We've been enduring a heat wave this week, with most days at 34c(93f) in the shade and 42c(108f) if you factor in humidity. Pretty nasty but it has been worse. Above is a photo I took about 15 minutes north of Brantford, well coming back from Waterloo yesterday. The far off buildings in the distance is the center of Brantford, lots of haze.I have been watering the garden ever evening. It has a full southern exposure and being against the foundation things really dry out fast in this weather. With the water most things are not complaining and in fact growing gangbusters.
The only thing protesting are the poor peas. All the new growth is either crispy or yellow. I will be picking some peas tonight and they will likely be the last of them. But this just means new beginnings, soon broccoli will take their place and provide a fall harvest.
Some of the new bean leaves are crisping up as well. With that said they are still growing like mad which I will show below.....
These are all climbing shelling beans. They have out grown their 6' wigwams and starting crawling along the decommissioned chimney. A little further up are the climbing green beans, they are not quite as vigorous yet.
The tomatoes are really growing too, probably over a foot in the last seven days. Lots of flowers but not many fruit yet. The only one with visible fruit is the early started siletz. I think I need a couple more early ones next year.
The pepper are another crop loving the heat. A hot summer was forcasted this spring so I didn't use black plastic this year. It is looking like a good idea now! They are close to waist high and like the tomatoes, lots of flowers but no peppers yet.
Lastly here are a couple shots of the 'waltham' butternut squash vines. I have started tying them to the trellis now that they are long enough. I find all the Cucurbitaceae need a few ties before they start climbing themselves. There are quite a few buds starting, these waltham's are suppose to pump out lots of squash.Tonight I have a bit of work to do in the garden which I will hold off doing until near dusk. The tomatoes need the suckers removed & tying, many other things need tying up as well, like peppers, cucumbers & melons. There also are peas, broccoli & beans to pick.
I came back and found my tomatoes had grown 6" in the 3 1/2 days I was gone camping. They really are going crazy in the heat. I'm not used to having it like this. I hope it is a bumper tomato season.
ReplyDeleteI see that your garden is enjoying the heat wave!! It's been a bit hotter down here. We have had temps over 100 for a few days and no rain for weeks! It's soo hot that I have been out in the garden by 6AM! It is suppose to cool down now :)
ReplyDeleteThe evening hours are the only time I really get anything done in the gardens now that the summer heat has arrived. Any time spent outdoors in the day is generally spent from inside my kids wadding pool. I have been using a super soaker to help water the veggie garden while I soak. The crops seem to really be digging this heat! Yours are looking spectacular! Especially that climbing shelling bean. Very cool!
ReplyDeleteDaniel, I love that you call your wigwams and I call mine teepees. I always enjoy the regional differences in language.
ReplyDeleteWe're having the same heat. I think it's amazing that you are so far north and get much of the same summer heat yet far cooler and longer winters. Good luck with it and stay cool.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing that you seem to grow so much and so many varieties in a relatively small space! I noticed that you grow your tomatoes in a cage with a bamboo stick (I think). Does that work better than either the cage or the stake by itself?
ReplyDeleteI hope the weather cooled down a bit for your evening garden tasks!
I think that something halfway between your blasting heat and my fog induced coolness would be perfect weather for people and gardens. And I thought that my garden was growing like crazy, not compared to yours.
ReplyDeleteIt's been really warm in Vancouver too! Similar temperatures but the humidex is much less. The veggies in my community plot look awful. I pak choi seems to be bolting and they're still tiny seedlings.
ReplyDeleteHot here too - and very dry. We had a day or two of rain a month back but nothing else for 3 months. It's been reported as the driest year for 80-odd years in Britian. Still, we aren't getting slug damage!
ReplyDeleteWOW...those climbing beans sure are vigorous. You'll be harvesting beans from a second story window by August at that rate.
ReplyDeleteSend some heat my way! Southern CA has been overcast and rainy all week. My tomatoes are not so happy with it all!
ReplyDeleteYou beans look amazing!!