2024 July Gardening Challenges

And you thought it was hot last August. Mother Nature didn’t wait until August this year to crank the heat and challenge even the best gardeners. Garden plants are under a lot of pressure, they are not as healthy, being stressed with the heat and lack of normal rainfall. Some of us just won’t give up and a gardening we will go, hoping for that fresh tomato, cucumber, pepper and such.

Tomatoes show reaction to dry and hot weather more than other plants. If you tomatoes are droopy, it is time to water. To make things easier on yourself you need to keep yourself well hydrated. Bring a water bottle with you when doing gardening chores. Take breaks and find a shady spot to rest in. Try to do your gardening early in the morning or later in the evening to avoid the hottest part of the day. Watering should be done in the morning to give plants time to take up moisture before the worst heat of the day. Watch your plants, especially your tomatoes. If they begin to droop, it’s time to water. Know your soil. If it is a sandy soil, it will need to be watered more often than those of us gardening in clay soil, which retains water much more than sandy soil. Should you mulch? Yes indeed, as the mulch will slow down evaporation. Use a drip system or a soaker hose for the most efficient watering. If watering by hand, be sure to water close to the soil under the plant and try not to splash soil up on the tender stems of your vegetable plants. Thinking about the rest of the plants around your home, hanging baskets and containers will need to be watered more frequently than those in the ground. Be sure to check them often. Different types of containers retain water differently from others. Terracotta or clay pots breath so will lose moisture quicker than plastic pots. You might consider moving potted plants into a shadier spot during the heat wave. Now is not the time to do anything that will stress a plant, like transplanting, pruning, or fertilizing. Remember fertilizers are basic salts so will build up and many of our garden and landscape plants can not handle much salt buildup. If you are starting seedlings for the fall garden, definitely move them to a shadier spot with the temperatures are in the 90 – 100F range. And my final advise for plants that you want to put into the garden or landscape is to check the label and make sure they are disease resistant and/or drought-tolerant varieties. If you have questions about gardening or your landscape plants, please give the Halifax Virginia Cooperative Extension a call on 434-830-3383 and a Master Gardener will get with you from another phone number, if no one is in the office when you call. Happy Gardening and let’s work with Mother Nature and around her, since we can’t change her. ¬