Protecting Plants in Triple Digits

Having a garden during a heatwave can seem daunting to gardeners.

Not only does high heat mean more watering, but it also means plants are susceptible to sunburn, stress, and dropping of flowers.

Here in Zone 9b, we were lucky to have fairly mild temperatures so late in the year, up until now. A triple-digit heatwave is headed our way in matter of days. Yikes!

Fortunately, one can provide protection for their gardens or potted plants, even in record temperatures:

• Opt for shade cloth or an umbrella to avoid sunscald.

Shade cloth over our patio to protect our potted plants

One of the best ways to protect your plants during high temperatures is to shield direct sunlight from them at the hottest parts of the day.

Plants that are particularly delicate, prone to sunscald, and/or are smaller in size will especially be grateful for extra protection. After all, just like us, too much sun can be damaging, and high heat can be stressful.

Shade cloth hung over an uncovered porch, patio, or garden bed can provide indirect light to ensure your plants get sun exposure without the extra harsh rays.

An umbrella can also help do the trick and is easily mobile as the sun move throughout the day. Shade cloth-style umbrellas to allow filtered light are also available for purchase online or in-store.

• Mulch your garden.

To protect plants' roots from high heat or frost (in this case, high heat), mulching your garden can be a huge help.

When it comes to high heat, a good mulching—a thick layering of leaves, bark, grass clippings, straw, or other materials around a plant's base—can also help retain moisture to ensure plants' source of water doesn't evaporate before it has a chance to drink it.

It's a win-win situation: Your plants roots are protected, and you get to water less as your plants won't dry out as quickly.

• Water at the right times with the right amount.

Many have the misconception that watering plants just needs to be done at the hottest parts of the day.

However, watering at the beginning of the day is actually best before high heat as the plant has plenty of time to soak in water before it gets evaporated.

Of course, one's plants should be watered when they require, but it is a simple suggestion that watering earlier in the morning can help a plant stock up on water beforehand.

It is also not recommended watering later in the evening as plants can't adequately dry up, increasing risks of root rot, fungus, and growth of moss. However, if the plant is wilty, it is often safer to water it than to deprive it overnight.

Be *cautious* watering at the peak of the high temperatures; read the next bullet point for an explanation.

But, before I get onto the next point, the right amount of water is also crucial. Potted plants usually tend to need more water than plants in the ground.

Flooding your plant at its base with water can kill your plant by blocking its source of carbon dioxide, literally suffocating the plant. Flooding also puts a plant at risk for pests and diseases.

Watering too little, of course, may not reach the plant's roots at all, starving the plant of what it needs to survive.

The best guidelines to ensure you've watered enough and not too much include: Dark soil that does not look muddy, no puddles of water, and you should be able to stick your finger in the soil and see that it's moist and is making its way to the plant's roots.

• Avoid watering plants' leaves if they are in full sun.

You may have heard that watering plants' leaves helps cool the plant down, assisting them well through hot temperatures.

Sunscald on a tomato plant. Leaves turn white or silver-y

While this statement may be true, it is harmful for plants in full sun as it risks burning their leaves and skin of their fruit since the shininess of the water attracts the rays.

Plants in indirect light may be fine with their leaves being watered, but may suggest it is best not to overhead water in any extreme temperature. Some plants may not like the extra moisture of overhead watering.

Some advise overhead watering is always a no-go, but from my experience, as long as the plant is not in full sun or full shade, it isn't too cold or frosty, and any plants do not have a disease, plants can generally take on overhead watering with little to no problems, especially because plants are designed to take on rain, nature's form of overhead watering.

Though, one thing is for sure: Overhead watering can and will increase the chances of a plant being burned. If all or most of the leaves are burnt, the plant can no longer photosynthesis and will die.

Conclusion:

Summer is near, and so are triple digits.

Protecting your garden during these high temperatures can certainly be accomplished with shade, a little mulch, and the correct watering.

I wish you luck on your garden, whether they're in pots or in the ground!

4 Common Gardening Myths

Hello again!

It's been awhile since I've blogged.

Life has been busy between the Visalia Farmers' Market, growing plants, college, and a writing job on the side. I feel that my blogging skills have been amped up since the last time I've blogged.

With that being said, I believe it's about time to get back to this blogging thing.

Well, here goes nothing!

4 Common Gardening Myths

One of our lovely Wagner Blue Green tomatoes!
So far, so good.

Gardening has a vast amount of benefits on a person, from stress relief to essentially free produce.

However, many stray away from gardening for various reasons and not because they don't like the idea of gardening.

Some of the most common myths include..

1. Gardening requires a lot of space.

This is probably one of the biggest myths of gardening.

While there are some plants and varieties that require a decent amount of space, there are many ways to garden small from trellis gardening to vertical gardening.

Trellis gardening is especially recommended for cucumbers, zucchini, squash, melons, and the like.

As mentioned, there are some plants that thoroughly enjoy space. Fortunately, container varieties can be found for many plants, from compact, bush-type tomatoes to miniature varieties of basil.

Additionally, several plants in general are suitable for smaller gardening spaces. Corn, peas, beans, lettuces, and root crops are ideal examples. Plants that grow mostly vertically, are smaller in mature size, and those that grow underground are typically best for saving space.

It's also important to note that the spacing guidelines listed on seed packets are often incorrect. Some may suggest that corn should be planted a minimum of eight inches apart while other sources suggest three inches is still suitable. Really utilizing your garden space is key.

2. It's too much time and work for produce you can just buy at the store.

Time and work are two factors that appear intimidating, but many don't realize how rewarding patience and effort are.

Some plants such as tomatoes take around 70 to 80 days on average to begin production, scaring off potential gardeners. Although, with indeterminate varieties, one can receive a decent amount of produce from even a smaller garden.

Of course, herbs such as parsley, thyme, rosemary, and others can be harvested long before maturity while other plants, such as radishes, can be harvested a month or less after planting. So, time being a scare-away from gardening cannot apply to all plants. With the amount of production some plants put off, the amount of time is well worth the wait for fresh, home-grown food, not to mention that it can beautify your yard.

The work one puts into gardening, like with anything else in life, can bring great joy. It brings responsibility, exercise, and a feel-good component when you make your first harvest, thinking in your head, "I grew that!"

Regarding the argument that one can just buy produce at the store rather than garden for it, something to keep in mind is that many grocery stores do not offer local, organic, spray-free, non-GMO produce. Some produce is even grown in other countries with no indicator of how recently they were picked or what went on to produce such (e.g. chemical sprays). Buying (or starting your own) local plants and supporting your local farmers directly via farmers' markets is your best bet.

When one gardens, money and time spent at the grocery store is also reduced. Many gardeners often find themselves picking fresh herbs and vegetables from their garden while cooking dinner, saving a drive to the grocery store and money spent on produce. 

The thing I personally find most rewarding about gardening is that produce is not only fresher than in grocery stores, but it also means produce will last longer. Leaves on herbs and fruit on plants last much longer than already-picked produce that are sitting in your local stores, so you can pick the food as you need it.

You also can't deny the fact that home-grown tomatoes are a hundred times tastier than their store-bought counterparts. Grown in the right environment at the right time with natural ways and the right amount of water, your tomatoes will be over a dozen times more flavorful than any tomato you will encounter in a store or on a plate in a restaurant.

3. A good garden requires a lot of sunlight

Those with mostly shade in their yard may believe all edible plants will not thrive, but this is also incorrect.

Berries, lettuce, beets, radishes, garlic, onions, peas, spinach, mint, rosemary, pansies, and lavender are just some examples of plants that can grow in mostly shade, part shade, or indirect light.

With our climate (Zone 9b), many plants may not mind receiving a fair amount of shade in our hot, sunny summers. In fact, it is suggested in this climate that growing plants in part shade or creating a shade cloth structure for your plants through our hotter seasons is preferable for the best production and less harsh rays from burning the leaves of your plants.

Fortunately with our climate, this also means many plants can be grown through our winters. It becomes evident that there are really a lot of plants that can tolerate few hours of light each day.

Many gardeners also opt to grow plants in their home where their plants receive minimal, indirect light in many instances. Herbs and succulents are especially great options that can tolerate and thrive in little sunlight; they're pretty versatile to different settings of light.

4. It's an expensive hobby.

Gardening to some is perceived as pricey; however, what many fail to realize is that the amount of money they spend on a weekly or bi-weekly on produce at a grocery store adds up much quicker than buying seeds/plants and other supplies for a garden.

Buying a $3.50 tomato plant locally, which can produce up to 25 pounds of tomatoes (a whopping .14¢ per pound!), is much, much cheaper than even $1 per pound of tomatoes at a local grocery store. Planting tomatoes from a $1.25 seed packet is even cheaper, although does require more time. However, the amount of produce one can receive from a garden is amazing, especially because it doesn't produce all at once and can be picked when ready, saving even more money (I mean, how may times do we buy produce from a grocery store and throw it out after a week when it gets old?).

The reason I bring up these arguments is not to steer people away from buying from their local farmers and from grocery stores (by all means, go for it!), but rather to prove a point that growing your own food/garden is not as expensive as one may think. While work and time does have to go into gardening, one can save money, especially if they are on a tight budget.

Even for the gardeners who get enthused about a large garden and find that they are wasting their produce, they can let their plants go to seed and collect them to plant for next year, another money saver! Or, these gardeners can also give their produce to local soup kitchens or homeless folks, something to feel really good about.

Generally, there is a lot to love about gardening and what it can provide.