Summer must be here!

I can tell that summer has arrived more by the morning temperature than by the calendar. Anytime it starts to get a little warm and it’s only ten AM, then I begin to take notice. While the official start of summer is a couple of weeks off, the graph at right shows what is pretty much a typical summer temperature regime for southwest Missouri.

What’s this mean for vegetable growers? Well, for one thing, cool weather crops like lettuce will have an increased tendency to bolt. So, if you have a lot growing in your back yard try and get it harvested as soon as possible. Right now I have about twenty heads of romaine lettuce and I’m pretty sure I’ll eat my way through them in the next couple of weeks. Other crops like tomatoes and peppers will begin to really take off as we get into a more tropical climate pattern (hot days and warm nights). I’ve noticed just in the last week or so, a dramatic increase in the size of my potted tomato plants that are on the south facing side of the house.

June is also a good time to make sure you have your beds properly mulched. This will help the soil retain moisture and a cooler temperature even in the blistering heat of mid day. By July, I will even improvise some simple shade covers to help prevent sun scald on the maters. I learned this trick from an old timer who informed me that at one time, southwest Missouri was the tomato growing capitol of the US. Back then, savvy grower would plant their tomatoes under trees to help shade them during the most intense part of the summer. Apparently it worked out pretty well for them.