Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Anyone got ideas about plants that keep on looking good even in the brutal heat of summer?

Here is a small list but I want to get more good looking summertime plants into my system since the heat has wiped out my tomatoes and the grow beds look pretty desolate.

Sweet potatoes
Purslane
Basil
Okra
Papaya
Banana

I also have some Flowers in the system
Zinnia
Moon Flowers
I suppose I could put in some more marigolds
and try nasturtium again

I want to add some more good looking stuff to dress it up a bit as well as use up some of the nutrients that I have plenty of during the hot weather since the fish all eat lots when it is so warm.

Would watermelon work?

Last summer when a cyclone leveled all the plants, and the garden bed's where empty , I had good luck with a few different vegies.

Red Pac Choy ( Brassica Rapa )
Gaint Red Mustard ( Brassica Juncea )
Rough d'Hiver ( lettuce)
cucmbers ( cumumis sativus )
Lettuce Forellenschuss

Our summer gets up to the 50 oC and I have read that 38 oC is the maximum temperature for photosynthis's to occure. But the plants did get going, and once it cooled off, I had a great mob of vegies ( before every one else ):cheers:

Perhaps part of the trouble here is with our humidity, it doesn't cool off very much at night which might be why so many plants suffer from our summer heat more than they suffer in places that get just as hot if not hotter during the day. I usually don't even contemplate the cool weather crops until the end of September here. If fall comes early, it might start cooling off by the end of October.

Hum, never tried watermelon in my AP system. I had such terrible luck with the cucs, zucchini, squash and cantaloupe that I didn't even think about putting watermelon in. I am trying squash and zucchini again though and the seedlings are looking ok so far. Hum, don't think I have any watermelon seeds left.

Perhaps I'll have to throw in some cow peas just for some grow bed cover though the sweet potato vines will probably take care of that pretty quickly.

Its the main reason I quit dirt gardening in dead summer. All problems are at peak. Ants, insects in general are well established in and around the garden. Weeds are growing 24 hrs per day when nighttime temps are above 80F. Plants wilt in the scortching heat of summer and chlorenated water only keeps them alive. Us gulf coastals really need to seperate the gardening into the 4 seasons. I used the summer to grow Ocra and peppers and sprayed roundup to kill the crabgrass and coa coa grass I would then till up pests and water and the coa coa grass nuts would germinate and I would round up again. That left me to plant a fall garden without all the grass and pests. The winter garden I usually only had garlic and shallots to take the dead of winter. Spring and fall always did really well. My watermelon was doing great until I lost my pump the other day. Then when I replaced it the tomatoes and the watermelon split when they got water again But the plants look good. My tomatoes are just starting to really stress and I think its because they are still young as I planted late. I'ts hard to do away with good plants to make room for the next garden especially when they haven't played out yet.

Summer here in the dirt I am trying to get some nitrogen fixing cow peas going to improve the soil in a few places. In this heat it is really hard to weed out over grown garden beds and the ants are terrible.

I might actually have to give in and buy some plants to put into my system since things got so scraggly and it takes too long from seed for my taste at the moment.

I do have some pepper plants that are still looking good but most of em in my first bed (the original peppers from March 2007) have given up.

Wow, the peppers gave up

I think the ants and aphids finally did them in.

New moon on the 22nd or 23(not sure and lazy) so planting for growth above ground will produce results.
Also your daylight hours are getting shorter are they not?
Together with la nina, being on your side of the world and south america in drought.
I expect you are getting higher temps and more sustained high temps...than usual.
...though the wet is coming for you and the dry is coming for us.

Yep, been planting above ground crops yesterday and today. Will see what can withstand the summer as seedlings.

Hot and humid ,, look into most of the Thai vegies and herbs all love it hot and humid.
Several Thai basils ,, VERY different taste to ordinary basil. ( Royal Basil , Thai basil ....., Lemon Basil)
Thai eggplant ..... ummm it's small white/green and round ,, not sure exact true name.
Vietnamese mint loves it hot ....., aquired taste in my opinion.

Here is a link to an Aussie site that may help

http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/tro ... ables.html

Same over here. We suffer 80% to 100% humidity in those scorching temps....

Next summer I am going to go chappo's way of thinking and plant Asian vegies.

+1 for chappo and Asian veggies!

I'm in a much cooler zone but it does stay fairly toasty and humid in my greenhouse. I'm having a record crop of cukes and zucchini growing in there....far better than my dirt garden....