 Newly transplanted Yellow Pear tomato on left. SunSugar on right was transplanted two months ago and is setting fruit. Note the 5-gallon plastic bins buried next to each tomato plant -- these are filled with water that's released through the bottom holes about 6 inches below the soil level directly to the roots, keeping the entire root zone moist despite the air temperature.  Lots of dead leaves on plants planted in May, but also lots of new foliage and tomatoes set.  Asparagus fronds ferny all summer to continue photosynthesizing and adding energy to roots for more harvestable stems next spring.  Chard somewhat limpy but continually putting up new tender leaves.  Yard Long Beans, Orient Wonder on the left, and Yard Long Noodle on right.  Li Jujube, Chinese Date, fruit set.  Panache fig fruit.  Begonia bloom.  Begonia bloom.  Euphorbia blooming almost year 'round.  Euphorbia blooming almost year 'round.  Plumeria bloom.  Amarcrinum bloom.  Succulent's glorious bloom.  Arum seedhead. This had the purple anthurium-look bloom in spring.  Brilliant sunflower blooms from spring through fall. | Some gardeners relish the heat, and anything over 90 degrees is heaven for them. For me, however, anything over ninety degrees means shutting down the house, turning on the air conditioning, and doing something other than gardening outdoors until the sun goes down on my garden after about 6pm. Transplanting Even More Tomatoes Even so, for the first time ever, I planted more tomato plants during July’s hot weather. I’d planted some in June, and I planted five more yesterday. Both the ones in June and these now replaced plants that I’d neglected to water deeply enough frequently enough to enable them to establish excellent root systemsso they could blossom and set fruit. So they died. I also watered the existing plants well, then gave them each a handful of fertilizer, and watered that in well, both in the depressions surrounding each plant and in the 5-gallon buckets buried between them that releases water one foot down directly into the root system. I know I’ve committed myself to deeply watering every plant at least twice a week from now on, especially when it gets really hot. But, I know that I can also give myself a personal shower during the process, satisfying us both. Planning For Cool Weather A great anti-heat mind-block activity is to concentrate on cool weather, which veggies and fruits and posies I’ll want to grow over the coming fall and winter and into the spring. This starts with recalling what didn’t do so well this year or last year, especially now that climate change is providing considerably fewer chill hours so plants are having a harder time going dormant so they can rest up sufficiently to prepare for next year’s crops. Sorting My Seed Packets I especially enjoy sorting through my seed packets, determining which ones I want to grow again this year. For seeds that I’ll sow again, I make two new label stakes for each variety – I’ll use one with my first sowing, and the second for a follow-up sowing a month later, filling in whatever gaps appear. Seed packets that are only one or two years old that I will want to sow, I do sow more thickly to offset the probable lessening of germination success. Seeds that are more than 3 years old, I’ll save to sow in a dedicated nursery bed where I’ll thickly scatter the seeds, expecting few to actually germinate but not being willing to give up on them completely by throwing them away or into the compost pile. This last spring, I did this with a 4-year-old packet of Lacinata kale and was delighted to have 20 plants come up. Good thing that’s my favorite kale variety! Planning Your Cool Weather Garden’s Veggies Consider which new crops should follow those just removed. Follow heavy feeders – that need richly amended soil – with light feeders – that need less-fertilized soil, and vice versa. Heavy feeders include beets, broccoli, cabbage, celery, collards, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, endive, escarole, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, okra, parsley, pumpkins, radishes, rhubarb, spinach, squash, and tomatoes. Light feeders include carrots, chard, garlic, leeks, mustard, onions, parsnips, peppers, potatoes, rutabaga, shallots, sweet potatoes, and turnips. While you may want to start all of your cool-season seeds immediately, hoping to get a jump on their germination, be aware that the soil temperature ranges for success of cool-season veggies are between 50-65°F. Soil temperatures for warm season crop germination are between 65-80°F. Seeds sown outside of those ranges will probably result in poor germination since the seeds will have gone dormant and won’t sprout until the soil temperatures return to their required ranges. Until The Heat Lessens And I Can Go Back Outdoors Keep the garden well-watered, down deep below the deepest roots of each plant. Fertilize tasseling corn and other vegetables that are setting fruit -- beans, cucumbers, eggplants, tomatoes, etc. -- for increased yields. Plants appreciate this extra boost in food to use immediately in maturing their fruits. But during our extra-hot weather, be sure to water the plants well before AND after incorporating fertilizer so it won't "burn" the roots. Harvesting – The Fun Part! Continue to keep vine vegetables (especially beans, cucumbers, squash, and tomatoes) picked, whether or not you will use the harvest that day. If many fruits are allowed to overmature on the plant, production will slow and then cease because the plant thinks it’s done its job – reproducing itself! If you have kept plants well-picked, but fruit set has stopped, suspect hot weather. Fruit set will begin again about ten to fourteen days after the temperature stays below 85 to 90 degrees. For more tasks for this month, see August. For more of my archived blogs about summer topics, see my Homepage. Here’s the list: SUMMER
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