It's hot in August!

It's 102 degrees F. today. It will probably get a little hotter as the day progresses. The heat index is 110 degrees. Many of my plants in the garden look wilted but they usually perk up a little as the sun heads for the evening horizon. I lost one squash plant yesterday that remained wilted while the others started to perk up a little.

As the years progress and summer seems to bring days hotter than the year before, my mind and body seem to decline in desire to work in the garden. My joints don't seem to be as well lubricated as past years and my resilience in the heat isn't as great. I've almost decided to only grow tomato plants in the future that have proven to produce tomatoes that meet my taste desires. I will probably plant a few green when ripe and a few paste tomatoes next year along with my favorites, but not many. I've never eaten a GWR and I've never grown paste tomatoes, but I want to try them. The following year will probably only find me growing my favorite red, pink, and orange tomatoes that taste like tomatoes used to taste.

Ted

[b54red]

Originally Posted by tedln

It's 102 degrees F. today. It will probably get a little hotter as the day progresses. The heat index is 110 degrees. Many of my plants in the garden look wilted but they usually perk up a little as the sun heads for the evening horizon. I lost one squash plant yesterday that remained wilted while the others started to perk up a little.

As the years progress and summer seems to bring days hotter than the year before, my mind and body seem to decline in desire to work in the garden. My joints don't seem to be as well lubricated as past years and my resilience in the heat isn't as great. I've almost decided to only grow tomato plants in the future that have proven to produce tomatoes that meet my taste desires. I will probably plant a few green when ripe and a few paste tomatoes next year along with my favorites, but not many. I've never eaten a GWR and I've never grown paste tomatoes, but I want to try them. The following year will probably only find me growing my favorite red, pink, and orange tomatoes that taste like tomatoes used to taste.

Ted

Ted sounds like we are in the same boat but I am certain my joints are no longer in working order. They seem to be in that rusted out stage. I cut back the number of varieties by at least half this past season and will do the same again next year. I just can't do the maintenance required for so many plants. I try to set out my large pink beefsteak varieties very early followed by the reds and the last to get planted are the black varieties. The grafting has eliminated the need to constantly replant so many and the successive planting helps make the work load more manageable.

You might want to try Grubs Mystery Green for a good tasting GWR tomato. It is not a huge plant and the tomatoes are very tasty.

Bill

Thanks Bill,

I'm planning on trying a couple of GWR varieties Remy suggested. She has seed for both. Humph and Malachite Box sound interesting. I don't want to plant more than a couple of varieties. When I first grew a black variety, I had no idea I would need to try all I could find in the following years. It may happen with the GWR varieties, but I will try to resist the temptation.


Ted

[tlintx]

It's going to be really hot today (106! Heat index in the 120s!).

That's miserable, stay inside, forget about gardening weather, even for me. Went outside for about forty minutes yesterday to water everything and nearly ended up with heatstroke.

Next year I'm going to do early varieties only for fall, as early as I can find, so I'm starting them now, not fretting over nearly grown seedlings!

[Worth1]

Ted how do you think I feel?
I go from 40's to 102 all of the time.
I knew you would be inundated with green tomato varieties so I held off on suggesting one for you.

But I cant help myself and really wish you would try this one.
It would fit your criteria very well.
You wont be out in the garden messing with it in the heat and you will get plenty of fruit.
I have had many types and simply love this one for salads.
And you can save seeds.
I dont think this one is grown enough and too much hype on others.
http://www.tomatogrowers.com/LIME-GR...ductinfo/4968/


Worth

Thanks Worth!

I like it. I've never grown LGS but it looks like it could make a nice container plant. I grew larger plants in my large containers this year and plan on using smaller plants next year. Since our daughter is the primary user of my tomatoes, I may plant a few in containers and place them on her new covered patio next year. Her friends and neighbors ask me every winter when my tomatoes will be ripe. By putting some on her patio, they shouldn't need to ask anymore.

Ted

[Keger]

I swore to myself I wouldn't, but I did put in a row of Solar Fire and a row of Bush Early Girl Monday. Same ole here, 100+ 120 Index. You know, still 92 at 10 at night.

Peppers Eggplants, Okra, and Purple Hulls have been loving this weather.

Beats me up by now though,

I'll be out at daylight and done by 9 or so, then about now I check on stuff and emergency water.

I have my automatic watering system set to water three times per day in this heat. When I check my beds in mid day and late evening, They are usually bone dry because my plants suck most of the water out of the soil while the remaining water simply evaporates. Stressed plants are the perfect opportunity for aphids to attack. This year is no different than past years. I have a lot of predatory bugs in my garden, but they don't seem interested in aphids. I'm hoping next week brings a little respite from the heat. The following week, we will be in Arkansas riding our ATV in the mountains around Mena Arkansas. They have been averaging ten degrees below our temps. Long range forecasts show pretty dramatic cooling early in September. I hope they are right.

Ted

[Worth1]

Ted,
While your running around those mountains in the Mena area think of me.

I was raised up there and hunted deer with a Rifle called a 30 Gibbs.
It was a Wildcat cartridge you had to hand load for.
I did my own fire forming of the brass and hand loading at that age too.
Imagine me at 13 years old 4 foot 11 inches hauling a sporterized army 03-A3 in those hills.

Here is what the Gibbs line of wildcats looked like.

Worth

[Dewayne mater]

I've just realized I have huge spider mite issue. Thought it was leaf disease, but closer inspection revealed I'm being eaten up with the little devils. They LOVE the heat. Gotta get spraying and see if I can save the plants for a cooler weather revitalization this fall.

Dewayne

Worth,

I am totally unfamiliar with the Gibbs products. They are necked down like a Winchester 243. 87 grain bullets at 3800 ft. per second is a hot load. I bet it woke the neighborhood up including the moon shiners. It probably also left a bruise on your shoulder. I have the large bore rifles, but for some reason I have been hankering for a centerfire Savage Hornet varmint rifle. I asked my neighbor to leave his brass plated Henry, lever action, magnum 22 to me in his will. Unfortunately, he is considerably younger than me.

Dewayne, I noticed some flowers in containers were almost dead from spider mites this morning. They are almost totally enclosed in webs. I will pull and trash them when it cools off this evening. I haven't seen any in my garden yet. Spider mites and aphids love the hot weather.

Ted

[Cheryl2017]

I've heard orange oil will help spider mite infestations. You have to be careful though because orange oil will burn the leaves-especially in this heat. My source suggests a dilution of 2 ounces per gallon but I think 1 ounce is plenty. maybe even 1/2 ounce per gallon. For sure, in this heat less is best.

[Iva]

Terrible August so far. Hot, hot, hot! It reached
40.8ºC = 105.44ºF yesterday, which is a record in more than 60 years in Slovenia.

My tomatoes are doing fine after a terrible Tomato Russet Mite infestation. I wish I knew about the Orange Oil before. Will try it if they hit again. Had to use an insecticide this time. Many plants survived but are small now and are only beginning to form fruits...
Hoping a for a long Summer and Autumn.

But we need rain first!! Hope your weather gets better too!

[Redbaron]

I got lucky this year. The mites came and went pretty fast before they had a chance to do much damages. I spotted why, a small fast moving predator making an obvious hunting grid on my tomatoes. It was too small for me to identify. But by the way it was working the leaves, back and forth until every inch covered, then to the underside of the leaf, back and forth same pattern, then to the next leaf, same pattern, I know it had to be a predator on the hunt.

[Dewayne mater]

Redbaron - how did you get rid of the mites quickly? I've already let the infestation get serious by misreading the leaves as having fungal/disease issues, so I need a nuclear option to save them. In the past, my best tool has been takedown which uses pymerethrin (sp?). Definitely going to try that.