I have done a lot less the past few days because it was too hot. Except to water the few things in pots. They dry out fast in the hot sun.

Yes, and by the time it's cool enough the mosquitoes are out there waiting for you.

Here, by the time it gets cool enough to work, it's dark.

I've been trying to take care of my edibles, but my sorry excuse for a lawn has been suffering. It's choked with more weeds than grass, so I have to get the weed whacker out after it, and in 90-100 degree heat, it's just too miserable to carry that weed whacker for an hour or two.

The best time to work this time of year is about 6:30 in the morning. Even if you can only squeeze in 15 minutes, you can get more done than you think because the heat hasn't built up from the entire day.

Another option is to use a tiny LED headlamp. They're fabulous for working in the garden when the sun has gone down!

lilacs_of_may,

Sounds like you need a good layer of mulch!

*wink*

I am in Mass. The past few days have been so hot, although not as hot as some places(do some states really get 100+ eeps!) anyways, I get out every morning, im like clock work (7AM). My dog knows as soon as I grab my grape color garden shoes that it means we're heading outside. I love being outside in the morning, its my favorite time, second favorite is about 7 pm while the sun is still up a bit, but its much cooler and the kids are out playing , I just sit in my chair ..I love it. Now I just need a garden swing and it would be perfect.

I find I have to make a real effort. The sun is great for the garden  thank goodness it's not a repeat of last year  but it lulls you into putting off weeding, building beds etc. Often I just bite the bullet and work in the heat but it's tiring and not too fun! Early mornings are great, but even by 9:00 the sun is blazing.

I have found a real help is drip irrigation. You can also buy misters that will gently water seedlings, too.

We had a record high of 101° early in the month then our temperatures ran consistently 10°+ above normal. A rainstorm changed things for a few days but now we are back to 10° above normal. Normal is 84 and soon will be 85° for the hottest period of the year but we will be well above that with a short trend back down to 88-90° before heating up again.

My good news is that temps usually drop 30°+ overnight and humidity is very low here. I'm getting so oriented towards an early start to the day that I've got to slow down on the way out the door so as to allow some light to arrive with the dawn. (I'm not quite ready to go out with Violet's LED headlamps. ;o)

It is very pleasant - try meeting the rising sun in the garden.

Steve

Here in Colorado, it's been 100+ many times. Temperature records keep falling. Too bad the temperatures don't as well!

I had a garden thermometer that went up to 120 degrees.

IT EXPLODED! It was that hot. I came home one night and my poor thermometer had gotten so hot it burst.

Now I have one that goes up to 140.

I totally agree with you & I live just south of Chicago & we've been having some pretty high temperatures here. I've been wearing a hat to keep the sun off my head, and still have to come in pretty quick because the sun makes me feel sick. I have some health problems anyway & my doctor told me to be particularly careful because you can be suffering from the heat and getting sick before you even can really feel it. So I'm taking it easy now. Do a little at a time & keep well-hydrated & come into the air conditioning to rest. No sense in getting sick over this!

I'm worried about the germination of my fall crop. I've heard that a lot of seeds don't germinate when it's more than 90 degrees out.

But yeah, the heat limits my gardening time a lot.

I'm fortunate here that the evenings are inevitably cool with a long period between sunset and full dark because of the mountains. If I do go out in the midday, I have to give myself strict instructions not to go on and on with a project. I have a circulatory disorder and I just plain overheat and fall over. Bummer.

I've found a few things that help: Wear a visor or hat to shade your face. Wear sunglasses. Put a cool wet cloth around your neck and or forehead. Carry a cooler out to the garden edge with ice and water. Suck on an ice cube and drink water at least every 15 minutes. If you rise from bending and feel dizzy, go sit in the shade, loosen the waistband of your clothing, sponge off your neck and face with your cloth, and drink water.

I've had heat exhaustion more times than I want to consider, and have fainted in the yard more times than I will admit to my husband. Instituting the heat management program listed above has stopped my fainting spells entirely.

Take care out there folks!
Granite, the gardening physical therapist with Raynaud's syndrome

How strange to hear you guys up North having such hot days. Temps here are kind of cool for this time of year in Georgia. Vegetables and flowers are so stunted due to the drought we are having, it's difficult for me to force myself to get out and do much work, even though it is cool enough. Looks so sad out there it depresses me and I swear I can hear the trees and plants begging me for water. I'd gladly take back the heat if we could get some rain. I don't miss the mosquitoes though.

Sorry for whining. I miss my gardens.

I always let my garden go right about this time. It's just too hot. I'll weed maybe every two weeks and quit watering. Mulch allows me to get away with being lazy without my garden turning into a complete jungle. After a while, I let my little cousins and their friends harvest. It's really cute watching them collect green beans by the handful while I sip sweet tea and vocally admire their handwork. :) Gotta love the dog days of summer.

Hi,

I use to think the same, until I just returned from 2 weeks Shenzhen China.

They have 2 types of days, (hot & humid) or (humid & hot) ! Even at nightime it was unbearable. I would go for a walk at 9:00 pm and when I came back, all my clothes, what little I wore, were completely soaked with sweat.

Now working in the garden is not a bad as before. At least there are a lot less people.

So I guess moving to Fl. is outta the question?

Yes, we have had some days, like today, where it is not all that hot, it is just plain uncomfortable. Right now it's only 79 but the humidity is just unbearable at 94%.

In past summers, I remember going outside only for a limited amount of time to water the plants, 10-15 min., then back to the A/C. Early AM & eve. are the best of course.
I have thought about starting my fall plants inside but just never get to it. Isn't that why they have farmers markets?

The other day when I read you could grow tomatoes 9mos. of the year, I was soooo excited. Could I handle it? Isn't that why you need a summer & a winter home? So when it is zero here you can be growing tomatoes there?

When you think about, down south they just trade their cooling for our heating (and the bills). They don't go out much in the summer, we don't go out much in the winter.

For those that don't know whining is required when living in "New England", esp. about the weather. The nice thing is that the weather will change, it just seems that we don't have time to get used to it. Maybe that's it, by time I get used to it, it will be zero and I'll be whining about that ;-)

Maybe if I could find someplace where it just stays 75 all year 'round? I could move there?

BRB, back to the A/C
Gumby_CT

Gumby,

Find some place with a higher altitude, like Flagstaff, Arizona. 75 degrees and crystal clear blue skies almost all the time. Sooooo gorgeous and just a delight to be outside...

Or you can move north to Canada... equally as gorgeous and cool.

Is that an offer? ;-)
Can I bring my plants too?
Can I? Can I?

Oh yeah, the heat shortens my outside time, but drip irrigation for the veggies saves me a lot of time and raised beds save me a lot of weeding that I used to have to do.

Now it is just a little training up trellises, harvesting and watering containers.

The good news is I haven't mowed the lawn in 2 weeks and it barely needs it due to lack of rain and plenty of heat.

I really should do something about those cuke beetles, but since they are just tearing up my bean leaves and not really bothering my cukes I guess I can wait awhile longer.

I was going to sow some seeds for fall and probably will in the next day or two, but not sure about germination in this heat.

Yeah, I feel everyone's pain with the heat, but it's a mixed blessing. Brings both good and bad.

This time of year is when it pays to be oceanic. Here it averages 10 to 15 degrees cooler at high temp compared to ten miles inland.

I can't remember a cooler month of July here in the Northwest. We started with some record heat then went straight into a marine push that has kept us cool and cloudy for three weeks straight. Today, for the first time in a long time, there was no cloud cover at sun-up. I've had 64-day corn in the ground for 75 days and still not quite ripe. All in all, I'll take it.

I agree
this is getting a little out of hand. there has been no relief from the heat here! The air temp 91, real feel of 97 today, and forecast to keep getting warmer each day. No rain or cold front for at least a week. We have little to no rain, and this is not normal for us.....it's not even August yet :( I can wait to see what the dog days of summer bring then....NOT!

I water and weed in the early AM, and i am sweating like mad after been out there for even 30 mins. I also must admit, i have gotten lazy too - i have gone as long as a week W/O watering, but plants seem fine ( not doing that now that we are over 90 again)
I always say to my kids, If i wanted Florida weather, i would move there ( i do not like it)This is Wisconsin, mother nature! Please turn off the furnace :-(

My hose nozzle has a "Mist" setting, and sometimes I'll just point it upwards and stand under it for a couple of minutes. It's not a waste of water. It lands on the ground eventually.

I also use those neck ties/bands with the cooling crystals inside. You soak them, the crystals take in the water and swell up, and it keeps you cool. Along with a hat and a water bottle, it makes it almost bearable.

I don't blame my plants for being droopy. I droop, too, in this heat.

Another cool way to cool off:
Put a towel or washcloth (wet as your compost pile, ha) or a couple in the freezer for a few minutes. Use to wipe your face or neck. Rotate towels. WOW, pretty cool, ha.

HTH,
Gumby_CT
ps. or you could move to a higher altitude! ;-)
or maybe shop at the store!!

i just wet my shirt and hat and get out there. it gets to 80 by 8am, and don't get below 90 until 9pm, so i just have to do it when i can.

drink plenty of fluids constantly. do not wait until you feel thirsty, jsut drink it.

When I have to work in the mid-day sun I try to do chores that keep me in one spot (like weeding) and set up a cheap umbrella to shade me. Any old beach unbrella will do, the ones with a small stand won't work in a breeze so I attached a 3/8" rebar to the bottom pole and shove it into the ground for better placement. Just pluck it in & out as you move along. It's still dang hot but at least the sun isn't roasting you whist you baste in your own juices ;o)