Before the heat wave, most productive use of your time

==>> making sure the a/c is tuned up .. crikey ... focus.. lol ...

make sure all small pots are out of the sun.. if not planted.. you dont want to be watering them 3 times a day ...

otherwise.. they are on their own ... and if they fail for any reason.. then they will probably be edited from the garden .. who needs a bunch of foo foo high maintenance girlfriends in the garden.. pull your weight.. or get out ... [same thing goes for those good for nothing frat boys ... ]

ken

Glad to see you're still following all the goings on here, Ken. My day is done and I'm ready to escape to the a/c already. The rain that was forecast for today never arrived and it was cloudy all day. Now it's getting more humid by the minute. I got things done in the morning and after lunch again. Just pulled soil over potatoes that were showing in the trenches I planted them in. Then loosened the soil along part of a trellis and sowed cucumber and bean seeds. Planted some MG seedlings and some Hyacinth Bean seeds for hummingbirds. Finally planted the last of the dahlia tubers that I'm late getting in the ground. Potted up a rooted sedum for a friend. Took a lot of photos and got a few questions answered on GW. Did remedial pruning for a problem with one of the roses.

All and all a productive day for me. Now time to switch gears and get things done in the house. Oh...have to put two more a/c in the windows tomorrow morning. [g]

Thank you! 😀

I would put any potted things in the shade with mulch, straw etc around the pots to keep them cool - especially if in pottery pots to reduce moisture loss. Seems to me that if you plant them now, they will be stressed by the heat and sun before the roots are established.

Great ideas. Thank you Raee - are you expecting a heat wave in Ohio?

We already have one a/c unit in the room we use the most in, but two more going in tomorrow morning. Just started making a food shop list. Freezer full of soup and other meals. Just about to make a big batch of cole slaw. Ginger tea and rose hip tea for the refrigerator for ice tea. I'm thinking, maybe a big bowl of potato salad, guacamole, and some ice coffee too! Maybe cook up some chicken for a chef's salad and boil some eggs. We've been eating a lot of chickpea pasta with broccoli and tomatoes and romano cheese lately. That's pretty easy and quick and doesn't heat the kitchen up too much.

Darn, I should have gotten a good book! I'm low. I do have one, but it's Friday and not sure the library is open tomorrow. Well, Monday will do anyway. What are you reading, Marie?

I was so tempted to plant some of those pots, but, I didn't think it was a good idea. I have a very shady area where the sun barely reaches it except for a half hour late in the day and I can put all the potted plants in there. I do have large plastic pots around the yard, that I won't be moving, with potatoes/tomatoes and pansies. I'm sure the pansies will be half dead by the end of the heat wave, but I got my money's worth out of them for the past 2 months. And it will be time to switch them out for something for the hot summer months. I'm thinking cuphea for the hummingbirds and Angelonia, which I love because it does so well in the heat.

I was just talking to a friend who was trying to get home and she said the traffic was horrendous at 2pm. I guess everyone is trying to get somewhere and make up for last weekend when it rained for days.

Well, like you PM2, I thought I'd get an hour or two of work in before the rain. About 10 hours later and I'm just finishing up and still no rain. And I counted on that rain because I did plant some stuff out with the express intention of it getting a good rainfall before the heat. Ugh. Now I will have to water more than I expected to. They are still forecasting some thunder storms, but the length and the chances are both getting smaller. I just hope I didn't make a mistake in planting things out.

I'm supposed to help my daughter put in a new garden at her new house tomorrow. Geez, could we have picked a worse day? But sometimes you have to do it when you have time. Getting an early start, and I'll instruct her on watering and even putting a few lawn chairs or umbrellas out if necessary. Luckily she moved right down the street so I can go check on things myself lol.

No a/c here. Hopefully it won't be too bad. My house takes a long time to warm up in the spring due to lots of shade, and since we had the heat on yesterday, one could say the house is still pretty cool lol. Actually, when I came in from outside each time today (where it is indeed getting more and more humid) it felt like I was walking into air conditioning. So hopefully we'll get through the weekend okay.

I cut some roses today, thinking they were going to get more beat up than they already were. But no rain so I could have left them. Oh well they were past their prime anyway. Everything here is (past it's prime, that is) : Autumn Sunset, Amelia or Ashley (not sure which) and Pretty Jessica, (second photo) which is the only rose that is NOT past its prime. Some columbines, bellflowers, dianthus and scabiosa to round things out. Only the finest crystal vase for this arrangement!

:)

Dee

Dee, the sun has been out here since about 6:30p and not a drop of rain all day! The sky is clear and cloudless. I just went out and watered seeds I sowed earlier. I refilled all the birdbaths while I was at it so I won’t have to do it in the morning.

Dee, your daughter moved in down the street? Amazing! I love that! It sounds really wonderful!

I was talking to someone who gardens for others for $25. an hr and she said when she works in the heat, sometimes she just takes the hose to herself and soaks herself to cool off. [g]

I do understand about a house staying cool enough to rarely need a/c. All those trees really do keep the house cooler. Brick or stone houses are similar. When I was growing up we had a pool and we never used a/c because when it was hot we were always either in the pool or walking around in wet bathing suits.[g]

I might pick some roses to bring in tomorrow too to keep the heat from ruining them. Italian Plum Tomato? Do you buy a brand that comes in a glass bottle?

I got all my stuff planted by the end of May, which was my goal. But having trouble with the melons, it got cold and some of them balked, so I have to re-sow the Sugar Baby and more charantais (some were fine, others were goners - go figure...).

Productive use of my time in the ridiculous heat is keeping up with the watering -- and I HATE watering. I should make that my moniker LOL! I either do it early morning if I'm not working that day (otherwise no time) or in the evening -- that evening sun can be hot, though. Once the vegetables get established I don't have to bother with them too often, but for a couple-few weeks post planting have to really keep on it. And of course the flowers on the patio and porch need regular watering, too. I planted some fruit trees and every day --- trudge over to them with cans full of water... Ugh... And the new shrubs down by the road. Quadruple Ugh because I have to trudge down to the road with the watering cans (at least the fruit trees are near a hand pump). I HATE watering.

If it's too hot I tend to just not bother with other stuff other than putzing around -- deadheading and stuff like that. I find that relaxing, especially on a beautiful evening with all the insects and butterflies buzzing and flitting around :0)

My a/c is broken BTW. Can I come over, Ken LOL! The electrician is coming over tomorrow, I'll have him take a look at it, last year it was just some switch on the outside that needed a little jiggling. I am going to have to spring for new HVAC, though -- it's next up on my "must" list.

mxk I hate watering too lol! And I've been sitting here all evening thinking how, since we never did get any rain (so much for all their thunderstorm warnings!) I now have to water everything I planted today. Normally I would get up early and do it, but tomorrow I'm getting up early to help my daughter. I'm already getting up at 6. Debating whether I want to get up at 5 just to water. Well, there's no debate, really - I don't WANT to lol. But I might NEED to. Damn weather forecasters. I would have just watered earlier today while I was out there, hot and sweaty. Didn't want to go back out after I had showered and get all sweaty again. And it was one of those evenings where you get all sweaty just standing there. And I trudge around with watering cans too!

So, I may end up watering smack in the middle of the afternoon. Not as good for the plants, definitely not good for me haha.

Yes, PM2, my daughter bought a house down the street, and I'm loving it! It's so nice to have her so close.

When I used to work at the farm down the street, I would have to work out in all kinds of weather, including the heat (and sometimes in the greenhouse in the heat - now THAT was bad!). I think I'm really a vampire sometimes, as I hate the sun, lol, so I like to cover up. So I'd wear a tee shirt, but wear a men's dress shirt over it. When it got really hot, I would take the dress shirt off, soak it in one of the spigots, wring it out, and put it on. As soon as it dried out, I'd soak it again. There was always at least a slight breeze at the farm, so the shirt did double duty - kept the sun off me and cooled me off when the breeze hit when wet.

I think the jar was from some kind of spaghetti sauce. I save jars that I think will work for impromptu bouquets, and like to keep all shapes - short for little things like violets and lily of the valley, and the narrower tall-but-not-as-tall-as-a-vase jars for mid-sized blooms like the bouquet today. Kind of a shame sometimes as I have pics of some of my most beautiful arrangements and they're in pickle jars, or some such thing lol. Oh well. Adds character, I guess.

:)

Dee

I agree with all of you, I hate watering. lol I have an old rubber hose that is black that I've had for decades, still works fine mostly. I've used electrical tape on some of the working ends this year to prevent leaks and some teflon tape on the connectors to stop leaks. Two of my hose nozzles are leaking. They are only 2 years old. Dramm brand. I seem to have to replace them frequently. I tried watching a YouTube video on how to fix them this year because I was sick of replacing them, but when I unscrewed the front of it, the interior was rusty and the mechanism was not the same as the video. So it's still leaking. Which makes me hate watering even more. [g] And the hose is HEA-VY and it's black and it rubs off on anything it comes in contact with. I ruined many pretty clay colored plastic pots, not doing a good job of manuevering around them. I've gotten better at it and haven't done that in awhile, but I was out there yesterday, scrubbing an old pot with Bon Ami and a nylon scrubbie trying to get the black marks off. [g] I solved that problem with two potted Arborvitae that are always in the way, by buying new black plastic pots. Perfect solution!

I won't replace the hose because it's rubber and I consider that non toxic and more preferable than plastics. I do have one of those basic brass hose nozzles but I keep using my leaking nozzles because I like the mist setting for when I sow seeds - especially alyssum that is so small and on the surface, but I do have that option that I'm sure I'll be changing it out soon. I know such problems, lol. I couldn't just leave it at, I hate watering. lol

Dee, you sound like me. My husband finds my annoyance with weather forecasters amusing. lol Great idea about staying cool working in the heat!

5:30a it was pleasant out there. 7a it's already getting hot and humid and full sun. I might get another hour to get something done before I quit. One a/c unit is in and 2nd one is almost in position. Potatoes and eggs are boiling, chicken breast is in the oven. Nice that we had the opportunity to clean the house last weekend with all the rain. Hope everyone stays cool and relaxes as much as you can until temperatures are more moderate again!

Oh and we may have gotten a little spit of rain overnight. Not enough to register as wet pavement but the ground and the plants all look moist. It's pretty out there right now. Roses are opening and looking very good and the front yard is SO fragrant from the Kolkwitzia shrub. Nice way to start the heat wave.

I've been trying to mulch, and plant a few final things tough enough to be planted so late.

mxk, broken AC often just needs a capacitor replacement - something that, in a logical world, an "electrician" should certainly be able replace - but I think in the US at least, only HVAC technicians are "allowed" to service the electrical subsystem of an AC. It might vary by state. Please do not bump this thread which became unnecessarily contentious, as they sometimes do: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2411664/how-much-does-capacitor-cost

i dont have a lawn per se ... and i have delicate feet .. as in .. i wear socks and duck boots all the time ...

but when you have to water in very high heat.. i found that if i watered the grass .. and then stood in the puddle of cool wet grass .. it had an amazing cooling effect on the rest ...

i also carried a spare bandana.. and kept sticking that in the hose water.. just to swab may face ...

and of course.. no having any hairdo ... i would just drape the wet bandana over my head ...

ken

Prairiemoon and mxk -- please don't shun me when I say that I love watering (ducking and running)! Walking around my extensive gardens with my 100 foot (and the double one of 200 feet) hose is a zen-like time for me, and is a great way for me to keep an eye on the plants. I am 75 and under five feet tall, so take my word, if you will, that I could not use a heavy rubber hose system here!

PM, I would NEVER keep a rubber hose, no matter how thrifty to do so might be, as the weight is definitely far too much for me and would lead to endless frustration and no watering at all, lol. I had one for years, believing rubber was the best, but have given up on that completely. May I offer a solution?

Get a WaterRight brand hose. Lightweight, drinking water safe, doesn't kink, AND made in USA. Best money ever spent, IMHO. I have had mine for more than five years with no problems whatsoever. They are THE best. And come in pretty colors! Mine are purple... =)

Check them out at WaterRightInc.com.

I have been known to leave my hoses stretched out across the lawns for days, with no ill effects to the hose, even in hot weather. Yes, I have become lazier in my old age about picking up after myself. Must conserve my level of energy!

David -- my brother is the (licensed master) electrician, all in the family won't be any problems.

Roxanna - I would never ‘shun you’ for any reason. LoL But I’m glad you added your perspective to the discussion, because you are right. I don’t hate all watering. I love to hand water, for the same reasons you mention. I just hate dragging the hose around the yard with the sprinkler, especially when it is hot and dry. And I hate dripping, leaking hoses and nozzles. So why haven’t I ordered a new one already? [g] And now I hate putting the hose away because we are out of hose reels at the moment. I used to have two water powered hose reels for the past 7 years that I LOVED, but they broke last year and I haven’t been able to replace them yet. I did look but water powered seem to be hard to find this year.

I think I have 150 ft in the back and 100ft of rubber hose in the front, on my small 1/4 acre. And I keep the rubber hose more for the fact I so hate to buy anything plastic including polyurethane if I can help it and I really like to support any product that is made of natural materials. I took a look at that Water Right hose and it is nice and small and I love the colors too. If I get to that point, sure looks like the one to change over to. Thanks for the suggestion!

I’m rapidly getting older too and will be catching up to you soon, Roxanna. I'm not keeping up with the garden the way I would like to. I hired help this spring and I hope I can keep doing that. It’s just a question of finding someone, which has not been that easy.

Ken, I haven't heard that cooling off secret before, of standing in a puddle on the lawn. It does sound refreshing. During July and August, I'm happy that most of my property is part to full shade.

We have been dog sitting a family member's new dog and I bought a small kiddie pool in case the dog would try it on a hot day. I might try it myself, just sitting in the kiddie pool and then garden all wet...lol.

Eh, we all have our things we like to do. I had a next-door neighbor who was the same, she loved to walk around the backyard with hose wand in one hand, cigarette in the other.

Woodies planted in the fall just need so much less attention. -- you would think I would have learned my lesson about planting trees and shrubs in the spring, but no obviously not...

ETA: I checked out the Water Right hoses website -- I may splurge if they're as good as you say they are, Roxanna. :0)

mxk3 - That is a consequence I hadn't thought of and I'll consider doing more planting in the fall. Actually, even perennials are easier that way. I divdied and moved some phlox subulata in the fall last year and didn't finish what I wanted to move and moved more this spring. *sigh* What a big difference. The one I moved last Fall, looks great! It only pushed out a few flowers, but the plant threw out a lot of new fresh looking growth and is attractive. The one I moved this spring, in early May, is still a mess.

PLus you can usually take advantage of deep discounts in the Fall.

It's just about 7pm here and I'm getting ready to go out to water. Haven't even looked at my garden yet today as I was busy at daughter's, so hoping everything I planted yesterday with the expectation of rain that never materialized, is okay. Or at least still alive lol.

Yes, I have those big black rubber hoses that are heavy and leave marks, but honestly they're the best hoses I've ever had, so I deal with them (although I will go check out the link Roxanna posted, just in case). I also leave my hoses everywhere, especially in prolonged heat. Why drag them back when I'm just going to be dragging them out again in 12 hours? And yeah, what's with these nozzles??? I brought my nozzle to my daughter's to use and it was spraying from every direction except where it was supposed to come out! I swear I replace the darn thing every single year.

It was so so so hot today, unbearably so at some points. Daughter and I went to Walmart early (you know things are getting bad with local nurseries when I'm choosing to buy plant material at Walmart! But honestly, they've had the best stuff this year!). We were there at opening, got her annuals and a rose bush she wanted, came back, and started weeding, laying down compost, digging holes, planting, watering and mulching. Then to Home Depot to find pots for all the annuals she bought. We got back about 3pm and the new garden was drooooping. Sat in the shade on the patio in back and potted up containers, and tried to cool off. I was very pleasantly surprised when we came back out front about 6:30, with the garden now in mostly shade, and things had perked back up. So maybe we'll be okay with our work today. If the garden can get through the next few days it should be all good!

:)

Dee

H*ll, Dee -- if I can get through the next few days, it will be fabulous!! I LOATHE this sort of weather with every cell in my ancient ol' body. Lived for 23 years in an all-brick 1886 carriage house, which held the summer heat like an oven -- no AC, and it never cooled off until fall. In this weather, I daily bless the inventor of residential AC systems -- and the fact that we were able to get it installed (HVAC) for this whole house. when we moved here over 20 years ago.

Today was bad, but the next few are predicted to be horrible. Boston has already declared a heat emergency... I shall water in the early hours and not do another thing outdoors...

Dee, it sounds like you had a good day with your daughter despite the heat. Hope your plants did okay. Maybe your daughter would consent to you posting photos of her new garden?

Again, I really miss my water powered hose reels. They made quick work of putting the hose away, and with a heavy hose, that cuts down on half of the time you are struggling with it. This year I leave my hose out a lot, but I try to drag it off the lawn so it doesn't burn a stripe where it was lying in the hot sun.

I’m ordering a new nozzle this morning. [g] I had one of those small basic brass nozzles and I thought that would be a replacement that would last and not keep needing to be replaced, but I tried it yesterday and took it right off and went back to my leaky nozzle. I guess I am just used to the settings I use and didn’t find I could duplicate them with the brass nozzle. Which I will keep as an emergency back up.

I did find a great sprinkler that I LOVE! I spent some time researching those last year because I was having trouble with sprinklers.

Aqua Joe Sprinkler

This has worked very well this year, in it’s second year. It gives a really high spray that covers a lot of ground and this is my preferred lever for getting the precise area. On other sprinklers the spray arm would get stuck in the same position, and that hasn’t happened to me with this one. It was $17. last June and I see now it is $22.!

It’s 70F on my back porch this morning.

Roxanna, we lived in a brick house one year and I was too young to notice, and I would have thought it might keep the heat out. I’m surprised that it does the opposite. No wonder you hate the heat so much. [g]

We have oil heat and old plaster walls and didn’t want to have to install a whole new duct system for central a/c. I see they now have some different a/c applications with units that are placed high on the wall and are ductless. We are considering switching to that, but between the window units and the Whole House Fan, we seem to stay comfortable. It’s just putting them in and taking them out is the only problem. The WH fan, only helps if the temperature outside is cooler and less humid than inside. We also do what my Mom used to do religiously, pull the light blocking heavy window shades down early in the morning to keep the house cooler.

I was in and out yesterday watering. I put milk crates over some of my vegetables that don’t like the heat. I still have broccoli, lettuce, etc trying to grow. I am trialing varieties of lettuce that reviews said do well in the heat. The cilantro looks like it’s about to bolt. I moved all my potted plants into a very shady area and by 2pm they were dry for the most part. Two large divisions of Aster were in full wilt, so I soaked them all again. My favorite rose, ‘Savannah’, that had just opened all it’s buds and looked very unhappy by late day. It was well watered and mulched but it didn’t make a difference. The blooms looked like I feel when I spend 20 minutes out there. [g] ‘Julia Child’ on the other hand, looked completely unphazed and opened her first four blooms.