Vegetable Planting Guide, Page 4

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page 4
Different Seasons, Different Crops
Below aree suggested planting dates for common warm season crops suggested for the Tucson area by Ag. Extension and the Master Gardener Manual. Note the late planting dates mean the crops mature in the fall before the first hard freeze. A hard frost will generally kill the plants or do so much damage to the foliage that the plants will not recover. (2006)

Warm Season Vegetable Planting Guide
Vegetable	Planting Date	Tucson Gardener's Comment:
Tomato (seed) Tomato (transplants)	January 10 - February 15 March 15 - April 15	Cherry tomato types do best in summer's heat. For the larger varieties, if you are able to keep the plants alive through the summer, you can cut them back and get another crop of tomatoes in the fall. I've always started new plants instead of cutting back. Heat tolerant, quick maturing, disease resistant varieties do best.
Corn	March 15 - April 1 July 15 - August 15	If you're lucky, you might have your own home grown corn on the cob for Thanksgiving. I've grown the white and bicolor sweet corn. You want to grow those with shortest maturing time.
Bush Beans Pole Beans	March 1 - April 1 July 15 - August 15 July 15 - August 10	Two crops in one year. I've never had much luck with pole beans. Lots of vine but not very many beans. I do have a problem with nematodes on the bush beans but generally I have a good crop and long harvest.
Summer Squash	March 15 - July 15	Pollinate the females with a paint brush and pollen from the male early in the morning to assure plenty of squash.
Winter Squash	July 1-July 31	Pollinate with a brush. Some need lots of space with their fast growing long vines.
Pumpkins	April 1 - July 15	Take up too much room for my garden and how many pumpkins does a person need? Have grown the small Jack Be-Little for fall decorations.
Peppers (seed) Peppers (transplants)	February 15 - March 15 April 1 - June 1	If you're starting seed you'll want to start them inside in a protected area beginning in February so you can put transplants in the garden. Leaf cutter bees, and leaf cutter ants can be brutal on this crop.
Okra	April 1 - June 15	Grew once. Very easy to grow. Plants can be large. I gave all the okra away. A southern favorite, not mine.
Potatoes	February 15 - May 1	Never grown. There are many different sizes and colors available from the seed catalogs.
Sweet Potatoes	May 1 - June 15	Have tried to grow these but never received shipment of plants. Have ordered again. Will have to see if I receive my plants for the summer 2006 garden.
Eggplant	April 1 - May 15	Likes the summer heat. Harvest when shine is still on the skin. I always seem to grow Black Beauty although I've tried other cultivars.
Cantaloupe	March 15 - June 1	A Jack rabbit ate the only ones I tried. Vines take up too much room in my limited space garden.
Watermelon	March 15 - June 1	Need room to grow and vines grow fast.
Cucumber	March 20 - May 15 August 1 - September 1	Heat has a tendency to make some cucumbers taste bitter unless you're growing something like an Armenian Cucumber.

Different Season, Different Crops continued on page 5

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