Helping your vegetable garden survive the heat

The last-days-of spring-heat wave baking much of the Midwest and Northeast this week is stressing vegetable gardens with summer-like conditions earlier than many home gardeners had planned for. Most established plants will survive just fine but there are several steps gardeners can take to help them out.

Mulch

If you haven’t already, now would be a good time to mulch your beds and planters. Mulch helps keep the soil temperature down and helps retain water

Good mulches include shredded hardwood, straw, chopped leaves, compost, grass clippings, even shredded newspaper if you know someone who still subscribes to one. Spread a good inch or two of mulch over your garden bed and around your plants, taking care not to cover the main stem of the plant. Then water the mulch in.

Mulch does wonders for a vegetable bed any time, so a heat wave like this one reminds all of us of its value.

Water

Water your garden at least two or three times a week, or every other day while the heat persists. When you water, water deeply, meaning soak the beds so the water goes deeply into the soil, maybe 2-3 inches. A light sprinkle won’t help much. You want the water to get down to the roots of the plants so they will grow more deeply into the soil, which will strengthen them for the hot weather to come this summer.

I like to water by hand with a watering wand that I direct to the bottom of the plants and the soil surrounding them. Avoid spraying water on the leaves, which can assist the spread of disease to the plants. A soaker hose is a good alternative. A sprinkler will work if that’s the best method available but remember to leave it on long enough to soak the soil.

Try to water in the morning before the sun heats up the soil and air and evaporation really kicks in. Avoid watering in the evening if you can because the damp can create conditions for the spread of plant pathogens.

Provide shade

If your cool-season crops seem stressed, try to shade them from the worst of the midday sun. A light amount of shade is sufficient. You’ll be surprised how much it can lower the temperature of the soil and the air temperature around the plants.

There are shade cloths available at garden centers that will block just enough sunlight while still allowing a sufficient amount of air and light to reach the plants. The shade cloths will need to be suspended over the bed with u-shaped hoops made out of narrow PVC pipe or wire, or you can suspend them on poles or stakes placed strategically to block the sunlight.

Don’t panic

Let the plants shut down a bit. The leaves of many plants will droop during the hottest part of the day, but don’t worry.  It’s their natural defense mechanism when it gets excessively hot and most times they’ll perk back up again late in the afternoon and evening. 

If you’re watering regularly and mulching, and maybe can provide a little shade, most vegetables will pull through even when the temperatures get into the 90s for several days. Lettuce and other leafy vegetables like spinach or arugula may react to the heat by starting to set seed. This is a natural part of their life cycle called bolting. An early heat wave may just speed up the process. The best thing you can do in this case sometimes is to pick the plants now and enjoy them before bolting - and the accompanying bitterness - sets in.

Stay cool

Remember to keep yourself hydrated and shaded as well. Drink plenty of water when you’re out in the garden. Wear a hat and use sunscreen.

Keep your pets cool, too. Make sure they have water and don’t leave your dogs unattended in the car.

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