I didn’t grow up in these here parts.
I am a Midwesterner at heart, so there has been a learning curve to me growing things here; especially during the summer months.
The summers of Southeast Texas can not only be brutal for people, think long, hot, humid days; but it can be devastating for plants.
That’s why it’s so important to choose plants that tolerate this climate. Really, this rule applies for wherever you live because each climate has its own unique environment for growing.
Plants here are going to need to be able to tolerate long stretches with intense heat while it still being humid. There may be long periods without rain and intense insect pressure.
Here are 10 edible plants that you can incorporate into a summer garden that will require little to no input on your part once they are established
Malabar Spinach-this is not a true spinach and boy does it love the heat. It vines and will take over a spot if you let it. I started with five seeds six years ago and I have never had to reseed. They come back every year without fail. I never water or weed the area. NEVER. The succulent leaves and stem tips are rich in vitamins A and C and are a good source of iron and calcium. They may be eaten raw in salads, boiled, steamed, stir-fried, or added to soups, and stews. It has more vitamin C than regular spinach.
Sweet Potato-Sweet potatoes are not potatoes at all, but rather a member of the morning glory family. I have been growing sweet potato for several years now. I planted one time and every year I have the vines growing back.
Sweet potato serves several functions for me in the gardens. One, it acts as ground cover in the heat of the summer, keeping the ground cool and moist. Two, the leaves of the vines are edible so I have greens all summer long. Three, I get a harvest in the fall.
Sweet potatoes have a long growing season, so start as soon as you can in the spring with slips and allow them to grow then harvest before the first frost.
Papaya-I found that I could grow papaya quite by accident. I had feed the chickens a number of papayas and they pooped out the seeds which sprouted. They are quick to fruit and will do so all year round as long as it is warm. Both ripe and green fruits can be used. I also feed leaves to the goats as a natural dewormer.
Plant the seed right where you want the tree to grow. Choose a sunny, well drained spot with good soil. Plant several at a time and then thin out.
Papaya plants can be male, female, or bisexual. Male papayas don’t bear fruit and you only need one. You want to make sure that you have some female or bisexual plants amongst your seedlings so keep enough of them.
Moringa Tree-Moringa is chocked full of vitamins and minerals. The leaves have about as much potassium as a banana, and about the same amount of vitamin C as an orange. It also has calcium, protein, iron, and amino acids.
They are an incredibly fast growing tree, reaching heights of 20 feet in a single year. Once established, they are drought resistant, and they can tolerate extreme temperatures as high as 118 degrees Fahrenheit.
They need a sunny location to grow well, but can adapt itself to even poor soils. However, they thrive when grown in well-draining, sandy soils. Don’t plant where there is going to be standing water as they don’t like to have their feet wet.
Regular pruning helps keep moringa plants healthy and promotes leaf growth while preventing the tree from becoming too tall. If left unpruned, moringa plants will become tall with many branches, few leaves, and will only flower near the top of the branches, which makes harvesting difficult. Pruning regularly and encouraging branching also helps to increase the harvest of the leaves, flowers, pods, and seeds, which are all edible, as are the roots.
Cucuzza squash-This HUGE (10-16 feet on average but I have had longer vines) vining veggie looks like a gourd but is treated like a squash. It loves hot, humid conditions so Southeast Texas is perfect for it and allows you to have squash all season long.
It has been said to water once a week, but I have done nothing to my vines and they did just fine.
Its taste is similar to a sweet summer squash and is an edible gourd that can grow three feet long. Harvest while young to that the skin is still tender and there are few seeds. It can be steamed, microwaved, stuffed, baked, stir-fried, stewed, or used as a substitute in recipes calling for summer squash.
Bell pepper Basil-You may not have heard of this hardy basil. I hadn’t until a few years ago. It’s actually centuries old. It gets its name for the unique “bell pepper” smell of the leaves when crushed.
It grows as a sturdy and cold-hardy bush up to 2′ tall, and blooms frequently. Dries, freezes, and cooks up well. Super unique and fun addition to your herb garden. It also repels mosquitoes, is anti-inflammatory, and aids digestion.
It’s pretty cold hardy, and will self-seed. I find little babies all over the place.
Root beer plant– It is also called Mexican pepper leaf and as its name implies, it gives off a “root beer” aroma.
Native to Mexico, this plant has a diversity of uses. Leaves of the root beer plant are steamed and used as wraps in many native dishes. The leaves may also be chopped for use in cooking or salads. It is a perennial herb that can grow up to 12 feet tall, with leaves up to 12 inches across. 
Caring for root beer plants is simple when the plant is grown in a warm area. Plant it in part shade. I never do anything with mine and they are thriving very well.
Banana– Often we hear banana called a tree. It’s not actually a tree. They’re technically huge herbaceous plants, meaning they don’t have a woody stem.
Typically we think of bananas as tropical plants, but there are a few cold hardy varieties.
They need full sun, although I have one in partial shade and it does quite well. These plants love organically rich, deep soil with good drainage and a slightly acidic soil pH. They typically have poor tolerance for salt in the soil.
They thrive in warm, humid conditions (great for Southeast Texas), but they don’t like temperature extremes. Even the hardy, cold-tolerant banana tree species prefer consistent temperatures ranging between 75 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bananas form in the late summer in a cluster called a hand. Once the fruit is green but plumped up, it can be cut off the stalk and placed in a cool, dry space to finish ripening.
Mouse melon or Mexican Sour Cucumber-This tiny member of the cucumber family is grown for its tiny, edible fruit that looks like a striped cucumber.
Mouse melon is as easy to grow as regular cucumbers and does best in humus-rich, well-drained soil in full sun. Start the seeds indoors 4-6 weeks before the average last frost and plant outside 9-12 inches apart at the same time regular cucumbers would be planted, or direct sow after last frost. Most seeds should germinate within 10 days.
Once the weather warms, this plant grows rapidly, quickly covering a small trellis or wire cage. Under ideal conditions the plants can grow up to 10 feet and produce abundant fruit. It is best to grow these plants vertically rather than on the ground as slugs will damage fruit in contact with the soil.
Taro root-Taro root is a starchy root vegetable originally cultivated in Asia but now enjoyed around the world. It’s said to be one of the earliest cultivated plants on Earth.
Taro can also be found cut in halves in grocery stores, especially when the roots are very large. If this is the case, look at its flesh. If the specks have a light purple color, it means that the taro is good. If the specks are brown, the taro is usually not good.
Taro can be used the same way you would use regular white potatoes. It can be sautéed, steamed, boiled, or deep-fried.
The best way to store whole taro roots is to keep them in a cool and dry place (just like potatoes). Do not put taro in the refrigerator or it will soften and quickly rot because of the humidity.
This is not an exhaustive list of what will grow well in Southeast Texas, but it’s a start. You have to start thinking outside the box of the typical tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant to have a thriving garden.
Would you like to have any of these plants for your homestead or garden? I do propagate them here at the farm and sell at the farmer’s market and directly from the farm. You can text me at 409-749-0184 to see what I have available.