Heat Is No Joke

[Train]

Ya

You hear it all the time.
Keep yourself hydrated.
Don't stay out in the sun
until your sick.
All the stuff no one wants to hear.
Well, my garden doesn't want to
hear it either.
My bell peppers are struggling so
much even in the shade I doubt
any will make it.
Even my eggplant suffers.
Really too much heat.
It was 112 yesterday in my yard
as it was today and I am gradually
being forced to allow plants to
just give up.
I may be forced to stop until fall
when the temps drop below 100.
Running around with a hose every
2 hours is not part of my plan this
year.
Even Alec is going through a quart
of water daily and that's a record
or him.
I will say that egg plant in morning
shade is doing fine and I'm glad I
planted there against my better
judgement and in fact may have to
plant a few more there even in this
over powering heat.
The heat has effected me by slowing
me down to a crawl and sapping my
strength causing me to hide indoors
much of the day.
My excursions out into the heat are
less than 30 minutes each time after
which I am whipped.
So a word of advice to those in the
heat zone.
Work smart and be safe.
Choose times when you can work
out side without being fried and contain
that to short periods then head in doors
where it's cool.
Eat light and do drink lots of fluids especially
if you live in the hot zone but even
way up north it can be deadly.
It's worse than Africa here at times and
certainly worse than Mexico.
I hope my situation is far worse than it
is for most but just in case, be warned.
I may get a vacation out of this yet.
Heheh
Train

[texman]

Same here in East Texas Train, today was 104 and 106 is forecast for tomorrow. Guess its time to start planning for the fall garden. When people ask how hot is it here I just tell em, its seasonable. Early heat this year has made for an early melon crop and really sweet melons.

[Imp]

Heat exhaustion can sneak up on a person and be quite dangerous. Intake a good amount of water- if you wait until you are thirsty, you waited too long in the high temps., and need to remind yourself to drink more.

Hats, light long sleeved garments are also a good idea to help in the heat, or a lot of strong sun block.

We have to buy a new window unit air conditioner for the bedroom- ours died last year and it's a bit hot to sleep at 110 upstairs now.

Check the animals as well- a frozen quart or even a 2 litre of water in a soda bottle will help with cooling rabbits and cats or dogs to rest against the coolness in the shade.

My tomatoes for this year will all be fall garden, *sigh*, but that is how the weather goes at times.

[RolandClose]

Whoa! I do not envy you folks one bit. I like warm weather but I am no fan of hot weather. My okra likes it but I stay inside during the hottest part of the day. I get all my gardening done before 10:00 a.m. and after 6:00 p.m.

[Eccentric Follies]

Sorry to hear that your garden is getting baked so badly, Train. We kinda lucked out here, as the only open space to garden gets shaded starting about 1430. That seems to have helped last year when things got hot and dry here.

And a caveat about staying hydrated. If you're drinking something like Gatorade, do not drink that exclusively. Several glasses of water for every glass of Gatorade. Folks have made themselves sick only drinking Gatorade.

Hope you get a break from the horrid hot soon.

[Gemini Jim]

We get a few of those 100+ days, and with the humidity to boot. Big floppy hat, cool water, and frequent breaks in the shade are vital!

Eccentric, I always water down my gatorade if I'm drinking that stuff (not very often these days).

I think in the pre-AC days folks would sleep under a tree through the middle of the day, then work during the cooler hours, and all night when the moon was full. There was more to "planting by the moon" than just superstition! These days we get stuck in these banker's hours, and it's hard to break the routine.

[Desert Rat]

Heat is no joke indeed and thanks for the timely reminder. We're well into the 110 + now and have another 3 1/2 months to deal with. I get my outside work done very early and also remain indoors the rest of the day. We have the advantage of dry heat until the monsoon in July and August brings high dew point and humidity then the misery really sets in. I know you're in the humidity belt Train and have that to devil you most of the time and you have my simpathies there for sure. Gardens really suffer in these conditions as it doesn't cool off even at night so they get no relief and succumb. My home garden is done for now, I will try to get blackeyed peas planted just to have something growing and not allow it to bake to a crisp til fall planting. They can take anything the weather throws at them and make for good snap beans so are a good cover crop. So take care and try to stay cool and dream of your wonderful fall garden, it'll be here before you know it and we can venture out once again and begin the greening of our souls.

[LInFL]

Whew, you guys have it hot!

Be careful, everyone, especially you folks who have high humidity, too. Your body can't even keep its temperature controlled by sweating in those sauna-like conditions.

[TastyofHasty]

Train, you are so eloquent, almost like a poem.

I too am choosing plants that will live or die ... by choosing which I water and which I don't. Yesterday I went to water a pumpkin vine with the rainwater tank hose, stepped on some mulch next to it and heard a big HIIIIIISSSSS. Jumped back ... that particular pumpkin vine just didn't get watered, and not by my choice, either.

It was 102F in our nearby town, Harrison, yesterday. Hanging out in the house, mostly, me.

[Amaranthos]

Train, thanks for the safety reminder.

Here in Chicago, the forecasters are predicting 100F+ temps from Thursday to Sunday. It's been hard enough to keep the plants alive with this dry, 90F heat, so I have no idea if anything will survive even with shadecloth protection. The only saving grace could come with the rain that's expected along with the heat, but I'll believe that when I see the raindrops.