My "early" garden was a bust, even with shadecloth on parts of it, though I may have waited too long before shading. I grew 4 kinds of corn, all supposed to be heat & drought tolerant & got nary an ear, but it bloomed. On the other hand, my fall garden did well & I managed to get at least some tomatoes. My winter garden is peculiar--lettuce & some greens bolting, broccoli making loose heads, etc. In January. Just enough cold weather for my cabbage to start heading finally. I have planted a couple of cool weather tomatoes in hopes they will survive, but the others stay in for now. Most of the black tomatoes will continue to produce in heat & a few others. I find myself freezing more now so I know I will have it. Last year was a sure cure for complacency!

Whether a farm waters or not all depends on rainfall. If the farm is in an area that normally has ample rainfall, it is not economical to install center pivots or other watering systems. In drier areas, having a guarantee of adequate water reduces the cropping risk substantially, and in even drier areas such as mine, irrigation is the only way to even get the seeds to germinate, much less produce crop. Still, corn can survive periods of dryness with little problem when it has an adequate root system. Corn will send down roots many feet deep, even 6 or more, if the soil is good and doesn't have a compaction layer. That depth gives it a tremendous ability to get water even if it doesn't rain. Plant spacing, nitrogen levels, the presence of weeds, the shaping of the soil surface and having plant litter on the surface all affect the demand and loss of water from a given area of ground, and good surface contouring can help hold what rain does fall and concentrate it near the plants to increase the water yield from even small amounts of rainfall. Mild dryness also helps corn become more tolerant of dry periods as the roots will continue to grow to seek water, helping develop a larger root system capable of sailing through drier periods. Often, gardens are kept well watered and fertilized all the time so the plants don't have to develop systems to withstand dry periods, making them less resilient when the conditions are less than optimal.

Awww, that's nothin'! It can get over 100 here for days in a row, with a "break in the heat" being a dip down to 95 or so. This goes on for 3-4 months, with a long stretch of high 80's / mid 90's book-ending on both sides of the really hot part of summer. I wouldn't worry about those fluctuations from night to day, or day to day, that's natural. All of my plants are fine with it, except Fuchsia, but I don't think you have one of those anyway. Everything else grows like crazy in the summer. Nothing gets much sun from about noon-1:30, except Sans. Everything is placed to get either morning sun before that, or afternoon sun (a lot hotter, especially for roots in a dark pot.) When in doubt, go with morning if you have the option there. Back it up a bit if you see some sunburn. My plants have been outside since mid-March. Once they go out, they don't come back in except in the case of frost which, if I've decided correctly on which day to do this, won't be until winter. The weaker the sun rays are when they get out there, the easier it is for them to adjust to much more sun, gradually as its' angle changes. I know that's way too early there, but just wanted you to have the info for reference, confidence. And I know you're the type to take them in & out, very useful in Z4. Look how lucky we are, supposed to be cooler all week until the weekend! We've almost hit 100 here a couple times already. If you click the blue "monthly" at the left, check out the end of last month.

Firsthouse, oh no - what a terrible loss.. pout :( I am concerned but..Not so much yet, however this weekend it is going to be hot, hot, hot - unseasonably hot! I already have a ton of sprouts, seedlings, and a few with their leaves coming out of the lid - as you did. After the recent rains, and the previously warm weather, these guys and gals are gonna be ready to move on - but it is not after my frost date, and I don't have a lot of ground ready (I do some.. and plan on using it accordingly.. as needed..) My question is.. how long can I keep them in these containers? I did not plant the seeds thick, in fact - many milk jugs have 8-10 and 2 liters around 5-6 , depending on the plant. So, they should .. have room for a while - shooting for April 15th, around here uncle sam brings us the heat, and how! I used a homeblended soil - adding worm castings and bone meal and some soil (always at least a third.. usually more). If they can't survive, are most of perennials tolerant to being transplanted more than once? I was so thrilled to read about this phenomenon, and as soon as I finally took the "Leap of Faith" as Trudi referred to it as, I have .. well, - enjoyed, ALOT. Planting seeds of flowers I have no idea what they are, or how to grow, but - they are growing - WHAT NOW??!!?? Thanks in advance - Crazed Wintersower in NC