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🔥 Common Heat-Related Issues in Your Zone 8a Vegetable Garden (and How to Beat Them!)

Summers in the ArkLaTex can bring intense heat—and your vegetable garden feels it just as much as you do! At Akin’s Nursery, we want your garden to thrive all season long, so we’ve put together a quick guide to help you spot and solve common heat-related problems in your veggie patch.


🌡️ 1. Blossom Drop

Have you noticed flowers falling off your tomatoes or peppers without producing fruit? That’s blossom drop, and it's common when daytime temps soar above 90°F or nights stay above 70°F.

What to do:

  • Shade plants during peak afternoon sun

  • Water consistently—deep and early in the morning

  • Choose heat-tolerant varieties when planting


💧 2. Heat Stress & Wilting

Even with regular watering, your plants may appear droopy or scorched. That’s because intense sun increases evaporation and stresses the plant.

What to do:

  • Water early and deeply

  • Apply 2–3 inches of mulch to keep roots cool and moist

  • Use shade cloth or plant taller crops nearby for relief


🍅 3. Sunscald on Fruit

If your tomatoes or peppers develop white or papery patches, they may be suffering from sunscald—a result of overexposure to direct sun, especially after pruning.

What to do:

  • Avoid heavy pruning during heat waves

  • Use shade cloth

  • Let your plants keep their natural leaf canopy to protect fruit


🥬 4. Bolting in Leafy Greens

Lettuce, spinach, cilantro, and other leafy greens often bolt (go to seed) prematurely in hot weather. Once they do, the leaves turn bitter.

What to do:

  • Keep and eye on growth and harvest before they bolt

  • Provide shade in the afternoon to slow down the process

  • Consider replanting in late summer for a fall harvest


🐛 5. More Pests in the Heat

Hot, dry weather brings an increase in garden pests like spider mites, aphids, and squash bugs.

What to do:

  • Check plants daily

  • Knock pests off with a strong spray of water

  • Use insecticidal soap, Spinosad or neem oil (be caution of applying during the heat of the day)


🐝 6. Poor Pollination

High heat can reduce pollen viability, meaning fewer fruits will form—even if your plants flower.

What to do:

  • Attract pollinators with flowering herbs

  • Hand-pollinate flowers early in the morning

  • Provide water sources for bees and butterflies


🪴 7. Stunted Growth

If your vegetables have just stopped growing, the roots may be too hot to function well.

What to do:

  • Mulch generously to insulate the soil

  • Water deeply to cool the root zone

  • Plant in raised beds with healthy, compost-rich soil

  • Start cleaning up and preparing for the next planting season... right around the corner!



Wondering what to plant now?



🌾 July – Early August

Fall Garden Prep Starts Now!

  • Start broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage indoors (we have seeds!)

  • Direct sow:

    • Okra

    • Southern peas

    • Pumpkins


🍂 August – September

Start a Fall Crop (August):

  • Tomatoes

  • Cucumbers

  • Squash

Transplant Fall Crops (Late August–September):

  • Broccoli

  • Cauliflower

  • Cabbage

  • Collards

Direct Sow:

  • Carrots

  • Turnips

  • Kale

  • Mustard

  • Lettuce

  • Beets

  • Radishes

  • Spinach (mid-Sept)


👩‍🌾 Bonus Tip from Akin’s Nursery!

We carry LSU Ag Center soil kits—free to pick up! You pay the Ag Center for results, and our expert team can help you interpret the results and recommend exactly what your garden needs. And don’t forget, we’re happy to help you choose the right mulch, shade cloth, and pest solutions for your vegetable garden.

Beat the heat and keep your garden growing strong this summer. Stop by Akin’s Nursery in Shreveport—we’ve got the knowledge, supplies, and friendly advice to help you succeed!


🌿Let’s grow something great—even in the heat!

 
 
 

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