This year was an exceptionally hot season for growing fruit and vegetables in Colorado. Some veggies thrived, while others struggled. Larger tomatoes had a hard time setting fruit when we had nearly two months of 95˚ F + temperatures straight. So while they are finally starting to come in now, during the heat of the summer many were dropping blossoms or if they had fruit a lot of it was getting blossom end rot, most likely from inconsistent soil moisture due to the super dry heat.
There are lots of veggies that were able to withstand and set fruit despite the dry heat:
Cherry Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes handle heat and are able to set fruit in hot conditions it seems much more successfully than larger tomatoes. For us, the Sun Golds were the happiest, as well as the starburst decorated Isis Candy tomatoes, Gardener's Delight, and Sweet Million, and Super Sweet 100s. Our new Tumbling Tom tomato which is a dwarfed, cascading growth, did exceptionally well in a pot, too- and was drooping with all the golden yellow fruits - they are quite large and have nice meaty texture, too, for a cherry-type tomato.
Peppers
Jalapenos did quite well as did our Poblanos, Pueblo Chile and Hatch Chile varieties. Shishitos and Banana Peppers were also very productive this year. Our Aleppo plants also thrived this summer and ripened to red earlier than in previous years, so they must love the heat. Aji peppers too were off the hook and ripened a little earlier than usual, too. We have found that in super hot summers, our pepper plants tend to like partial shade for some of the day, as long as they still get 5-6 hours of full sun.
Tomatillos
These heat-tolerant plants can do very well even in hot summers. Their husked fruit don't get sunscald, and the plants seem to love hot weather. They are also slightly frost tolerant and often self-sow themselves in the early spring so you may have volunteers to grow and share if you leave a few tomatillos on the ground over the winter months. While they survive intense heat, extreme conditions above 90°F can temporarily slow down flowering and fruit production. Tomatillos are exceptionally drought tolerant, and can survive high heat. They can also be grown in large pots. Make sure to plant two tomatillos near each other for best pollination.
Basil
Our basil seemed to be unphased by the heat, though some of it started blooming a little earlier than expected. We usually sow a couple batches of Basil so that we have a second flush of the herb in late summer after the spring planted Basil has started to go to seed. The pollinators love the blooms, and they are pretty, so it's nice to let some of it go to flower, and it's hard to stop during the heat of the summer, even with diligent harvest pruning.
Oregano
Happy as can be despite the heat, as perennial herbs often are! It did bloom a little earlier but still put out lots of leaves to use in our marinaras and cooking.
Dill
It was also quite happy, though would bloom fairly quickly in the heat so it didn't provide as much foliage as less-hot seasons. We didn't mind though as we love using the immature flower heads for spicy pickles! They look so pretty in the jar, too. The firework-like blooms really light up the garden, and pollinators and beneficial insects love them.
Other veggies that can do well with heat:
Okra
A classic southern favorite that loves blazing sun, warm nights, and tolerates dry conditions well.
Eggplants
As they love warm soil (80°F–90°F) and hot summer days, eggplants can produce heavily once temperatures climb.
Corn
Grows faster the hotter it gets, but it does need to get adequate water as ears develop so they don't dry out in the heat.
Herbs
Perennial herbs like oregano, sage, and garlic chives will thrive even in super hot summers. Because they are perennial and come back every year, they have deeper, established roots that help them through droughts and heat stress. A successful garden almost always includes perennial herbs as they are so productive, they come back on their own, and are very good for attracting and feeding pollinators and beneficial insects.
