Posted on 06/01/2025 5:48:14 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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Yeah, some of my favorite stories about heat were when I was a kid in Central Kansas. If the humidity was low and a good breeze was going, temps even up to 105 deg. F were not so bad to be in, so long as one had plenty to drink. If one (or vulnerable plants or whatever) didn’t, one “parched” rather quickly though...
In Kansas, we usually had a good breeze going.
Anyway, I did a search, and the heat index does not factor in direct sunlight (shade is assumed, of course), or cooling from wind. So, we are right about the latter.
NWS is now saying we will get a several day wet & warm period starting in a couple days. Hopefully cloud coverage will be intermittent, so everything does not mold or rust.
We’re in CNY for a bit on vacation, and the heat is supposed to break today. Currently the local station is reporting low 90’s.
Tomorrow the high is supposed to be 70!!!
I do carrots in a sand/peat mix with some fertilizer in buckets. Mr. mm cut the bottoms off some generic white 5 Gal plastic buckets so they’re about 12” high and O fill those in the spring and sow the seeds in there.
The first year I had such a good crop, they were so tightly packed in that I could hardly get them out.
Last year was nothing until I learned that carrot seeds MUST BE kept moist until they germinate and are well on their way. So I did that this year and have four buckets going.
I want to plant another couple for a fall harvest.
For those near a Menards, OUR Menard’s had a big surplus of 6-pack starter plants yesterday. Mostly tomatoes, but some peppers, etc., too. All on “unadvertised sale”. I’ll say - they are in many cases outgrowing their 6-packs anyway, and at this time of the season, I’m not sure how Menards will sell them all! In our area, people replacing drowned plants may help with that. I nearly bought some really strong looking Celebrity toms, but, I don’t really have a place for everything. Heck, I still have some plants in small containers.
The one 6-pack tomato variety I noticed Menards was out of was Mortgage Lifters. Apparently buyers really scarfed them up. Some 4” pots were out too, including the Golden Jubilees.
Mortgage Lifters - at least the ones from the 6-pack I bought, are interesting. If cramped (very small starter pot) they just sit there and don’t grow, but do not look unhealthy, get spindly, etc. Given a large pot and lots of sunlight and nutrients, they grow well, tho’ seemingly not as fast as some other varieties. Granted that even the latter have had that long, cool rainy spell to deal with. I’ll be curious to see if they really “take off” in these very warm, generally sunny conditions.
Also curiously, the Ichiban Eggplant I kept in a large pot on the “north” side / mostly shaded side of the house is doing great - in fact, I’ve never had an eggplant grow so well. I’m guessing that in the past they were getting too much sun and heat, as I planted them in the “best sun” portion of the garden. ???
I have a second Ichiban Eggplant that was doing almost as well in that same location, now in a “2/3 sun” spot in my secondary garden area. So far, so good, tho’ IIRC it’s only been there 5 days. It will be interesting to see how it compares. I hit both with bloom booster this morning - time for these puppies to produce.
I moved all the “Black Beauty” eggplants to the 2/3” location after looking sad and yellowish in the main (sunnier) garden area. That was about 2 weeks ago. They are greening up and looking better, contrary to “instructions” to have them in full sun. Go figure.
Lastly, my one “doing well” Opo (it is the only one I potted - my bad - the others evidently drowned) is already producing female flowers. Apparently, an early start with the Bloom Booster and a little extra Super Phosphate did the trick. Last year IIRC I was near the end of July before I got female flowers — but, I only added Bloom Booster in early June (I think) and didn’t start the Super Phosphate until early July or so, after the Bloom Booster produced many male flowers, but no girls.
That’d be quite a break!
Kind of like the idea of sowing carrots in holes of weed block and I have a 36” wide roll of brown paper here that would last long enough for weed blocking for carrots. With paper, I could punch smaller holes in a 3” x 3” grid and sow 2-3 per hole and thin to one.
I have two carrot varieties and both are supposed to be good in heavy soil and one is a stubby carrot that “” can power through tough soil and blistering heat “”. Other is 8-9” long, still supposed to do good in heavy soil and is a “great keeper”. Start with a small batch of the stubby ones.
I can poke one of those 1/2” diameter fiberglass fence posts in the ground 6-12 inches in the area in and around the tunnel pretty easily but especially some spots in the tunnel that were double dug years ago. It’s nearly rock free too. Will have to poke around and find a carrot spot.
I remember your Opo troubles from last season. Score on the plants at Menard’s. I’ll have to think of a reason to go there this week! ;)
Good on the Eggplant, too!
If it ever stops RAINING I’ll be fertilizing all my ‘stuff.’
I had to break off a few errant tomato limbs this past week while pruning and weeding. I’ve got one Cherry-type and one red slicer slips in water right now to root. I am going to Go For The Gold again this season and see how long I can keep tomatoes producing into the Fall/Winter in the unheated greenhouse.
My Best Season Ever was FRESH tomatoes at Christmastime. :)
And SOOOOO looking forward to it.
I am glad that your Daughter survived the Land Rover crash! I hope that they enjoy their new purchase!
My father was an old Ford guy and owned 150s. I had a Ranger once that I got rid of. (Warped flywheel on a 2 yr old used vehicle within 3 months of purchase that the Dealership did not want to repair.) Do not know if I will be buying a truck or moving back to the country.
Still getting orioles. Today is weedwhack in the garden, too hard to use the hoe for the weeds.
One of my wife’s friends, in fact, the source of my Opo seeds, usually, grows ‘em like crazy. Neither she nor I can figure out what I’m doing wrong! (Except for the squirrels, later on.)
Here’s a question: Which is better for rooting plants? Tumeric, or Cinnamon? I’ve seen both suggested.
Here’s another: Some of the tomato plants in the 6-packs @ Menards looked fine, except some of their leaves were a purplish color. Any idea what’s causing that?
“Here’s a question: Which is better for rooting plants? Tumeric, or Cinnamon? I’ve seen both suggested.”
Never heard of using either! Rooting hormone is inexpensive and works well.
“Here’s another: Some of the tomato plants in the 6-packs @ Menards looked fine, except some of their leaves were a purplish color. Any idea what’s causing that?”
More than likely they’re stressed/root-bound from being in those tiny pots. They’ve had little to NO nutrition - water runs right through their roots and there is little soil left at that stage to hold any fertilizer. I know for certain they don’t fertilize the ‘loss leaders’ (which are annual plants) at garden centers.
If you haven’t already planted them, I would soak them in a LIGHT fertilizer solution and loosen up those compacted roots before putting them in fresh soil.
Eating from The Land, Your Hand or Your Pantry:
Yes, I know it’s not even LUNCHTIME, but supper tonight is:
Pork Baby Back Ribs in the Instant Pot - pork we bought from the neighbor
Steamed Broccoli - just cut from the garden this morning
Homemade Biscuits - I did NOT mill the flour, LOL!
Cherry Pie from my Cherry Tree - baked yesterday
Life Is Good! :)
😋 Do you ship out of state???
Use the versatile Black Plastic Mulch for tomato, pepper, eggplant, vine crops, and many other crops.
Specialty mulches have gained in popularity in recent years and are available in a variety of colors for specific purposes.
Red Mulch is designed to increase yields of early season tomatoes and strawberries.
Blue Mulch has been shown in studies to increase yields up to 20% in vine crops like cucumbers, melons, and squash.
White on Black Mulch works great on cool season crops like broccoli, cauliflower, and greens by keeping soil temperatures low while increasing the amount of light reflected back to the plant. The black underside on this mulch does not allow light through, providing effective weed control.
Metallic Mulch disorients insects, reducing populations of insects in the field, and thereby insect damage and the spread of diseases from plant to plant.”
Translucent mulches, such as Olive Mulch, increase soil temperature higher than black plastic mulch, and is best for crops like melons and other vine crops.
Brown Mulch combines the best of black and olive mulches by raising soil temperatures higher than black mulch, and providing better weed control than olive mulch.
Use Clear Mulch to get a jump start on sweet corn production, or our Photo-Degradable Clear Mulch to reduces costly clean up.
Which Mulch Should I Use?
• Black Plastic Mulch for tomato, pepper, eggplant, vine crops, and more.
• Blue for melons and squash.
• Brown for higher soil temperatures.
• Clear Mulch, SRM Olive for higher soil temperatures for crops such as vine plants.
• Metallic for insect control.
• Paper Mulch for crps that would normally benefit from other mulches, without the need for expensive labor to remove it at the end of the season, as it will degrade.
• Red for early, cool season tomatoes.
• White on Black for cooler temperature crops such as lettuce, cauliflower, and broccoli.
• Solar combined benefits of a black and clear mulch.”
INFORMATION SOURCE :
https://www.harrisseeds.com/collections/mulches-plastic-and-paper
Most plastic commercial mulches are 1.0 mil thick, except for the metallic / Solar which is embossed over black plastic which is 1.25 mil.
The silver mulch confuses insects, especially white fly, and leads to control over virus infections in tomatoes.
The white over black plastic is said to decrease soil temperatures up to 12 degrees, resulting in reflected light, faster growth, and larger yields.
Obviously, straw, compost, and leaf mulch are the least expensive mulches you can use for moisture retention and soil temperature control.
Thanks for posting that info, TIK!
Sometimes I kick myself for not doing more Fall Plantings, but by the time I am done with the last jar of Canned ‘whatever’ I am SO READY for a break! Some years my ‘season’ runs 8 months. That’s more than enough time in the garden for me. ;)
HOWEVER, I HIGHLY encourage others that are younger than me to get the most out of every day/inch of their gardens! :)
I’ll ship if you come here and pick and pit all the cherries! 4 cups per pie, about an hour’s worth of picking per pie. ;)
The scariest part of growing dahlias
When you’re a first-time dahlia farmer (like me), few things are as terrifying as snipping off the center bloom — or “topping” — your dahlias.
In early spring, you check every tuber for signs of growth while they are waking up. Then, you plant them carefully in the soil, praying there is no damage to the neck of the tuber. Next, you wait patiently (or not so patiently) for the first signs that the dahlia made it through the winter and could become a gorgeous, strong flower. By the time the first teeny green shoot pops through the soil, all you want to do is surround it with bubble wrap and spend the month of June in a sleeping bag next to your highest accomplishment.
Tough love is stressful
When my friend and dahlia mentor told me it was time to top my teenage dahlia plants, I wanted to cover my ears and yell, “I can’t hear you because that feels crazy!” I didn’t care that they were a foot tall and had at least four sets of leaves on the stem. She promised me this is the perfect time to top flowers so they grow fuller and have more blooms. But what if I made a mistake and killed the plants I had spent so much time and effort tending? Though I trusted my friend completely because the proof was row after row of gorgeous blooms in her garden, I still needed internet reinforcement. So I dragged my laptop outside and watched no fewer than 20 videos, clippers in hand hovering over each dahlia to ensure I wouldn’t mess it up. Someone definitely needed a glass of wine or three after that stressful day of snipping!
The payoff
In the end, my friend (and the internet) was right. I topped all but two of my dahlias and was rewarded later in the growing season with more robust, bushier plants and more blooms than I could fashion into summer and fall bouquets. The two I skipped were pretty wimpy and not nearly as bloom-filled.
Now that I’ve done it once, I won’t be as nervous to top the dahlias this year. And I’ve realized something important about why I adore the gardening community. There are many ways to grow things, and chances are, I can learn something from someone else’s experiences. Listen to the experts, even if it seems like topping a perfectly healthy plant is a recipe for disaster and will ruin your garden forever. Turns out, they’re right: Topping does make dahlias have more blooms!
https://www.gardengatemagazine.com/articles/vegetables/in-the-weeds/terrified-of-topping-dahlias/
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