Need more non-trellis summer veggies!

Most of my beds are only 2 feet wide because I want to maximize the amount of trellis space I have (and most of my boxes are up against fences) but I'm still having a hard time filling up the "front" squares. What can grow in the summer (our cool season is pretty much already over) without a trellis? I need more short plants Bush beans are about all I'm coming up with, but obviously I can't keep planting those over and over again in the front squares. I know I must be missing something :?: What else can I grow?

Furbalsmom wrote:The following are warm weather crops (other than bush beans) that do not need trellising.
beets
carrots
swiss chard
eggplant (may need some support)
peppers (may need some support)
parsley
basil

Will these grow well in your area?

I do have lots of peppers going...but they grew 4-5 feet tall for me last year, so I have to be careful where I put them. They are brittle and a bit difficult to work around in their cages. Mostly, I'm putting 9 of them together (different varieties) in a little square yard box I built on an obnoxious patch of grass next to the driveway/sidewalk out front.

Local sources all list beets, carrots, and eggplant as "fall" crops here I'm going to try eggplant anyway, since the dates they give for planting it are smack in the middle of summer, so I don't see why I can't grow it now. It's free seed Baker Creek sent last year, anyway. I do have the little "Pariesenne" carrots they sent this year planted already, and will plant a square of Nantes on Tax Day just for the fun of going along with everyone.

I already have Swiss Chard that has overwintered. Will probably plant one more square. Was planning to plant basil in a pot, but maybe I'lll change that. Don't ever use parsley. Have cilantro planted, but local sources say that should be grown in the winter, too, so it may just bolt.

Still getting the hang of this area...froze 4 nights in a row 2 weeks ago, and it's supposed to be 89 today, 90 on Thursday. Lows in the mid 60s.

Megan wrote:Last year my Swiss chard grew very well through the summer heat. My basil liked heat, too.

Also,

If you still have time: Lettuce, Broccoli raab, Kohlrabi, Mustard

Sweet potatoes (no trellis but uses space)
Cilantro
Leek
Dill (keep away from carrots)
Spring/green onion
Turnip / Rutabaga
Parsnip
Strawberry
Marigolds
Nasturtium
other flowers/herbs/pollinator attractors

After you suggested lettuce I read through the descriptions of the varieties I picked from SESE and am going to try planting new squares as long as possible. I got some kinds that are really supposed to hold up. I was thinking the squares I have started right now would be the last, but might as well try!

I was really looking at leeks (have never tried, let alone planted) but everything seems to say those really need to be a fall crop here. Same goes for turnips.

Really, I think there are more things we can plant in the winter than in the summer here!

FarmerValerie wrote:New Zealand Spinach may be an option.
Basil is a great option, however watch it closely, mine has gone absolutely nuts the last 2 years, I had to keep it cut back, I just now found a good pesto recipe.
Oregano is another option.
Parsley did well here for me too, even if you don't use it much, it's nice to have, but I would dig up and re-do after 3 years, they can go wild.
If you like mint, you could try one of those, but put a border 6" deep in the ground, or just use a container on top of the ground, or insert it into the ground. My chocolate mint and spearmint love this climate.
There is also a slow bolt Cilantro out there, Baker Creek has it, it's called Cilantro, Slow-Bolt, easy enough.
Lemon Balm does great down here too, will need to be trimmed a bit, but smells good when you mess with it. Lemon Grass might be to tall for front boxes, but I know several people who grow it down here, just so they can swish it around with their hands, and then smell it when they are working in the garden.
Chives are another thought.

I thought New Zealand Spinach grew on a trellis? I was going to grow any perennial herbs in containers...I have a nice front patio that gets a good amount of shade, but still plenty of indirect sun. I really should get that slow bolt cilantro; I saw in in the catalog but had already gotten seeds from a local farmer's market, just kept forgetting to plant them all winter.

Oh! I just looked out the window and saw that both my Poona Kheera and Poinsett 76 cucumbers came up overnight! Guess they liked the 94 degree day we had yesterday. I love being able to see a couple of my bed so well from the computer desk. The rest I can see from the playroom (built as a sunroom), so that about covers the day.

FarmerValerie wrote:It may very well vine, but aggressive clipping and pruning may help slow it. I'm hoping to get some in the ground very soon, and I'm going to put some in a spot where it can go, and a spot where I can experiment with keeping it clipped, what have I got to lose??? I've learned so much this year, most of it is just running around up there looking for a place to go. There are some slow bolt spinach, and some that are not actually spinach, that you can have all summer long.

Where I live I am putting a few trellis' on the South side of some of my boxes, to keep some herbs and cooler plants a bit longer, and give them some shade, they will still get 6-8 hours of sun, in spite of a trellis full of vines. I have a box in my "kitchen" garden that has Morning Glories going up it, and it shades about 2 1/2' of the box for parts of the day, I had lettuce in that spot until late May, which for here is good, I'm usually pulling it up in April. Our garden area is in full sun by 9AM in spring and summer, and exposed until 7PM (later in late summer) thats 10 hours of TX sun, way too much for some plants here.

Did a bit more reading and realized I was confusing New Zealand Spinach with Malabar Spinach.

All of my beds get shade at least part of the day, which I view as a very good thing. We have a postage-sized backyard surrounded by 6 foot board fences, so between the house and the fences, we get shade, despite the lack of trees. Last fall I moved one bed to what turned out to be a very shady area, but I'm thinking that will be a great spot to try to grow lettuce as long as possible this spring.