Everyone is talking about the weather! We had a two week heat wave in March so the fruit trees blossomed only to hit with heavy frosts after the heat wave. The frosts damaged the blossoms so fruit production will be low and it took out several local crops that broke ground too soon due to the heat wave. April was cold with below average precipitation. May was quite warm with below average precipitation but we were away for most of it. That meant I had a slow start to setting up new vegetable garden beds. Within days of being home from vacation the heat waves started. It's been one right after another broken only briefly by vicious thunderstorms. Warmer than average temperatures are predicted for Southwestern Ontario for the remainder of July through August possibly stretching into the fall.
There really is little we can do other than keep the gardens watered. I've left some weeds in the beds to help shade some of the tender plants like lettuce but even that isn't working well. I think I will try shade cloth for the beds as long as it doesn't create a heat trap for the plants. I'm also considering bringing the herbs in smaller pots back indoors as they dry out within a day even with the self watering reservoir. The deck is a real heat trap. My husband put up a large gazebo on the deck for shade which really helps shade the house. Still the deck is too hot for some of the potted plants. It certainly has been frustrating to say the least!
Happy Gardening!
Garden Gnome
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