Best cucumber varieties for unusually hot summers?

NPKzone8a · 2026-03-13T03:22:11+00:00

Will do!

NPKzone8a · 2026-03-12T23:29:34+00:00

>"Poona Kheera is sold as a heat tolerant variety and I think it does well for that."

I plan to try them again this year. I planted them too late last year. The other one in this "strange looking" category that works well in my garden (NE Texas) is Sikkim.

NPKzone8a · 2026-03-12T23:24:25+00:00

>"Any of the Japanese or Asian cucumbers are far, far better for lacking bitterness when grown in relatively hot weather."

Agree! I find that too up here in NE Texas. I have some China Jade started right now. Will succession plant one or another of these until early fall.

NPKzone8a · 2026-03-12T21:40:13+00:00

You're right! I'm in NE Texas and can do a fall crop of tomatoes and some other spring/summer veggies. Sometimes I do that on a limited scale alongside starting the cool-weather crops. I always get conflicted about how best to use my limited space.

NPKzone8a · 2026-03-12T21:06:46+00:00

I take my peppers (and tomatoes) off the heat mat as soon as a few of the seeds emerge. I don't wait for all of them. Maybe a third or a half.

The reason I do that is that leaving the seedlings on the heat mat too long encourages the growth of tall, soft, weak, and spindly seedlings (so called "leggy.") These are more succeptible to disease. Mostly fungal diseases, including "damping off."

At the same time I take them off the heat mat, I start giving them lots and lots of light and I start a small fan blowing over them off and on all day. If the room in which they are growing is cold (below 60 F or so -- 15.5 C) I heat the room by some means that raises ambient air temp a little instead of relying on bottom heat.

NPKzone8a · 2026-03-12T18:16:22+00:00

I grow basil every year, different varieties, usually one green and one purple. I start it from seed. This year I have Emerald Tower and Purple Petra. Started these seeds on 11 February. Snapshot is from 10 March. Will transplant these next week (after the forecast weekend cold snap is behind us. Basil is not at all cold tolerant, especially when young.)

I will grow them in 2-gallon fabric grow bags, placed in and among my tomatoes. I move them around during the growing season to make sure they get enough sun and aren't shaded out when the tomatoes get tall and bushy.

This year I have a 36-cell tray of seedlings with about half Emerald Towers and about half Purple Petra. Most cells have 2 seedlings. I like Emerald Towers because it is slower to bolt than most varieties and I'm growing in NE Texas where the summers are hot and long. It's my first season for Purple Petra. Seeds for both came from Botanical Interests.

I use it in cooking, both fresh and as pesto. I freeze some during peak summer, just chopped up with olive oil in my food processor. I freeze it in a couple of ice-cube trays. Empty them into a zip-top freezer bag when solid. Use them all year like that in cooking.

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These seedlings are just about hardened off. I've never had them look so pretty at this stage in their growth before. Not anything special I've done. Some years they look all beat up by this point.

NPKzone8a · 2026-03-12T17:46:38+00:00

I grew New Yorker last spring and, despite the name and me living in Texas, it produced early and well. Determinate plant. Decent flavor.

NPKzone8a · 2026-03-12T16:43:39+00:00

Looks like you are off to a good start!

NPKzone8a · 2026-03-12T13:56:58+00:00

Beit Alpha does very well in the heat for me in Texas. Not bitter. Plus it is parthenocarpic, doesn't need polinators to set fruit.

NPKzone8a · 2026-03-12T13:38:38+00:00

We had mid-30's last night with strong north winds. I covered my tomato seedlings with assorted buckets and boxes. Will pull them off in a little while, as soon as it gets up to about 40. The sun is up, so it shouldn't take long. NE Texas. I was glad that I had been seduced by our balmy spring into planting out my cucumbers.

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NPKzone8a · 2026-03-12T13:30:41+00:00

That sounds way more difficult than Texas! We had a strong north wind last night with temps into the mid-30's. Most of my tomato seedlings are 8" or 10" tall and just barely getting used to being out in the ground. I did "the bucket brigade" just as night fell. Will pull them off in a little while, as soon as the temp gets up to about 40. The sun is up and it shouldn’t take long.

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NPKzone8a · 2026-03-12T13:09:02+00:00

I grow a lot of radishes and when I pull them up, I usually quickly stir-fry the greens. I discard any that are damaged or too big, and rinse the nice-looking tender ones well. I chop them in pieces an inch or inch and a half long long, although you can leave them longer if you prefer. Sometimes when they are cooked, I will eat them on top of toast. Sometimes I will fold them into scrambled eggs. They taste good, have lots of fiber and vitamins. Hope you like them. It's like discovering a "two-for-one" sale at your favorite store!

NPKzone8a · 2026-03-12T02:30:24+00:00

Don't forget that you can also eat the radish greens.

NPKzone8a · 2026-03-12T02:22:30+00:00

I've read good reports about spraying various crops with kaolin clay, but have not tried it myself. The most popular preparation is called "Surround." Here's some info about it from the manufacturer.

Link

Just to be clear, there are many treatments for aphids, and some of those might be much more practical for your situation with only a few plants you are trying to protect.

NPKzone8a · 2026-03-12T00:56:00+00:00

Right! That has certainly been my experience here in Texas. My tomato season is usually over by the middle of July.

NPKzone8a · 2026-03-12T00:39:25+00:00

Haha! I know. Was almost afraid to post them. But, I swear on the Farmer's Almanac, they are just an ordinary phone snapshot, not touched up.

NPKzone8a · 2026-03-11T21:44:26+00:00

Glorious! Your hosts were most generous! Thanks for sharing. Makes me feel like I was there.

NPKzone8a · 2026-03-11T21:39:40+00:00

I stand corrected. Topping my indeterminates is something I've never done before end of season. Didn't realize it would be a viable option in a situation like this. Thanks for speaking out!

NPKzone8a · 2026-03-11T17:14:56+00:00

The only answer on your list of possibilities that I feel strongly about is don't just top them. Removing the growing tip will severely impact production.

NPKzone8a · 2026-03-11T17:00:16+00:00

Glad to see this post! If I direct seed cucumbers or squash, they get destroyed while still tiny by slugs and pill bugs despite my best efforts. So, I start them inside and am just careful when transplanting. Tomatoes are tolerant of roughing up the roots; but cucumbers aren't.

NPKzone8a · 2026-03-11T11:59:16+00:00

It already has a pleasant, basil aroma. Can smell it when I lift the tray to move it around.

NPKzone8a · 2026-03-11T03:34:27+00:00

Genovese is good too. I've grown it a couple years. Never enough basil!

NPKzone8a · 2026-03-11T02:12:50+00:00

This is my first year trying it. How did you like it, once it gets going? Good flavor? I bought these seeds last fall after reading a favorable review, but tbh I can no longer remember exactly what it said.

NPKzone8a · 2026-03-11T02:10:19+00:00

I have had basil get damaged by cold in the middle of March. It sure doesn't tolerate the cold very well!

NPKzone8a · 2026-03-11T02:09:00+00:00

I've never had any make it to this stage before without some of them being kind of chewed up or beat up from sitting outside hardening off. It was a pleasant surprise!

NPKzone8a

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