What to grow for 100 degree summers?

Thank you Kelly,

I hope around from forum to forum. I like this one a lot. I lurk here often and learn so much.

My tomatoes have all set fruit but I fear the fruit dropping because of the heat. I think I have created a bit of a micro climate but still I am praying the heat doesn't do my maters in.

Hi Dorkasaurus,

I am putting my peppers in this weekend.

Anyone from this part of the country know how long the heat wave will last?

Good luck with the 'maters, Benny (trying to cross fingers while typing . . .).

There is a lot to learn on the beginner forums. Sometimes people ask questions that you thought you knew the answer to until you see the question - lol.

Looks like the heat will be here through the weekend and still mid to upper 90s next week. Aaarrrrggggghhhhhhh!!

Kelly

P.S. We are going to be shading the western exposure of the garden as well - better safe than sorry - lol.

I know Marie, she keeps following me around from forum to forum, just in case I post another rock photo. ^_^

We had to move this one last week~

More rocks - hee hee hee!!

Hey, rocks will survive the 100 degree heat - good idea HappyJack!!

Wow, Locakelly. That structure rocks! That could be a side business for your husband.

What I do is drop some 2" PVC pipe (2 to 3-ft long) into the ground being careful not to let dirt go inside the PVC. (The previous owner of my house left a ton of this stuff.) I dig holes with a shovel or a post-hole digger.

Then, I slide those long round pieces of wood used to brace trees (the ones shaped like giant pencils) into the PVC. The posts are just a little smaller than the inner diameter of the PVC so they don't bounce around, but you can easily take them out when you want to take the structure down.

I then hang the shade cloth from the wood posts. This can be done a number of ways. In the past, I attached clips to the shade cloth and ran cables through the clips. I then clipped the edges to the wood posts. I have the advantage of using the back of my house to hang one side of the shade cloth. (It looks like an extension of the roof.)

This seems a little hoaky, but it allows me to take the thing down in a hurry when monsoons come or when the hot season is over and I don't have any concrete involved. I have to give some of the design credit to a kid who played on my lacrosse team a few years back.

This is a quick and dirty solution that worked great for me for a couple years. Now, I have a serious garden and need to reconstruct a shelter. Locakelly, is your hubby looking for business? Otherwise, I'm going with the PVC and pencil plan again. If I get it all together, I'll take some pictures.

Dave ...



This message was edited May 9, 2009 11:28 PM

Rocks just might be the only things we will be able to grow this season.

There's always cactus... prickly pear is edible, both fruits and "leaves". Don't knock it till you've tried it!

Way ahead of you Dorkasaurus, been there did that. We used to stop and pick prickly pears on our way to my Grandparents mining claim in Monterey county, CA. Grandma used to make prickly pear jelly. But my favorite was her candied watermelon rind. YUMMMM.

Candied watermelon rind? I bet my kids would love to make that if our watermelons work out. Do you have the recipe?

Well the jelly is unquestionably tasty but the pads are edible too. They actually sell them here in my local grocery although there's about a million of them growing in the city that are fresher. If you've ever had huevos rancheros you might like nopales con huevos.... http://www.recipezaar.com/Nopalitos-Con-Huevos-Eggs-and-Cactus-137388

People make salads out of the pads as well, and probably a lot of other things.

You might try this, I don't have Grandma's original recipe:

Ingredients:
4 cups watermelon rind, white part only, cut into strips as for french fries
1 quart water
1 1/4 cup water
1/4 cup salt
2 cups sugar plus more for coating
1 lemon, peeled

Directions:

Cover the rind with hot water and boil 5 minutes. Drain.

When cool, cover with a brine of 1 quart of water and 1/4 cup of salt. Set aside for at least 6 hours.

Drain and rinse several times, and then cover the rind with fresh water and simmer until the rind is tender. Drain.

In a saucepan, place 2 cups sugar, the remaining 1 1/4 cups of water, and the lemon peel. Cook until a drop forms a soft ball in cold water.

Add the rind. Simmer, stirring and lifting the rind from the bottom of the pan to prevent it from scorching.

Cook until the rind is clear and the syrup forms a long thread. remove the rind and drain. Discard the lemon peel if desired.

Drop each piece of rind in sugar for coating, and shake off the excess. Lay the rinds separately on a rack to cool and dry.

Note: It's best not to use very small melons as their rinds are too thin.

IN FACT, you can make any kind of candied fruit not just watermelon rind (NOT for us Diabetics)

http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1823,153189-225194,00.html

WOW- Not sure if I'm up for the candied watermelon rind now that I know what's involved. Who knows, maybe I will get inspired one day and try it. Thanks for sharing!

Wow those are some nice rocks!!! Yes I am following you around also. I cannot have you leaving me out when it comes to rocks! Do you it is already triple digits down here. I am miserable and we are not even halfway through May

Thanks, Dave!

I'll pass the compliment along to my hubby. Right now building shade structures is a side job confined to my back yard only. I told him now he's got something to fall back on if he decides to change careers - lol.

I like your PVC plan and considered something like that until the hubby got it in his head to build this one. If you go that route, please take pics. I'd love to see how it turns out!!

Kelly

Hey Kelly,

What fence company in Phoenix did you purchase your metal fence posts from? Did you guys just use a hand post hole digger? Or did you rent a power digger? Our ground is rock hard after one get's down about a foot or so.

I found your post this morning in a google search for shade cloths structures in Phoenix. My garden was scorched last year and it is starting to get scorched this year as well. I had a similar design in mind but suspending the shade cloth with a tight cable. Due to the termites we have in Phoenix, I am hesitant in putting any sort of wood in the ground.

Thanks,
Rick

Hi, Rick.

We bought the fencing posts from American Fence Company on 27th Avenue. HD & Lowes carry them as well but don't have a big variety. We used a hand post hole digger. Well, my husband did - lol. You can try wetting the area you are going to dig to soften it up a little. We have a lot of caliche, but my hubby was able to dig them without much problem.

We decided on the metal posts set in concrete to 1) last longer and 2) withstand the winds that we are prone to unexpectedly. Personally I would prefer the look of wood myself, but the set up we decided on should last considerably longer. The shade cloth is also easy to take down when not needed.

Good idea to shade your garden. Mine has a full sun exposure pretty much all day, so the shade is a necessity. Good luck!!

Kelly

P.S. We ordered another Aluminet cloth from IGC to shade part of the western exposure. I will post some pics of that as well once it arrives and is installed.

Marie how did you like our cool mountain? Marie will be planting more drought resistant rocks tonight that take the 100°+ temps! ^_^ Come back again, you're always welcome.