Summer is here and we are having record temperatures. We have had Heat Advisories all week. The alert for the weekend read, "Oppressively Hot and Dry Conditions to Continue Thru Monday". Not good news, especially for our garden ... !!! But, we have taken precautions and our vegetables are thriving.
In May, we built a square foot intensive type vegetable garden. We made it 4' x 8' and we have good access to all the plots. We did have some rain in May so we didn't have to water too much. Then as the days grew longer and the temperature began to increase, we built a frame with metal poles and hung chicken wire on it so we could tie up the tomatoes and the vine plants. My son and daughter-in-law have a garden in Georgia, just north of Atlanta. They used chicken wire and it worked well for them, so we decided to try it. It is working great for holding the tomatoes and squash vines. Now we don't even need to tie up the vines. The vines are attaching themselves ... !
After we got the frame up, we put in thin PVC poles and bent them to make a curved frame to hold the Shade Cloth. We bought a tan shade cloth, about 6' x 15' and it covers the garden really well. Early in June, we could wait til noon to pull the shade cloth over the frame. But, now I pull it over before I go to work ... !!! It is that hot here ... !
Yesterday, I harvested another 2.5 pound squash, the second one that size this season. It has a good flavor and the outer skin is tender. This one squash plant just keeps on producing as long as we keep it fairly cool and watered. I love walking out to the Garden and picking fresh vegetables for dinner.
Have a Great Week,
Mary Christopher
