Although garden tours are fun, they sometimes fail to show exactly what’s growing in the garden. There are MANY varieties of seeds and many different options where to purchase them from. With the hopes of clearing up any confusion and helping you know what to plant, I am going to share each vegetable I am growing in my summer garden. I know that for many people, the summer garden season is peaking and there is not time to replant summer veggies. Here in sunny Florida however, we can plant a second round of summer vegetables before getting our fall seeds sown. The first frost for my zone (zone 9a), is in December. I do plan to share a fall garden plan and seed purchasing guide but for now, here is what I am currently growing, or trying to grow in my summer garden.

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Tomatoes

I am growing a few different varieties of tomatoes this year. All of them are heirloom varieties and the majority of them are big beefsteak tomatoes.

• Striped German Tomato (78 days) : This tomato has been particularly easy for me to grow. It has the most fruit on it out of all my tomato plants and overall, I highly recommend this variety.
• Amish Paste Tomato (80 days) : This is a smaller tomato variety, unlike the beefsteaks. This is my first year growing it and it has done fairly well. It is a good tomato for paste and canning, which is the reason I got it. It produced my very first tomato of the season, but as you know, a squirrel got it before I did.
• Pineapple Tomato (75-95 days) : This is my first year growing this variety. Supposedly the fruit is yellow and very large, with red marbling throughout. I wouldn’t know, because I have been unsuccessful in getting any fruit from this variety. It does say it can take up to 95 days, so I am still hopeful that I will this season!
• Cherokee Purple (80 days) : This year is my first time growing this variety. It has lots of fruit on it and I just harvested my first tomato from this plant. It was delicious! It is a Cherokee Indian Heirloom and I just think that is the most amazing thing- to be growing what Indian’s grew pre 1890’s!
• Brandywine Tomato (80 days) : This is the average red beefsteak tomato. It is still different than what you would find at the grocery store. This is the second year I am growing this and I have yet to get any fruit from it, but it is a very popular variety. I also am not a pro gardener by any means and know that there are like a million factors that could be preventing it from producing.
• Aunt Ruby’s Green (85 days) : I am not growing this variety this year mainly due to lack of space. It produces green beefsteak tomatoes and is a fairly popular heirloom.
• Blueberries and Blue Gold Berries Tomato (75 days) : These are the only cherry tomato varieties I grow. They both produce heavily and consistently. Direct sunlight turns the tomatoes a blue/ purple color. The pigments are the same as those found in blueberries, making the tomato high in antioxidants. They are delicious, easy to grow, and very fun and unique! I highly recommend growing this variety. I feel like they would be especially fun for kids to grow.

Peppers

Bell Peppers:

• California Wonder (70 days) : Green bell pepper that ripens red.
• Orange Bell (90 days) Orange bell pepper.
• Quadrato Giallo D’Asti (78-80 days) : Sweet yellow bell pepper.
• Quadrato Rosso D’Asti (80-85 days) : Sweet red bell pepper from Italy.
• Red Belgian Early Variety (50-70 days) : This plant is known for it’s high yields. Peppers can be picked early when yellow (around 50 days), or allowed to ripen and turn red.
• Chocolate Bell (65-80 days) : My favorite variety of peppers. They are a chocolate purple color and produce a high yield.

Other Peppers:

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• Banana Pepper (60 days) : My favorite peppers! I just planted three more for a total of 5. I’m hoping I will get enough to pickle and store through winter.
• Craig’s Grande Jalapeno (unsure of the days) : No fruit on this plant just yet.
• Poblano (75 days) : Plant has grown very large and strong, but has not produced any fruit yet. Can’t wait to saute these with some olive oil and sea salt. YUMMMMMMM.

Cucumbers

Cucumbers grow very quickly and produce high yields. My issue with cucumbers is that pickle worms run the show around here. I just had to pull my blonde cucumber to save my boston cucumber from being taken over as well. Neem oil is your friend with these babies! * See neem oil disclaimer *

• Boston Pickling Cucumber (57 days) : I haven’t tried pickling yet but I might this season.
• Boothby’s Blonde Cucumber (60 days) : My favorite cucumber for slicing! It can also be pickled but I really enjoy this one fresh.

Lettuce

• Annie’s Lettuce Blend: A mix of seeds of all types of red and green lettuces and romaines. A good option if you are going to plant a row of lettuce because you will most likely get a good variety.
• Bronze Beauty: This is my first year growing this and I love it.
• Buttercrunch: I got this as a free seed but I have not grown it yet.
• Swiss Chard Vulcan: I LOVE swiss chard but have not successfully grown it this year. I just sowed a whole row of it in a shadier spot in the garden. I love to saute chard with potatoes and top with poached eggs for breakfast. I am determined to have an abundance of chard this year!
• Malabar Spinach: The variety of spinach that I originally planted did not germinate, so I picked up a Malabar Spinach seedling at a local farm. The berries can be planted to grow another plant. I will say this spinach is quite slimy when cooked. I’m hoping the sliminess will be masked in a smoothie.

Beans

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• Mammoth Melting Snow Pea (68-72 days) : I just direct sowed these in the garden and am hoping to have some peas by September!
• Chinese Red Noodle Long Bean (80 days) : These are the best beans ever! For one, they are unique and HUGE. They produce heavily and are wonderful cut and sauteed with garlic and oil, like green beans. I have had issues with aphids on most of my beans. I use neem oil and a friend from Urban Pigtails Farm recommended to use soap with cayenne pepper, which seemed to work wonders. * See neem oil disclaimer *
• Provider Bush Bean (50 days) : I just sowed these in the garden. Last year they did well and the beans were delicious raw.
• Kurzer’s Calico Traveler Bean (90 days) : This is my first year planting this variety. The plant is loaded with beans, but none of them are large enough to harvest yet. I hope to use these in soups or salads.

Squash

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• Black Beauty Zucchini (52 days) : My plant got sick early on last year and I wasn’t able to harvest any zucchini. It is a very popular variety though.
• Rampicante Zucchino Squash (70 days) : An Italian Heirloom that has taken over the garden this year. Although the fruit has not grown very large (which I think may be a problem with pollination), the plant has literally not stopped producing. It has grown about 10 feet over our fence and into my neighbor’s yard. They are now also reaping the benefits and harvesting zucchinis too! This is a must grow…if you have the space!

Melons

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• Kajari Melon (early variety) : Once again, I just love Indian heirlooms. This has grown easily and produces a lot of fruit. Unfortunately, I have lost every one to pickle worms. I am still not giving up on this plant though!
• Sugar Baby Watermelon (84 days) : I planted one this year and one somehow volunteered from last year in a raised bed. No fruit yet but I am hopeful!

Eggplant

Radishes

I used all of my Watermelon Radish seeds and I am almost through with my Annie’s Radish Mix packet. Radishes are truly the most underrated vegetable. I eat them on toast or roast them like brussel sprouts. They also grow quickly and don’t take up much space in the garden. I will note that home grown radishes are MUCH SPICIER than store bought ones. I know the heat can affect how spicy they are, but I usually roast my homegrown radishes because they are so spicy.

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I am definitely a beginner gardener and don’t know all the do’s and don’t of gardening. One of my favorite parts about gardening is that you don’t have to follow the rules. As an educator I do know that the best way to learn is through experience! Some of the best gardeners I follow break the rules regularly to create their own gardening methods and oftentimes they find out… it works! I know I have lots to learn but I hope this encourages you to try something new and just start planting!

*A NOTE ABOUT NEEM OIL * I have heard varying testimonies about using neem oil on your plants. Some say that neem oil can cause plants to burn, especially when applied on a sunny day. I personally use a diluted neem oil spray at night, so it has time to dry before the hot FL sun rises. I recommend doing your own research before using it in your garden.