Too hot? Squash and okra plants in SC

Okay, I was under the impression that squash liked hot weather and lots of sunshine. I planted some, in full sun, it grew to about 8" with leaves, then died. Also, okra being a native plant of Africa, I thought it would do well in this hot SC temps right now. Even it is wilting! With watering. I don't think it is fusarium wilt...as I have been dealing with that in my other plants. The okra is a the very edge of my garden. And also, in a separate location. Even those are wilting in the heat we have right now.

98*F during the day, and my zukes are going crazy. I have to hand polinate in the morning, but the plants themselves are healthy. Tiny flower buds on the yellow squash should be setting fruit soon. We do go down to the 60's at night; still, when I lived in CA z9, the nights stayed in the 80's and 90's and the days were in the 100's, and the zukes and yellow squash thrived. Are you sure it isn't something else? Do they look "perkier" in the morning or after the sun goes down? I've grown zukes and yellow squash in CA, TX, GA and NV - they are one of my "fail safe" crops.

As for Okra, I can't seem to get it to grow here. Maybe too cold at night.

Good luck! Hope you figure it out soon.

Hi kmom! And thanks for your note. I am just putting it out there...to see if I get any responses and what kinds. I thought I had a good spot for the squash, but they all dies after blloming so nicely, and even producing. It may be the squash bug issue others have mentioned. I have tried to by[ass the fusarium wilt by planting them in topsoil/potting soil, and then putting that in the ground. Still, no luck. I have always ahd great luck with cukes and squash, but as we are on a new property, no telling.
As for the okra....it does seem perky in the mornings, but by 2pm, all wilty and sad. I should take some pics I suppose...just been so hot in the afternoons when I see it. Maybe I will try today.

Moxie; Okra will take all the heat our climate throws at it. It does like water tho. With the heat and drought this year everything wilts in the afternoon. Okra is susceptible to nematodes, so you may want to check that out if your okra plants start dying. As for squash, I have to harvest before July and start a second crop for September - October. It does not like our type of heat, and the big leaves transpire a lot water. Even more devastating is the pickle worms which arrive around the first of July. Of course you also have to fight squash vine borers and squash bugs. The pickle worms, I just try to work around as they arrive in July and leave in September. Squash does not transplant well, especially after it gets true leaves, so you may want to try direct seeding or at least transplanting within a week of emergence.

Hmmm...thank you farmerdill. That leaves me with much to work with. I was googling okra, and I know it is from africa, and should be pretty hardy for heat. Africa has some brutal weather conditions as it is.
On the squash, that makes since. Once July arrived, the squash wanted nothing to do with it. I will try another round in September.
I tried spraying sevin for the squash bugs...didn't seem to help in the least. So, until I finad a "Plan B", I will alternate planting dates.
I did have some squash that I transplanted. It kinda got mowed over, so, I didn't know where they were till they sprouted. But, like the others, they succumbed to the heat and squash bugs.
I have been planting in succession, and different areas of the acre, to see what grows best where. There have been surprises too. What I thought would do well in one spot, didn't. But thrived in others.

Just remember that okra is native to African rainforest area. Our conditions this year are more like the sub-Sahara. Sevin does ok on beetles But is not very effective on other pests. Probably cannot buy an insecticide that will take on an adult squash bug without a licence. Get them early and remove the egg masses from the leaves. Don't give them a chance for the population to build up. Weather permitting, I will plant my fall squash around the middle of August.

We grow our squash in summer under shade hoops. I am just now getting minor pickle worm damage, but nothing like last year. SVB's hit the uncovered zucchini hard, but they haven't gotten any of the covered plants. I get about six weeks harvest before the viruses get them. CMV and WMV are widespread and I just can't seem to keep the aphids away (which carry the viruses).

Okra is loving our heat, we never cover it.

It is definitely the heat (humidity) getting my okra. It was cloudy and cooler this morning...88 and foggy..till about 10. My okra looked good, as I had to go pick what was pick-able. I just don't go outside after noon here, if I can help it. Even when the humidity was down, like 12%, for 3 weeks straight though...the okra would wilt.
Oh, yesterday, the well ran dry. It broke the suction, and we had to re-prime it. We have gotten very little rain here for several weeks. I have taken to documenting any and all rain for this year, on my calendar. When we got here last yr, we ran the well dry in August...but as it was the first 2 months we were here, didn't know what to expect.

This message was edited Jul 27, 2011 2:15 PM

Here is the okra facing east, behind the woodshop. This spot seamed cooler, and wetter, as it had alot of earthworms here. But, they are still tending to wilt bad in the heat. The okra.

Here is the one okra I planted in the main garden, just to see how it would do. The clay is heavy clay soil, and the sweet potatoes etc don't seem to be tolerating the heat as well now either.

Thanks Farmerdill, you just reinforced my planting for August....

Farmerdill...when do you start your 2nd crop of squash for Sept-Oct? And do you plant the seeds directly in whatever bed they are going into?

Yes I plant directly in August.

Thank you farmerdill. I will try my squash again in August.