May.
Why not.

Worth

[AlittleSalt]

If you can keep Squash Vine Borers and Squash Bugs away from your summer squash -I've had them grow and produce up until it gets 100+ degrees. After that - it's too hot to garden anyway

I've had some success growing squash in our Fall gardens, but ours didn't grow as big of a plant nor did the squash have as much flavor as the ones grown in spring/early summer.

But even though I'm a Texan gardener as you are - our gardens are around 350 miles apart.

[b54red]

I am growing four varieties of cucumbers since I have learned my lesson finally about relying on just one variety of anything. My Sweet Success started out like gangbusters but now are slacking off. My Tender Green and Tasty Jade started slower than my Sweet Success but now are out producing them. The other one I am growing is something like Soyu or Suyo not sure some type of Asian prickly cucumber. They are just starting to produce and they taste quite good.

I am growing 3 kinds of squash Butter Bar and Butta are both yellow zucchini and are both producing great. The other is some type of green zucchini that hasn't produced anything. I keep the vine borers away with Sevin dust on the base of the stem.

I will probably plant some late cucumbers for fall but don't like fighting all the pests on squash planted in the mid summer heat. I have done it and if you don't keep the vine borers away from the very start you will have a really poor crop. I have also had spider mite problems with late squash and that is another nightmare.

Bill

[My Foot Smells]

Go for it

[Gardeneer]

Right now my cukes are doing great and I can hardly keep up with picking them.
I have two or three varieties. One is Marketmore. I can't remember ther oth two . I think I got the seeds from Dollar Tree.
Knock on the wood, so far no problem . I have sprayed them with Neem few times.
But In the past I have had to deal with Powdery Mildew.
To my experience, cucumbers do not appreciate hot weather and ALL DAY sun.
They have generally a short life in hot climates. It is the opposite of watermelons.
Try to plant them early and possibly fine a partial sun/shade location.

[Dark Rumor]

Originally Posted by Rockporter

I have two organic sweet potatoes I never cooked, now they are growing. Can I plant them now?

You can plant them this year and if they only produce small potatoes you can plant the smalls next year.

Or you can plant them and not harvest them if they are small, then next year they will "volunteer" and start growing whenever they are ready.

I never intentionally skipped harvesting sweet potatoes, but sometimes I did not get them all and the ones I missed volunteered the next year.

[Rockporter]

Do I cut the potatoes up into pieces?

[Dark Rumor]

Originally Posted by Rockporter

Do I cut the potatoes up into pieces?

I would say you could, just let them heal before you plant them.

Sweet potatoes are fun to grow if you have room for them, just experiment with them.

I would save the small potatoes and store them in the garage keeping them dry and out of the light. Then I would plant the small potatoes in early spring. It easy to save them year after year.

One year I had a volunteer grow potatoes under pine bark in a landscaped area. The potatoes grew under the pine bark, not in dirt.

[imp]

Originally Posted by Rockporter

Do I cut the potatoes up into pieces?

I've never known anyone to cut up the sweet potato like you would an irish potato, but you snap the slips off ( the growing vines) and they will take root in the ground. Sweet potatoes like heat and will sulk and do nothing if they are cold.

Old saying "If you aren't sweating standing still, it ain't hot enough yet for sweets."

Edit:

I hunted this up for you:

http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/...o_catalog.html