Well, it's 2012 already. I hope that everyone had a wonderful end to 2011, no matter how it was spent. For me, New Years' Eve isn't a big deal, so I spent mine watching a bit of television with the air con on. I didn't crawl into bed until 1am, but that wasn't due to ringing in the new year: I actually had to wait until the bedroom was cool enough to be able to sleep. It was a right scorcher here yesterday (low 40s - degrees Celsius) and today is turning out to be another. It has only just gone midday yet outside it feels as though it is in the 40s already: I tanned picking the tomatoes this morning. Seriously.
The warm weather is germinating seeds at an exceptional rate. I sowed leeks, beets, pak choy, cauliflower, eggplant and basil just a few days ago, and now seedlings are already poking through the soil. I'm hoping these will be ready for planting later this month, or early February, if all goes to plan.
We picked the first cobs of corn this morning, along with some more roma tomatoes. On the really hot days the tomatoes are cooking on the vine, so we've taken to covering them with shade cloth during the warmest part of the day. It's helping. A little. We're having to pick the ripening tomatoes earlier than normal so they don't end up ruined. They're a lot smaller this year than what they have been in the past, and whilst we have plenty of romas, the big reds don't seem to be fruiting much at all.
I had hoped to have enough tomatoes this summer to make sauce, but it doesn't look as though that will happen. C'est la vie!
Our little vegie patch has capsicums ready to pick now too, and later this month I expect the carrots to be ready.
I need to thin the nasturtiums, though. Even with the heat they still grow like weeds, taking up more space in the vegie beds than I think is necessary. They are good at keeping away the bugs, though. I was just saying to SJ last night that we've had no thrip or aphids or grasshoppers attack our vegies this year. Only cabbage moth, but we've been able to control them. Makes gardening a lot easier, that's for sure!
What's growing in your garden these days?
Summer........wow, you sure get some heat over there...
ReplyDeleteIt's going to be up around 39 deg. here over the next three days. Can you believe I am crocheting a granny square blanket!! Maybe I am secretly wishing for Winter, lol...
Lots of great produce from your garden, it must be hard keeping the water up to everything.
What's in our garden? Lovely beans, zucchini, basil, delicious Roma toms, Spring Onions, capsicum, pumpkin and beautiful Zinnias.
Best wishes for 2012 and some cooler days to give you a break from the heat.
Claire :}
Oh my! 104 degrees Fahrenheit. No wonder you and your tomatoes are having such a hard time!! That's brutal. Sounds just like last summer here in OK. LOL!! Thank goodness for air conditioning!!! Are your nasturtiums the edible kind? Stay cool and enjoy your garden :-)
ReplyDeleteClaire: We water the vegies by hand. It only takes about 10 mins each evening, and we do it late, around 10pm so it doesn't get evaporated straight away. I think the biggest mistake with the tomatoes was planting them along an iron fence, as that heats up too much on days like today (43*C - third day straight of 40+). We will be planting them in a completely different spot next year. At this time of year I am always wishing for April, as that's the month the change in the seasons is most notable, & we get our first taste of winter. :)
ReplyDeleteStoneZebra: The nasturtiums are edible, but not to my taste. ;) This time of year in SA is always a scorcher, and I should be used to it by now but my heart belongs to winter. :)
Have a lovely week!
~S.
Its a hottie here today too...but not quite 40! The Cook and I are about to go shopping...somewhere cool. A movie maybe?
ReplyDelete