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Back to the Garden Dos and don’ts of growing summer vegetables, from a South Florida expert
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s we head into our sweltering South Florida summer, the heat index tends to make us question what, if anything, can flourish and survive under the sizzling sun. So, can crops grow in the summer? Yes! We sat down with vegetable maven Diane Cordeau, co-owner of Indiantown’s Kai-Kai Farm, to get her tips on cultivating your crops this summer and getting ready for the fall. Cordeau and her husband, Carl Frost, started as novice farmers with three acres 20 years ago. Today, the produce power couple owns 40 acres, where they grow more than 50 varieties of vegetables, like 15 types of lettuce and 20 kinds of tomatoes. Kai-Kai prides itself on feeding its community through a variety of avenues. Its Farm Market runs on Saturday mornings, its Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, boxes are available year-round, and local, talented chefs host monthly farmto-table dinners in Kai-Kai’s quaint wood barn dining hall.
EXPERT TIPS ON SUMMER GARDENING PREPARE YOUR ZONE
Crops need partial shade in the summer, so use shade cloths or tarps. To deter animals,
Cordeau suggests building a fence staked deep into the ground so that animals can’t burrow underneath it and cover the area with mesh. Also, if you harvested in the winter season, you can’t replant in the same area. You must find another space to plant summer crops while you solarize the winter soil by covering it with tarps to control pests (like nematodes) and improve its nutrients. Covering the soil where your tomatoes and peppers, for example, will be planted come fall will prepare it for that season. RAISED BED OR DIRECTLY INTO THE SOIL?
You can plant in either, but if you plant directly into the soil, raise the area at least an additional foot above the grass with extra soil. This way, when it rains, the roots have enough room and won’t be flooded. When you’re ready to plant the seeds, do it in a row and at least six inches apart. CHOOSE YOUR CROP WISELY
Only certain crops will grow in the summer heat and torrential storms. Eggplant, Malabar spinach (on a trellis), black-eyed peas, squash and zucchini are all great contenders. If you want to start small, plant herbs like parsley and basil (Thai or lime) on your shaded patio.
Diane Cordeau and Carl Frost of Kai-Kai Farm DON’T FORGET TO FERTILIZE
LIBBY VOLGYES
Written by CHRISTIE GALEANO-DEMOTT
South Florida soil needs to be fertilized, so apply a slow-release fertilizer (not liquid, as it will be washed away with water) about every two months. If you want to step up your gardening game, try making a worm casting tea for essential nutrients your soil needs or your own compost with leftover peels and shavings. “You have to feed the roots, not just the top. If the roots are healthy, the top will grow,” she explains. Cordeau also suggests sending a soil sample to the University of Florida to test how fertile it is. kaikaifarm.com
BE VIGILANT
You have to be in the garden daily, watching your crops. Cordeau says to look under each leaf for little yellow eggs that look like a sewing machine made them, and wipe them off. Also, look out for snails and armyworms. DON’T OVERWATER
DAVID DE SOUZA
Keep in mind summer showers and high humidity. Check the weather; if it’s rainy, don’t water. Also, never water at the end of the day. If you wake up in the morning and your crops aren’t spruced up and happy, they’re telling you they need water. Remember, if you overwater, you’re also watering down the flavor. She says, “the slower the plant takes to grow, the better the taste will be.”So practice patience in your garden. NEVER PICK AT THE END OF THE DAY Squash, radish, peppers and more
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Always harvest for dinner in the morning when the plants are fresh.
Summer carrots
bocamag.com • • • • May/June 2024
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