Anyone who is going through this heat wave, what are you doing to protect your plants? Nearly all my plants are dying, and I really need to do something. It's like, I put water down, and it does nothing.
I got a bunch of rotted straw bales from a farmer down the road and laid it real thick around my beans and brocolli,kale and chard. I planted my cantaloupes,peppers sqush, eggplants and maters in black plastic, this warmed the soil early and helps retain moisture. In the black plastic between every 2 plants I made a slit and cut the bottom off water, milk and soda bottles and turned them upside down and shoved them in the dirt, I fill these with water every other day. I also bought liquid kelp from gardens alive and I spray all plants every other week with this, it helps them from stressing. Also I make manure tea and water with that once a week. Also when i transplant or lay in seed I fill the hole up or the furrow with compost, this gets them off to a good strong start and able to take stress. Then halfway into the season i scratch in a bit more around each plant. And it may sound nutty but I put a handful of dry dog food in each tomatoe hole when I plant. After the plants are big if you didn't mulch already you still can, I have used newspaper as it is soy based ink, water well then lay about 3-4 layers around your plants and spread rock, or mulch or compost on top, this will hold in the moisture, if you keep overwatering your plants can become water logged. The best time to water is real good in the morning, never in the heat of the day, and evening water can invite fungal diseases. If your plants droop in the heat it is normal as they are conserving energy...just water good in the a.m. The liquid seawed I buy is from Gardens alive it is about 13.00 a bottle and makes a ton as you dilute it in a sprayer, and it does help, I also soak my seeds in it before planting, some of this i am telling you for next season. I also have a shady area on the north end of the garden, there is a small tree there and on the other side of the tree in the shade of the hottest part of the day is my kale and chard area, I plant these as they last longer than spinach...even now when its over 85 here i still have lovely greens. So some things can be grown in shady areas. If you have no garden books...the library is awesome... Good growth, teepi
that is the best advice i have ever heard i didnt even write the question and i have to thank you i also make manure tea, i think that helps the leaves from not burning or tuning yellow
That really is great advice, thanks you very much. I'm gonna mulch around what I have left. This manure tea, just water and manure, I assume? I might get some from the guy behind me and try that.
...5 gallon bucket of water, coffe can of manure wrapped in a sock or cheesecloth. Let it soak over nite then water in the morning, I make it by the 55 gallon drum, we have a place near us where they get food grade 55 gal. drums from keebler, they had flavorings in them, we get choc. butterscotch, and lemon ...they keep smelling for weeks...mmmm. If its fresh manure, make it weaker, ammonia is still too prevelent if its fresh, if its aged then its ok, most farmers have composted aged manure around, that way it won't burn. If you have been composting you can make tea with that also, I compost all kitchen scraps, garden waste, leaves,and grass clippings. I throw it all in a corner of the yard and every month I go out there and move it to another pile, thus turning it, what was on top is now on bottom, in the winter I just let it sit and by spring its full of worms and ready for use. You can get fancy with a compost pile and build an enclosure and take its temperature, stick pvc pipes in it drilled with holes for ventilation, but I'm all about gung hoing the work once then not having to do it again, thats why we busted ass the first year and tilled the beds, enclosed them in wood frames laid black plastic, and never walked on the beds again, the second year I had compost made and we laid that under the plastic put the plastic back down and thats it, I add compost every year as I'm planting, I pull out the old plant, fill the hole with a shovel full of compost, add dog food to my mater holes, matches to my pepper holes (they like magnesium) stick in the plants and any stakes I need. I then place these heavy wire "U"s I found at the dump along the bed and drape clear plastic over the whole bed. Laying planks of wood down to hold the clear plastic. If you dont have metal U's you canGet wooden dowels or rebar and cut it into 12" legnths and tap them into the dirt about every 3 feet on both sides of the bed, then cut 1 and 1/2" pvc (its cheap) to 6 foot lengths and bend it over the beds like a hoop and stick both ends onto the rebar then lay the clear plastic over that like a long tunnel green house...doing this with black plastic on the ground will allow you to plant VERY early, just prop open both ends of the plastic every day for ventilation, even on overcast days, it will really heat up in there. When all danger of frost is past you can remove the clear plastic for good, then put in your bigger stakes, careful not to hurt your plants. Also when I plant maters I dig the hole real deep, put the WHOLE plant in the ground all the way up to the top 3 sets of leaves...the whole stem you put in the ground will turn into a root system, and your plant will be so strong. if you have real heavy soil and it gets clay like after 6-8 inches then dig a trench and lay your tomatoe on its side like you're putting it to bed and cover it all up but the top 3 sets of leaves, it will do the same. If you can, please go to the library...you'll be so glad you did. Let me know if i can help you more...BTTL, its SO nice to see a young person interested in something so important. teepi
Mulch is tha answer to almost every garden problem that arises, and it certainly is the answer to this one.
