The months of May, June, and July have the hottest weather in countries like India. While planting fruits and vegetables in your home garden is the right step towards a sustainable and healthier lifestyle, choosing heat-resistant options in the summer season is a must. Whether you have a small terrace or a huge garden, you can easily enjoy the benefits of organic vegetable plants at your home.
So, if you need a list of vegetables that can thrive in the harsh heat of the summer, this is just the right article for you. Not only can these vegetables handle the sunlight, but once harvested, you can enjoy adding the fresh yield to a range of curries, sabzis, salads, snacks, and much more. What are you waiting for? Read on, pick up your gardening tools, and enjoy the summer vegetables.
Bhindi
Bhindi, also known as okra or ladyfinger, is a staple Indian vegetable that is cooked in almost every household during this season. Since bhindi thrives in a hot and humid climate, you can easily plant it in the summer months. With regular watering and fertilisation, in about 2-3 months, you can harvest the pods and make bhindi masala, bhindi fry, and even curries.
Tomato
Tomatoes are one of the most used vegetables in a typical Indian kitchen. From salads to all sorts of gravies, tomato is a vegetable that cannot be missed. The best part is that they can be grown in your kitchen with the seeds, even in the summer season. Just ensure that you use well-drained and slightly acidic soil. Fertilise regularly and you’ll get healthy and fresh produce right in your home garden.
Baingan
Eggplant, brinjal, or baingan is a comforting vegetable that is used to make a lot of sabzis, curries, and snacks. To get fresh produce of brinjal in your home garden, you can sow the seeds indoors, and after the seedlings are strong, you can plant them in fertile soil at a sunny spot which also gets shade in the hottest parts of the day.
Lauki
Lauki, or bottle gourd, is a climbing vine that you can grow in the summer season. You can use the unripe lauki to make curries or wait for the fully ripe vegetable to make elaborate dishes like lauki ki sabzi, lauki ke kofte, bharta, vada, etc. Not just savoury dishes, but your homegrown vegetables can also be used to make desserts like kheer and halwa.
Kheera
Kheera, or cucumber, is a water-rich vegetable that can be used in a salad bowl, slushie, raita, or as a filling for a quick sandwich, making it a must-have in the summer season. You can grow this vegetable when the temperature is around 25-30°C. Just water regularly, fertilise and keep pruning, and you will spot healthy cucumbers growing within about 50 days of planting.
Green Chilli
Green chillies are another essential ingredient in Indian cooking. There’s hardly a curry, sabzi, or even paratha that doesn’t get a spicy punch from chillies. Since green chillies require a hot climate to grow, summer is the perfect time to sow the seeds. Make sure you use well-drained soil and water regularly, and within three months, you can harvest the chillies.