Prep Your Garden for Hot Summer Weather
It’s still June gloom weather for us in coastal San Diego but elsewhere in California temperatures soared over the last week. The summer of 2018 brought a month long siege of hot weather that stressed my garden plants. You may already be contending with temps in the 80-100 degree F range where you garden. There are steps you can take now to keep your plants healthy and growing whatever the weather.
‘Jericho’ lettuce
Here’s something new I’ve learned recently to shelter lettuce from summer sun and heat. I’ve never been able to grow lettuce successfully in the summer garden. Seattle Urban Farm Company, in an online workshop, suggested planting lettuce in the dappled shade of tomato plants.
‘Cimarron’ red romaine lettuce planted around the edges of the tomato cages.
The lettuce benefits from the light shade and was slower to bolt than in the open garden where soil temps are higher and there is more sun.