Intense tomato growing weather here now. Anybody else?

[brownrexx]

Thunderstorms almost every day here too. Temperature is OK for planting out but I am holding back because of all of the rain.

The first time I used yellow sticky traps, I caught a small bird. I will never use them again.

I got aphids on the pepper seedlings that I brought home from the greenhouse and they spread to all of my peppers. I used insecticidal soap and got rid of them. It took 3 treatments because they kept coming back from eggs hatching I guess but they are gone now.

Edit: I was thinking about those yellow sticky traps and if I lived in an area where I felt like I HAD to use them I would put them inside a little enclosure of chicken wire to keep out birds and lizards but let the insects through.

I caught a little lizard on the sticky traps I first bought so quit using them the rest of the year (and paid the price!)
Then Marsha and Barb turned me on to Seabright Labs and their version doesn’t catch anything but flies, gnats, etc. They are fantastic. I have a ton of birds including small wrens in the yard and little anoles everywhere; never buying anything else.

[b54red]

Now we are seeing real summer weather with high humidity already showing up along with temps in the 90s. I am not expecting the supper heavy fruit set I got last year when the cool nights lasted well into the growing season and we had regular nice rains at least once or twice a week until mid summer. It looks now like it may be a much more difficult season as far as getting that big start but I am hopeful we will get some rain soon and some moderation in the temps. I hated having to wait so late to set out my first plants due to the late frosts we had. I was mistaken in when I was able to set out my first plants in my previous post. I set out my first plants on March 30th so with a later than usual start I guess I will be trying to encourage more fruit set which means I will be using even more TTF than usual this early in the season. I finally have gotten all my cabbage, carrots, and peas out and now will be trying to get a few more beds ready for May and June plantings.

Bill

[edweather]

Bye bye perfect weather. Heat, humidity, and rain has returned.

Like throwing a switch, Jacksonville weather has changed over to hot and sticky. No more wonderful dry air and humidity < 50%.
Back to thunderstorms every day and only having the mornings for garden work.