Summer arrived last week, and it has been very warm/hot depending on your opinion. My opinion is that anything over 80 is quite hot, and I am not tropical. I was sweltering today. But yesterday I saw a man in town with a heavy winter coat and woolen hat on. Today, a friend was wearing a sweater in this 80+ heat. I read once where you can die of heat stroke at 80F. Today I got my last 4 tomato plants in. I have 14 or 15 tomato plants out there. I have about 9 pepper plants I think. I have no idea how many potatoes and other plants. I have not gotten a lot of things planted yet. Do tomatoes and peas get along? I HOPE so. I planted my tomatoes in with my peas. I read someplace that DILL is good for tomatoes, then this morning another website said no it is not good for tomatoes! I wish they would agree. I already scattered dill seeds out there around my garden, so I may have to transplant some of it if it all grows. I have peas planted all over the place. The packet had so many seeds. I still have peas in starter pots waiting for me to find them a spot. I don't think they get along with pole/runner beans, and I have some scarlet runner beans I was hoping to plant. I have some more cabbages sprouted, and a few of my carrots showed up. The radishes look good. How do I tell when they are ready? I have them in a container. My mystery squash or melon looks fabulous. I don't know what it is yet. I had tossed some seeds into my kitchen scraps and put them with compost and potting mix into a tub back when it was still cold out, and forgot what they are from. They sprouted anyway and have been doing great. We have had a lot of rain the last two weeks, so the grass is not mowed, and the weeds are going crazy. The heat and humidity is a LOT. I don't know the actual temperature, but it felt like way over 100F and I was soaked with sweat out there. I did not get much done today. The yard is soupy, and too soggy to mow. The daffodil leaves are turning yellow and brown now, so they can be mowed when I do the mowing again. The lavender, and garden sage, are doing good. I will plant garden sage anyplace I can find a spot. (except there are some plants it does not get along with) My new asparagus crowns finally sprouted. They are still tiny but up. The asparagus seeds are not yet up. I thought I had killed my old asparagus when I put down a lot of cardboard, and mulch in that area, but it is UP and doing great. So I will have two asparagus beds. I guess I better learn to like it? My fairy roses are blooming, and my 2d burgundy tea rose is blooming (the one by my garden that took a hit from the 55 ft elm in 2017. I finally found the picture and will try again to post it.) And my rosa Queen of Sweden is blooming. I hope St Swithun's will bloom soon. The mystery rose looks good but no blooms or buds yet. And another rose is not yet blooming. I forgot its name. I put some baby fairy roses in the spot where my old burgundy tea rose had died over the winter. I keep getting some dumb error message about java script, but don't know which tab it comes from. I hope y'all are well.
AAnightowl, you would be very welcome in Texas, but I don't think you'd like our climate. Smart of you to pace yourself, and not overdo until you get more used to the warmth. Your garden sounds like it's coming along nicely. When you find out what the mystery melon is, please tell us!
Sounds like you have a lot going on in your garden. Looks like you will have a nice variety to see and eat.
AAnightowl the description of your garden sounds mysterious and full of young plant growth as spring starts to sway into summer. Hope you share some pics soon.
@marlingardener , I have lived in Texas for ten years. The climate made me quite sick every summer, and I have never "adjusted" to the heat. It can get too hot for me here also. I am from PA originally, and my ancestors are from Germany and Switzerland, so I have no tolerance for heat. Many days when I lived there were over 115F. My youngest and his family live there. I have to limit my outdoor activities in the summer heat and take lots of cold showers. I will try to post pictures. I have trouble getting them to post. I tried for two days to post a picture of my one rose, and will try again. Today I was outside pruning my bushes by the road, and some of my other bushes.
@AAnightowl understand your reactions to heat. Me and my son have the same responses. He even ended up in the hospital as a teenager trying to participate in Air Force reserve training for teenagers. Kind of changed his perspective of career choices. I was always sick the first week of visiting relatives in Texas, and then kind of adapted. Living in where the water influences the weather on the edge of a rain forest suits me perfectly.
The heat really gets me too. I’ve noticed it takes forever to adjust to temps high or low. Winters are so damp and cold and peek summer temps and getting out side can be dangerous. I worry about the homeless out in the streeets, how do they make it thru the winters and summers. Anything over 70 and it’s not fun at all. I guess that’s why I planted so many trees and shrubs around the house to help keep it cool in the ever exploding heatwaves across the country in summers. Not to mention the wildfires. Poor Canada. I’m not looking foreword to July and august. We live close to a wooded area. Last summer our power was cut several times. I try to drink a lot of water during summers I tend to dehydrate fast. Popsicles are wonderful. I carry a pump spray bottle when out in high temps . A couple pumps on the water sprayer and nice mist or two cools me down nicely.
Say Pac— I am a big fan of popsicles too, so much so that I used to make my own, Have you ever done that? look at this old posting of mine: https://www.gardenstew.com/threads/beating-the-heat-making-your-own-popsicles.19648/ After a while I got some real kit to make them. It was fun to do with my own fruit…and just the thing for a hot and humid day.
I like to make popsicles. My kids have lived here for several years, and we share the fridge so no room for popsicles. I also love homemade lemonade. I use lemon juice, water, a little sugar, some sliced lemons n limes, and chunks of ginger. Whatever fits in my pitcher is fine.
It’s must be popsicle season.. yumm recipes Sjoerd. I just purchased frozen cherry’s, strawberries and limes.
Pac—Oh my word! All those wonderful things—I am salivating. it is a shame that there isn’t room enough, AA.
