11 Best Heat-Tolerant Vegetables For A Thriving Summer Garden

Today, while brainstorming new content ideas at my desk, I realized that I’ve covered just about every list of cold-tolerant vegetables out there, but I’ve never done one on heat-tolerant veggies. 

Today’s article is going to be just that, a list of heat-tolerant vegetables you can plant in your summer garden to have large, delicious yields. Let’s dive right into it! 

Staple Vegetables For A Solid Summer Garden

1: Okra

Amongst warm season gardeners, okra is quite a popular one. It loves the heat and drought-like conditions, producing bountiful yields all summer round. Okra also doesn’t need a lot of love and attention to grow properly and can maintain pretty well on its own. 

2: Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are not only super easy to grow but they also love the heat and thrive in sunny conditions. Because they’re drought-tolerant, they can go a long time without water and provide a nutritious harvest that can truly fulfill you. 

3: Eggplant 

Eggplants can easily handle extremely hot conditions and keep producing. And, yes, they can even survive the kind of heat your other heat-tolerant vegetables may not be able to withstand. 

4: Peppers (Bell & Hot)

I’ve mentioned peppers frequently in many of my previous articles. They’re a staple in my summer garden and pantry because everybody in my house loves peppers in pretty much every savory dish possible. Peppers love a full sun and thrive in hot temperatures. 

5: Cherry Tomatoes

Unlike regular tomatoes, cherry tomatoes are much more heat tolerant and can withstand relatively drier conditions much more easily. You can plant these late in spring and they’ll grow just fine despite the developing warmth. 

6: Yardlong Beans

Yardlong beans sort of resemble regular string beans except they’re a lot longer. For gardeners looking to add some vertical growth to their summer garden, yardlong beans can be a solid option and, fortunately, they grow vigorously in heat. 

7: Malabar Spinach

Malabar spinach is just a spinach variety with thicker stems and a leaf texture like okra. Many gardeners consider growing this variety in the summer time as it’s much more heat resistant compared to regular spinach. 

8: Cowpeas (Southern Peas/Black-Eyed Peas)

Cowpeas, or black-eyed peas as some may know it, is a legume variety that’s perfectly suitable for summer gardens. That’s because it thrives in hot, dry conditions and is super easy to care for. 

9: Armenian Cucumbers

Despite the fancy sounding name, you can think of Armenian cucumbers as just another cucumber variety. They tolerate high temperatures better than standard cucumbers and love to grow in dry conditions, ideally on trellises that can support their growth.

10: Amaranth (Callaloo)

Amaranth is considered by many to be the most beautiful edible green, and for the right reasons I must add. It offers vibrant multicolored leaves often in a mix of deep green and purple. Amaranth grows well in the heat and provides edible leaves that have an earthy, slightly sour flavor. 

11: Zucchini (Summer Squash)

Although many gardeners have mixed opinions on growing zucchini in extreme heat, I’ve noticed that it does pretty well and can handle heat as long as it’s watered regularly. I mean…zucchini has been a staple vegetable in my summer garden for many years now and I’ve never had spoiling or overheating issues with it. 

Conclusion

I hope this article cleared up confusions for all the folks looking to grow some vegetables this summer. There are vegetables that thrive in chilly temperatures and then there are some that prefer more heat for growth.

Most of these should be planted somewhere around mid to late spring to allow for growth and production throughout summer.