red-hot , humid summers and somewhat mild winters symbolize the extremes of seasonal weather in Washington , D.C. , and the urban center ’s tenacious growing season makes it serious for growing hot - conditions veggie like tomato , pepper and squash . nerveless spring - weather plants admit peas , lettuce and radishes . Long , mild autumns give Washington , D.C. , an advantage for growing former - time of year crop such as broccoli , dinero and Brassica oleracea , as well as root crops like potatoes , garlic and Allium cepa .
Peas
Because winters in the Washington , D.C. , region be given to be balmy , peas should be plant as early as possible , or as presently as the ground can be worked . This is usually by mid - March , but if a specially dusty winter is prognosis , gardener can plant peas in later December . Peas will spud and sprout in the spring if planted in late winter . If you ’ve never institute leguminous plant in your garden before , you will need to immunise peas with a special bacterial powder , available at most garden center and computer hardware stores .
Lettuce
Most diversity of this bid favored perform well under cooler weather conditions , though some Romaine mixed bag perform well under moderate heating plant . Plant seed as shortly as the soil becomes feasible , and consider planting taller vegetables nearby in previous outpouring to provide some shade for lettuces as the weather grow warmer . Most lettuce diverseness will bolt , or go to seminal fluid , when temperature are consistently above 80 degrees , but the long nerveless autumn months make for an ideal second growing time of year .
Chard
If you ’ve been looking for a vegetable that turn well under most any condition and that is nutritive and beautiful to boot , then chard is the flora for you . This leafy green is a candidate for cut - and - come - again culture : lop the outer leaves to apply raw in salads or cook like spinach , and lead the interior farewell to regenerate . Chard grow well in cool weather but continues to acquire throughout the summertime if it gets a moment of specter . " Bright Lights " produce plants with neon icteric , blood-red and greenish stems ; " Fordhook Giant " is a white - stem variety most often seen in stores .
Tomatoes
Because leap temperatures can be unpredictable , tomatoes perform best when plant as start , or young plants about a understructure magniloquent . Tomato bloom will not cross-pollinate when temperature are much over 90 degrees , so fruiting will stall out during the hottest part of the summer , usually in late July and early August . However , plants will continue to set and mature raw fruit until well into September and October , when overnight temperatures start to douse low enough to admonish growth .
Peppers
Like tomatoes , the best - performing peppers should be engraft as scratch and situate in a situation with generous sun throughout the day . black pepper like hotness , but keep them irrigate during juiceless charm to encourage fruit growth . seraphic peppers as well as hot front-runner like jalapeno and habanero all grow well in Washington , D.C.
Squash
Do n’t assay to set squash out too early . The Washington region is prone to surprise late - bounce frosts that will kill all but the hardiest early vegetables . mash plants like Cucurbita pepo , yellow-bellied squash racquets , courgette and wintertime squashes all demand daytime temperatures of 80 degrees and above for vigorous growth and will not stand firm dusty nights . deflect lachrymation plants in the eve , as this further growth of powdery mold . Squash vine borers are also a problem . control the undersides of leaves for eggs during the fosterage calendar month of late May to former July .
Okra
If for no other reason than to inspire curiosity in your neighbour , plant okra . The classifiable hotshot - mold leaves and fingerbreadth - distance pod make this veggie a conversation starter , but okra loves the heating and thrives in the hot , humid Washington summers . flora do best in full sunlight and imbed in well - drained grease . While the plant life can tolerate some amount of drought , water deep every few days during red-hot , dry spells .
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