How I Am Fighting The Heat in My Garden

I am happy to report that I have blossoms on my two tiny Red Robin tomato plants now.  It was nice to see them.

These babies are not even a foot tall yet, but that's about how tall they will get.  I expect lots of fruiting when the time comes.

I mulched with short-cut straw yesterday to try to keep evaportation low when I water my garden now that its getting so much warmer.

With 3 days in the low to mid-90sF this week, I was concerned for my garden.  I still have cool-weather crops starting to grow like lettuces, radishes, kale and arugula and as for tomatoes, they stop blossoming and growing when the temps reach high 90s.  To combat this problem I went out with white bleached muslin and clipped pieces to bamboo poles to combat the heat.

I tried to put sheeting between the crop rows and around my tomatoes.  In this one the muslin in the rear covers my two Lizzano tomato plants just fine.

The muslin to the far right is protecting my little Red Robin tomatoes.  Amazing how much wind we are getting.  The muslin just kept billowing up all the time.  But with enough spring clothes pins they are held fast.

As for me, here I am kitted out for fighting the heat in the garden.  My hat keeps me nice and cool.  Its an Arctic Hat which means you run cold water thru the top before donning it and it keeps your head cool.  I also have 2 battery fans hanging around my neck which are not in the picture but I can tell you, they are sooooo wonderful keeping me cool in the heat.

Keep cool everyone.