I have to rethink what to have planted on the deck in containers during the hot months of July and August. I fear a heat stroke in these temps of well over 100. Being dead or a mental vegetable isn’t going to help me. Right now, I have nine healthy tomato plants, Mortgage Lifters (think that’s the name), in the large tomato planter that has it’s own trellis when the tomatoes get that high. Only two big grown tomato plants can be in this container. That means I have to transplant, at some time, seven of them in grow bags. I planted nine I grew from seed in order to get some that would stay alive, well, they all did.
The only other thing living on that deck is the four Sweet Potato plants in a ten gallon grow bag and they don’t look great. I have net over the tomatoes and the SP. Some time ago, I planted a Sesame flower seed in a large pot that is sitting in the dirt garden part. It’s been so hot, I hadn’t walked out that far to look at it. I did that yesterday to water it, and the plant is tall enough now that it’s above the top of the pot and looks extremely healthy. I figured it might have died due to my not watering it every day.
Somehow, even if I have to bring in the house the big round tomato plant barrel (the other nine tomatoes are in a big rectangular container) to do it, I’m going to get potting soil mix in there and plant three Tromboncino Squash seeds in it. Wait, I’ll use the paper cups and start the seeds in those with seed starter in the cups. Better chance of success doing that. I’ll do that tomorrow. I can’t stay out there long enough to dump potting soil mix in that barrel as it will take opening several bags of potting soil mix and I would be dead by then doing it outside. Don’t say anything about my dumping potting soil mix into a barrel in my house. That will also make that barrel heavy and it’s not on wheels. Rats. Well, I’ll drag it out of the house, couldn’t lift it I’m sure.
I had grand ideas of planting a lot of various seeds for a fall garden, but the heat is too bad for me to do that. In a SHTF situation, I would have to plant what I was going to do to have more food. The anti-squirrel pellets aren’t going to get out there until my son comes sometime this month or first of next month.
About two nights ago, I was going to pull the curtains over the glass doors and saw a baby possum on the deck about 6 ft. from my tomatoes and SP, and it was moving away from that direction. I made a noise and it move faster and I lost where it went. A baby possum means a family somewhere. I emailed Johnny what to do and he said call Animal Control but I don’t know where that possum came from to direct them to some place. Saw a possum here years ago and once there was a big dead one in the garden and now years later here is another one. I live in town, for goodness sakes, where are the possums coming from?
If you people can work in this heat, you are much better than I am.
-I live in town, for goodness sakes, where are the possums coming from?- Possums are city dwellers, also. I saw a well fed coyote near the fire station on 336N.
Well, I for one don’t work in the heat. I stay indoors. We don’t have heat as bad as you do I guess, but I can not take the heat nor can I take the sun.
Did I mention my 20 minute exposure that led to swollen arms, legs, and fever when I was 20 years old? I love the sunshine from my windows.LOL
If I am awake early like at sunrise or so, I run out and do what needs done most for 5 or 10 minutes. Same goes for just before sunset, about 15 minutes tops. I do sometimes turn on the patio light, and do stuff to the raised beds that are around the patio.
I have placed other beds so that they are naturally shaded from the sun on the hottest parts of the day by trees. The beds not so placed, have pvc pipe or some other method of placing a sun shade over them to help them survive.
They won’t do much in the way of setting fruit etc. but they will survive till cooler weather, and then you can get a good harvest in the fall. I plant mostly indeterminate tomatoes and stuff, so I don’t have to replant for a fall crop as much as possible.
In late fall I plant a bunch of stuff that will survive the winter, so that I don’t have as much early spring planting when the weather is cold, rainy, and miserable.
Buy some plant dollies from Walmart or have your son build some the size you need so that you don’t have to be dragging heavy stuff around. I bought a wooden one from Walmart, and hubby made some using it as a guide, out of one by twos and some wheels he screwed on them.
I grow tomatoes in 1 or 2 gallon pots all the time, just so that I can manage them without hurting myself, and get them moved without asking hubby to help me.
You will give it some thought and find a great solution with out a doubt.
The only way to beat the heat is to get out to the garden at the crack of dawn. Otherwise you turn into a dripping swamp monster. I have brought a fan to sit beside the desk when I come in. It’s become my best friend these days.
If you lived closer, I’d send the slobber buckets over. The small one chases possums like nobody’s business. They had something cornered by the shed last night. Hubby went out to check but couldn’t get back there to see what it was. It better not have been one of the cats I’m feeding. I think they know better than to get into the yard so figure it was a coon or a possum.
Congrats re: the successful defense of your garden! I know what you mean about the heat. I went out from noon to 1300 today to collect grass clippings for the garden and had to come in secondary to light-headedness. A few hours later went out for another hour to remove damaged leaves, inspect for tomato hornworms and squash bug eggs (found only one cluster today), and harvest a zucchini that sort of got away from me. Pulled a few weeds, cleaned up a little bit and then back into the A/C. Thank heaven for climate control!