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Saturday, September 5, 2026
We cannot get rid of the oppressive heat wave here in our area! The 90's just won't quit with no rain forecasted for as far as it goes. Even the heat lovers are getting beat up. Here are some changes to typical summer gardening tips to keep your garden producing through extreme heat waves.
Heat Tolerant Edibles
The summer lovers can survive extended heat waves and come back strong when the temperatures get back to normal for September with a little extra attention. Many will pare back their production until it cools off. Tomatoes flowers are sterile when temperatures stay in the 90's so the production will drop off until it cools a bit but then they will produce until frost so don't give up on them yet!
Right now, I am getting many tomatoes because about a month ago we had a stretch when the temperatures went into the 80's for about 10 days or so. I am also getting okra, cucumbers, peppers, huckleberries, raspberries, summer squash, and yard long beans. My winter squash has many growing small fruits.
For greens, cultivated dandelions, Giant Blue Feather lettuce, Red Malabar spinach and New Zealand spinach are doing quite nicely with many volunteers keeping the harvest going. Herbs love heat so they are all doing well with extra watering.
In the flower department, Cockscomb, zinnia, marigolds, Russian sage, Blue Indigo sage, lavender and marigolds are filled with blooms.
Keep up the Production Strategies
Aside from planting crops that like the heat and humidity, there are strategies for keeping your crops from dying and maximizing the harvest during these crazy heat waves. The requirements for growth and fruiting of edibles are enough sun, adequate moisture, the right varieties, nutrition, and pest avoidance.
As the mercury climbs, plants appreciate some shade, particularly in the hottest part of the day. If you are growing in pots, you can just move the pot from a full sun location to one that provides some afternoon shade. You can also move pots of sun lovers in front of your edibles that need a little break or use a sun shade.
In normal summer heat, edibles appreciate about an inch of water each week if they are planted in the ground; double that if grown in a pot. With these extended periods in the upper 90's, you should water at twice the frequency to get enough moisture to the plants to survive. To keep the moisture in the soil, use a soaker hose and cover with a mulch. This keeps the water in the ground where the plants can use it. You can also buy a timer and set it to water twice a week so you don't forget.
For edibles in pots, use larger pots that hold more soil and therefore more moisture, buy pots that have a water reservoir (also called self-watering pot). I went to 4-5" deep catch pans/trays so I can fill the trays full and let the plant soak up the moisture it needs between waterings. Cover the soil with mulch to keep the moisture from evaporating. Moving the pots to a shadier location will also decrease the watering needs.
Since it seems like we need to expect to get crazy heat waves as our new normal, I have also started to look for extreme heat and disease tolerant varieties. I am trying new cucumbers, summer squash, winter squash and tomatoes this year. For me, Baker Creek grows many of their seeds around the world in tropical regions and Southern Exposure specializes in varieties for the south so both are good fits for my garden conditions.
Look at the seed packet or internet description for the variety you are buying. Terms like "drought tolerant", "heat resistant", "disease resistant" are all good ones for our hot and humid summer conditions.
When it is this hot, I hold off on fertilizing. As soon as it cools down, I will do a round to get them kick started for their fall run. You can buy all natural fertilizer stakes that advertise to be good for the whole season so you can fertilize once. As long as production stays strong and the leaves green, it is working.
Harvesting frequently also stimulates that plant to keep producing. I pick beans, eggplant, squash and cucumbers when they are fully ripe. I pick tomatoes and peppers just when they start to turn. If I leave tomatoes on the plant until they are fully ripe, the birds and raccoons start sampling before I get them picked!
Last is pest avoidance. There are a variety of ways to practice pest avoidance. You can companion plant so one plant deters another's pests like tomatoes with basil and marigolds. You can time your planting to avoid a pest like waiting until mid June to plant squash to avoid the vine borer or harvesting broccoli as soon as you see the cabbage worm moth fluttering about. You can plant two crops of tomatoes and squash so that as the early crop is losing steam, the second crop is just getting going.
Take a walk around the garden on a daily basis looking for any big changes in your plants. If they are drooping in the morning, they may need a watering. If the leaves have turned from dark green to a pale green, they may need a nitrogen boost. If it looks like something has been eating the leaves, look to see if there are caterpillars on the undersides of the leaves. And, of course, harvest anything that is ready to be picked and enjoy the pleasure of watching your food grow!
