So I'm curious if anyone has been experimenting with offbeat crops that thrive in our torrid summers. A few that I'm trying and that seem to be doing well are: Brazilian spinach (sissoo), Nigerian spinach, New Zealand spinach, something called just "tree spinach," winged beans, Asian long beans and the more usual okra and hot peppers most folks already know.

Curious what if anything others are trying.

Cream peas seem to do well.
We also have okra and peppers.

So how is that spinach doing Thats pretty amazing if you have found a spinach for the summer

I've been helping with the vegetable garden variety section at the TAMU campus' Leach teaching gardens. We try to showcase a few trial vegetables or techniques.

The current spring garden has multiple pepper varieties , tobacco, and Early Riser beans. Along with determinate tomatoes on a Florida Weave trellis.

Last Fall/ Winter we had a comparison of 8 Asian vegetables. Including Chijimisai, Asparabroc, pakChoi, etc. Also had the typical winter vegetables including "Cheddar" variety of cauliflower

I've personally grown a lot of the tropical vegetables used for summer greens. They all do well.
Do not let Molokai, Malabar spinach, etc go to seed or you'll have volunteer plants everywhere for the next two decades.

Armenian cucumbers

Animal Eight 84 said:

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I've been helping with the vegetable garden variety section at the TAMU campus' Leach teaching gardens. We try to showcase a few trial vegetables or techniques.

The current spring garden has multiple pepper varieties , tobacco, and Early Riser beans. Along with determinate tomatoes on a Florida Weave trellis.

Last Fall/ Winter we had a comparison of 8 Asian vegetables. Including Chijimisai, Asparabroc, pakChoi, etc. Also had the typical winter vegetables including "Cheddar" variety of cauliflower

I've personally grown a lot of the tropical vegetables used for summer greens. They all do well.
Do not let Molokai, Malabar spinach, etc go to seed or you'll have volunteer plants everywhere for the next two decades.

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And this is An outside garden or covered

Outside traditional garden.

Two new tries that are doing well, both amaranths. "Chinese spinach" and calalloo. Both attractive plants and seem tasty and not "seaweedy."

Adding another one to the list: winged beans. Tough as nails, completely unaffected by the searing heat. Apparently takes 90-120 days to harvest but shouldn't be an issue here.

Cucuzza squash/gourd. Adding this one to the list. Mr. Scarmardo convinced me to try it and it's now covering an entire fence and producing like crazy. Loves our heat. Flavor kind of like zucchini but a tad better.

Adding a new one to the list: Qing Bian pole bean, a Roma style bean from China (seeds easy to find online). I've never had regular beans (vs field peas) set pods in this heat but this one is going nuts. Give it a try if you've been frustrated growing pole beans in our summer heat.