Gardening in the HEAT!
With the pool reno taking longer than expected, coupled with the very high temperatures we have experienced. Gardening has been taking much more of my time this year. The planters I purchased to replace the big raised garden I had previously used successfully were not the substitution I was hoping for. They are reasonably deep, but not very wide. As a result, the vegetables were crowded, even with the reduced amount planted. The location where I placed the planters turned out to be in the direct sun longer each day and required constant monitoring to keep the vegetables healthy. As much time that I gave to the plants, the heat was still winning. I literally put a shade in front of the vegetables to reduce the amount of direct sun the vegetables received. This seemed to help, but the yield from the tomatoes looked very sad.
The peppers were
growing where we moved them because of the reno, but not very quickly. Once the pool was finished we moved the peppers back where they usually are and they have gone crazy. Huge sweet bell peppers on both plants, and today I took about 20 Jalepenos off of the 2 plants to allow the others room to grow as well.
My one real success story is my cucamelon I grew from seed. They are getting to the size when they can be taken from the plant. I can’t begin to guesstimate how many are growing on the plant already. I did pluck one and tried it probably before it was fully mature. It was crunchy, juicy, and had the sweet taste of a cucumber.
My last item is of course, the marijuana plants. I planted them in individual fabric planters this year and fresh, high nutrient soil. As well, I have paid closer attention to feeding the plants nutrients more regularly than last year.
The Gorilla Glue Autoflowering plant is already flowering, as you can see from picture 2
The other 2 Great White Shark plants are both over 6 feet tall, not overly bushy, but I have been taking a ton of fan leaves off of both to allow for better airflow. They should be getting ready to enter the flowering stage.
The last plant is another autoflowering variety called Pineapple Delight.
It is still very small, but has grown rapidly since I planted it outside.
On the flower front, I haven't done too much this year, regular watering, some nutrients, trimming off the dead heads. The planters I purchased during the winter to replace the pots that i always have near the pool, couldn’t go there to start with because of the reno, so I put them near the deck. They seemed to like it there, so for this year at least, that will be their home.
Peonies did well again this year, but the one I was given to transplant, only provided one bloom and the plant seemed to be in shock. I hope it will do well next year. The hydrangeas are just now starting to bloom, and i have realized that I do not have a good blend of flowers so I have more blooming flowers, for longer periods in the summer. Will address this next year with help from Bill Callen. As always, to get out of typing too too much… I have included some pictures. Here is the end result of the pool Renovation, must admit, pretty pleased with the results.
