Will a week of 90 degree days kill my stuff?
I have lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, peas etc all cold weather stuff in the ground and we are getting 90 degree days all week and 60s in the night, will that kill everything??
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
No shouldn't kill it. They will get through it better with plenty of water and a bit of shade (shade cloth or floating row cover). The trouble is for the things like lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, the warm weather encourages them to flower and set seed. Broccoli in warm weather sometimes goes straight to flower instead of setting heads. So that's why you want to keep them cool-- not because they are going to die, but because they are going to flower, at which point they are no good for eating any more. A good layer of mulch helps keep the soil more cool and damp.
Don't be surprised, though, if they do bolt. ("Bolt": send up stalks for flowers and seeds.)
Once they bolt, the taste of the plant becomes bitter, so just go ahead and decide to save seeds! may as well... *sigh*
In addition to the measures recommended by Rainbowgardener, I'd add shade cloth, usually available at independent garden-supply stores. They'll also tell you the best way to set it up and use it for local conditions.
Good luck w/the warm temps.
Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9
Once they bolt, the taste of the plant becomes bitter, so just go ahead and decide to save seeds! may as well... *sigh*
In addition to the measures recommended by Rainbowgardener, I'd add shade cloth, usually available at independent garden-supply stores. They'll also tell you the best way to set it up and use it for local conditions.
Good luck w/the warm temps.
Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9
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Ozark Lady
- Greener Thumb
- Posts: 1862
- Joined: Tue Jan 05, 2010 5:28 pm
- Location: NW Arkansas, USA zone 7A elevation 1561 feet
Very good advice.
I am working at getting plants out of the house, I am out of room.
Instead of building a hoop house, I am building shade areas. Ha ha
But, I see leaf buds, and some very tiny leaves, so soon, we will have shade to help us out some.
I would hesitate on the mulch. It isn't warm enough yet for that. My cool season crops haven't even gotten out of the soil as of yet. The very cool nights (40's) that we have been getting are slowing them some. And mulch would keep roots really cold and slow your growth.
Radishes, lettuce, swiss chard, green peas, in the ground for 2-3 weeks, and with rain, still haven't peeked out yet. I plant some things in March, and wait for them to tell me that the soil is warm enough for this crop or that. And I don't mulch, until the soil can sprout tomatoes and peppers. Just how I do it.. We all have our own little things that tell us, when to do this and that, sometimes it works for us, sometimes it doesn't.
I am working at getting plants out of the house, I am out of room.
Instead of building a hoop house, I am building shade areas. Ha ha
But, I see leaf buds, and some very tiny leaves, so soon, we will have shade to help us out some.
I would hesitate on the mulch. It isn't warm enough yet for that. My cool season crops haven't even gotten out of the soil as of yet. The very cool nights (40's) that we have been getting are slowing them some. And mulch would keep roots really cold and slow your growth.
Radishes, lettuce, swiss chard, green peas, in the ground for 2-3 weeks, and with rain, still haven't peeked out yet. I plant some things in March, and wait for them to tell me that the soil is warm enough for this crop or that. And I don't mulch, until the soil can sprout tomatoes and peppers. Just how I do it.. We all have our own little things that tell us, when to do this and that, sometimes it works for us, sometimes it doesn't.
