What do you do in the heat of summer?

[imafan26]

It is June 21, 2014 the first day of summer.

It has been a great month, with the schools out, traffic goes so much smoother.
Everything is growing great and for me at least the pests have not been too bad and I have stayed pretty much ahead of most of the fungal diseases.

Actually, there have been a few hot and sweaty days already. Thank god for tradewinds.

But, I have definitely been feeling the heat. I now pack an ice bottle in my lunch box, to help cool off. I forgot my sunscreen one day and boy did I get roasted.

How do you keep cool in the garden or anywhere else for summer.

[rainbowgardener]

Monday is forecast to be 94 degrees with 70% humidity!

Keep very cold water with mint sprigs in a water bottle and carry it around with me. I think the mint makes it very refreshing. Always wear a sweat band and carry a bandana, which can be soaked with water. Take lots of breaks! Work in the shade as much as I can. Work early in the day and late.

[imafan26]

Good idea. I have a lot of peppermint and spearmint and it does have a cooling effect.

I am closer to the equator than you are but our day temps are still only around 85 degrees. We won't get near the century mark until August and because I am in a higher elevation I rarely go past the 90's.

[JosephsGarden]

How do you keep cool in the garden or anywhere else for summer.

I get up at 4 AM so I can be in the garden an hour and a half before sunrise so that I can put in a days work before the sun gets too high in the sky, then I take a siesta until evening when it's again cool enough to work in the garden. The morning work is much more productive and cooler than the evening work.

I hate that schedule, but it's the only way I can get anything done without risking sun-stroke.

[feldon30]

In my previous garden, I had a swimming pool, so I'd just go out and work in the garden in swim trunks for about 30 minutes and then flop into the pool to cool off. Rinse repeat.

In the current garden, I try to get working on it at 7am and get out of the heat by 10am. It's tough. I'm seriously looking at cooling shirts with plastic tubing sewn into them that you run ice water through. I may have to invent something portable.