It can be a constant summer challenge in these high heat regions to keep your garden happy and healthy, believe me, I know!
Here are some of my top tips to deal with the heat in the garden.
1. Seek afternoon shade! Try to situate your garden where it will get some afternoon shade. If this isn't possible then create shade by planting tall crops on the western edge of your garden. Then plant other crops that prefer some shade, like cucumber and peppers, on the eastern side of those. This is a good reason to run your beds from north to south to take advantage of a shady side.
2. Use shade cloth and row cover in the gardens. The shade cloth can be attached to poles over your entire garden space or just draped over hoops to protect specific crops. I had great success growing my peppers under shade cloth last year.
Row cover is a light weight white cloth, also known as frost blankets, that can be draped directly on the ground when sowing seeds. This method helps retain moisture during germination and also will protect seedlings from birds. I typically leave the cloth in place for about 3 weeks. You can successfully start carrots and beets, even mid summer, with this method.
3. Mulch is always something that will benefit the garden. A layer of mulch around plants will go a long way to keep soils cool and conserve water.
4. We typically irrigate with drip tape which delivers water where we need it. However, I have done some experimenting with overhead watering to increase the general humidity in the garden. To do, I would choose to overhead sprinkle in the early morning or evening so the moisture doesn't just evaporate. When it is really hot, your garden will need a lot of water.
5. Lastly, start your garden as soon as you can to take advantage of the shoulder seasons and choose varieties that are quick to mature. This means paying attention to the Days to Maturity for a given variety.
In areas with a long fall growing season you can even start new crops of summer veg like beans, cucumbers and squash again in late summer if your original plantings are starting to falter from scorching temps.
Feel free to reach out to us with any questions!
