The Best Hot-Weather Vegetable Plants

Vegetable plants are roughly categorized into two types: cool-weather and warm-weather. While cool-weather plants do well in the spring and fall, warm-weather vegetables need plenty of sun and warm, even hot, temperatures. It's important to be aware, though, that just because these plants thrive in hot weather doesn't mean that they can stand too much direct sun. It is also important to give them plenty of water throughout the season.

Eggplant (Solanum melongena) is a member of the Solanaceae family, a group that also includes peppers and tomatoes. This attractive plant can grow up to 3 feet high and can produce fruits anywhere from tiny grape size to those that are almost as large as a football, depending on what the cultivar type is. Eggplant may be yellow, white, green, red, purple or violet, again depending on the cultivar, with violet leaves and drooping purple flowers. This plant requires temperatures above 65 degrees Fahrenheit to grow, and it does very well in the heat of summer.

Corn (Zea mays) is an excellent hot weather plant. It requires a certain amount of heat in order to ripen, although there are some cultivars that have been created to be grown in somewhat cooler areas. In general, corn cannot tolerate any frost and will lose its leaves and die if they get frozen. It is a common crop in the southwest and the Midwest, where summer heat is normal. There are dozens of varieties, hybrids and cultivars, but in general corn requires soil 55 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit in order to germinate, and takes about two to three months to mature, depending on the type. If the weather is too cold the corn will be stunted, but with plenty of heat and adequate water, corn will develop well.

Tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum), like their eggplant cousins, do quite well in hot weather. With hundreds of different varieties available, there are some types of tomatoes that can grow and ripen satisfactorily in cooler weather. In general, though, the tomato in general is considered a warm weather, heat-loving vegetable. Despite their love of heat, many varieties of tomatoes are at risk for sunburn if exposed to too much direct sun. If protected by shade cloth and kept adequately watered, these will produce very well in very hot climates.

Snap beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) thrive in hot weather and cannot tolerate the cold. These beans come in a number of different varieties and may grow as bushy plants covered with beans -- bush beans -- or as climbing vines that require support -- pole beans. Snap beans used to be called string beans, due to a long, stringy fiber that ran the length of the pod. This fiber has been bred out of these beans and they are now referred to only as snap beans. They should be planted when there is no chance of frost. They grow well in the heat of the summer and can be harvested in about two months, depending on the variety.