The heat is ON!

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Happy Memorial Day weekend! I hope you are enjoying some fun social distancing visits with friends and family! 

I see from the recent heat advisories that the Bay Area is moving into some heat over the next few days. This is certainly not unusual, however, I'm not sure about you but I never seem to be prepared for it. I find myself with plants that still need to get into the ground, and many of the newly planted ones without irrigation lines installed around them. Certainly not ideal for daytime temps reaching over 85 degrees or higher. So I thought I'd share with you a few tips that will help your garden out when the heat is on. 

  1. check your irrigation system to ensure it is working properly, no leaks or breaks, and that you have the watering schedule set up appropriately. 

  2. Though my irrigation is set, I will get out into the garden early to provide some extra hand watering. 

  3. I fill the birdbaths so the birds, butterflies and bees have water too. For the butterflies and bees, I add pebbles to the birdbath, setting them just above the water line, so that I have a landing pad for the pollinators to perch on while they drink. This will prevent them from drowning. 

  4. If the garden it hot and the soil is dry by midday, I will hand water again around 4pm or 5pm, just as the air temps start to cool. This will cool the garden down and hydrate any plants that are stressed. 

  5. Place any plants still not planted, especially the ones in 6packs & 4" pots, into a shady spot during times of excessive heat. Water them well in the morning and check them again in the late afternoon to see if they need watered again. Plant them once the daytime temps dool down a bit. 

  6. Get the slippity slide out or the kiddy pool and have some fun! : p

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The main thing to consider is that it is not idea to water the garden during the high heat of the day. It is always best to water early in the day, before the heat comes on and again late in the day, once the temps start to cool. 

I hope you find this helpful. 
Have a super great day! Enjoy your cook out, or whatever fun event you have planned. Take good care and stay well!

~ Suzanne
: )

Suzanne Bontempo