Just be glad it's not for you or me... July, 2011, saw records being broken for heat all over the country and Oklahoma won with the hottest average for the month EVER recorded in the United States. It is a record that I just as soon would not have been smack dab in the middle of and watching my garden being roasted. My good day cucumbers that started out so well are DED dead...
Before... I was having fun hunting the little baby cukes getting their start towards growing to make my day, my salads day. At about the 2oth straight 100 degree F. day Norman was put on water rationing and we were cut to even day watering and the soaker hoses and sprinklers could only be run on our day before 9 a.m. and after 6 p.m. so I did a lot of evening watering.
This picture I took today... just 51 days later. The good day cucumbers, besides trying to survive the heat, were defeated by a cut in the hose that I didn't find for four days. I had been fussed at to stay in out of the heat with all the medical crap that I had going on. I would go turn on the water to the soaker hose that I had run under some hedges, the sunflowers and the good day and bad day cucumbers. When things started looking not so good I got out and investigated and found the leak in the hose. Very little water made it to the plants for six days.
The bad day cucumbers getting their start. I have had a lot of fun doing the planting by the signs that Tipper over at Blind Pig And The Acorn started three years ago. I've always worked hard trying to insure that both groups got the same treatment, both in watering and keeping weeds and grass from taking nutrients from the plants so between the heat and me not checking the plants closer and not finding the hose problem really made me feel bad because both groups didn't get the same fair shake.
This picture I took today. These plants have survived, but barely. The break in the hose was further away and so these plants got their fair share of water. I found two cucumbers when I was looking at the plants today when I was out taking photos. I will probably say something on down the line about the cucumbers but this will be my last 'official' farm report because of the demise of the good day plants.
I was going to show you the flowers and how they are doing but I think I will make that my next post. I want to do some comparison photos for them also so I will work on that because I really do want to share with you all and help you see how decimating the heat was not only on the veggies but on the flowers. These posts will be somewhat depressing but I'm also trying to explore the optimism that all who love to garden must find to keep on keeping on with what we love to do when weather extremes mess with us...
Does that sound grandiose???
Would you like a little fire retardant to did into the soil. It might hold the moisture in. I've got a ton of it from the fire.
ReplyDeleteYour weather and our wildfire is why this summer sucks...big time.
Maybe next year will be better.
I have had the same sort of thing going on in my garden. After a very wet spring, summer was hotter than ever. As soon as the temperatures hit 100F, I saw the flowers on my tomatoes and beans start to shrivel up and fall off. My zuchini stopped producing and my cucumbers just dried up. Now that it is a bit cooler my plants (the ones that aren't dead) have started to produce some new buds. Hopefully we will have some produce afterall.
ReplyDeleteHot and sad :(
ReplyDeleteI didn't have a garden but had a few pots of flowers on the back deck. Seems as soon as I watered them, they were back dry again. We had no where near the heat you all did.
I'm glad it kept you occupied with all the stress going on and I am still so happy it wasn't bad news...
Helen-mine are almost dried up too. Our temps weren't as high as yours-but it's been hotter than usual here too.
ReplyDeleteI'm doing the sign test too this year. And the heat has taken its toll on my cucumber plants. They're almost gone now.**sigh**
ReplyDeleteA very hot weather will surely make our cucumber plants to have a very short life span. Enough water & sun are what it only needs. But I don't get discourage to plant more cucumber, hope you also do. Happy planting!
ReplyDeleteHi thanks for posting this.
ReplyDelete