It's hotter than a...

[babice]

Can't believe I'm not seeing a post about the heat and humidity. So I'll start one! Dang - it's HOT. I went out to water about an hour ago - holy blazes of fire. It was already 97 with the heat index at 9am, with a 70 degree dew point. Have been watering my toms daily. The ones in the 23" planters are faring okay. The ones in the 10 and 5 gallon planters are looking a little sad. I'm planning to give them a spritz of fish emulsion later today when they're shaded. And I think I'm going to move those into a spot on the deck that gets more afternoon shade. Even the catnip, which I have growing in that afternoon-shade-spot, is looking rather sad. Might have to resort to watering twice daily now.

DH thinks I'm nuts but I'm not above putting a fan out there to help them deal with the humidity.

It's so hot that I really don't want to be out there working. Guess I'll finally start working on getting the house organized and catching up on laundry and such! Have been obsessed with growing tomatoes since March and neglecting those things!

[Worth1]

Welcome to Texas.

Worth

[b54red]

We had a couple of days with heat indexes in the 120s. The humidity combined with 100+ temps made it impossible to do anything outside and plants were dying left and right that were already sick from fusarium. The heat did break with a bang for a day when we had a big thunderstorm with 60 mile an hour winds that broke the top 1/2 of my 30 year old pear tree. It just snapped like a twig. It is only supposed to be 97 today with humidity only at around 80%. Summer is definitely here in the south. I set out 15 new seedlings yesterday. I wonder how many of them will be alive in a few days.

[babice]

Originally Posted by b54red

I set out 15 new seedlings yesterday. I wonder how many of them will be alive in a few days.

Yeah - I'm wondering that about mine too. I told DH if I only get one ripe, passable tom out of all this it's going to be a very expensive tomato! He doesn't think that's going to happen but I'm like....well.... By the way, B54 - I thought I got away from all of this heat and humidity when I left Bama and moved to the North! Guess not! I'm sorry you lost half your pear tree to those high winds!

[augiedog55]

I put out a couple seedling about 10 days ago when the 100+ heat hit.They are in 10 gal smart pots. They get around 7 hrs of direct sun each day. They are going fine but have to be watered every day. They say we get a break from the heat for a few days next week. It will only be in the low 90's, then back into the blast furnise again.

[babice]

Chris K - I hear ya. Gotta figure this growing-tomatoes thing out around here, though. I definitely shoulda got these things planted earlier. And shoulda been more aggressive with the fungus prevention since we do have such humid summers. That way I possibly wouldn't have had such a set back and be really just watching them grow right now during this heat.

[Cole_Robbie]

If I were trading commodities, I would love to be long corn and beans right now. This drought and heat are killing everything near me.

My tomatoes that got set out later have hardly any fruit. The melons have about 1/10th of what they should have on the vines. Nothing will set fruit at temperatures like this. The blossoms just dry up and fall off.

I have powdery mildew on every curcurbit, the strain that loves it hot and dry. My tomatoes have a whitefly infestation. The flea beatles and other bugs are so bad that I never had to pull the pigweed from around the tomatoes - the bugs ate it all for me. I also have at least four giant deer who live near me and like to eat the melons. I can't blame them, as with the drought, there is no pasture. We had to water and give hay to our cattle starting in June. Normally, we have to mow the pasture at least once, because the cows can't keep up.

[Keger]

Question if I can, are you anywhere near Muscatine? My dad was from there.

Yeah hot..... Sounds like a late spring here, but I'll take that over winter any time.

[babice]

Originally Posted by Keger

Question if I can, are you anywhere near Muscatine? My dad was from there.

Yeah hot..... Sounds like a late spring here, but I'll take that over winter any time.

Close but no cigar...not real close. Been there. Probably getting same wx as all of us Midwesterners there!

[ChrisK]

I'm trying some more plants as well. I'm going to try setting them out later this month for a potential fall crop. Not optimistic but...

After growing up in Central CA I used to think Iowa was hot and humid and then we moved to NC.

[janezee]

I was wondering where our summer is. Apparently y'all got your own, and ours, too!

It's so cold this year, I'm planting out a month late, and we haven't hit 73º yet! (although I see it forecast for Friday) Ha!

j

[Cole_Robbie]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/05/us...-the-heat.html
Midwest’s Heat Dashes Hopes for a Bumper Crop of Corn

[ginger2778]

Wow!
Happy Independence day everyone. Having said that, we are used to oppressively hot summers here, but it's kind of weird that for 3 years in a row we are in one of the COOL spots in the nation? And it's still our daytime highs of around 90 degrees F. our heat index today is 98, which is very usual for us.
-Babice, gee girl you just can't seem to get a break. I really feel your pain as I love to jog, hike and bike too.
-Dipchip, that did make me laugh. Thanks for that.
-Janezee, I sure hope it warms up for you, but not too much, as I am going to Oregon and Washington for my vacation at around labor day and I really want to cool off and hike Mt. Rainier.
I wish for you all overnight temps of about 65 degrees and daytime highs of 74, and the best crop ever.
Gee- if this keeps up you all will need to do a spring and fall plant out like we do here in South Florida, and in the summer- FUHGEDABOUDIT!
-Marsha

[ChrisK]

*sigh* No end in sight.

[augiedog55]

chris bring up kc mo. is stinks until monday.. i did see something on the news yesterday. it showed two plastic mailbox stands that were melted and bent over. one was in indiana