This is how we keep our garden cool in the extreme heat of Adelaide’s summer.
The main garden bed protected from the vicious sun.
Herb garden.
Passion fruit & tomato shady area.
No scorching of the beautiful tomatoes. They are ripening very well.
Lemon Myrtle on the left also under shade cloth.
Curry leaf tree under shade.
All wrapped up for an extreme Adelaide summer.
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We took these photos a couple of days ago, yesterday our garden remained looked pretty good. This morning things are looking different. The passionfruit leaves are starting to look like crisps, the ivy on our fence is sunburnt, our beautiful little mountain pepper is cooked even one tomato under the shade cloth looks a bit wilted. There is still enough beans, cucumber, basil, tomatoes and peppers for the two of us and a little to freeze.
Whats happening in your garden?
our garden looks like a Mad Max wasteland. I exaggerate a tiny bit, but this is the first time in my three years here (no laughing, please) that this has happened to me. I'm going to have to do a lot of thinking as to how to get around this for next year.
I have a friend in WA, and she and I are beginning to think that we should treat high summer the same way we treat the middle of winter in the northern hemisphere - just too extreme for much gardening. Next year, I might restrict the things I put into the ground at high summer, rely on containers more, and use that period as a chance to compost, mulch and generally rebuild the soil for the next season.
Am feeling a little defeated at the moment!
Our computer keeps crashing. It is so frustrating to have plants die after you have saved the seed and nurtured the plants.
I guess gardening is like the rest of life, even if I have lost plants I did enjoy them while they were here.
I reckon we might build a big frame that we can just leave shade cloth over through summer.
My Mum grew up with a fern house made from tea tree branches and nurtured plants through summer.
true, true, and I have many reasons for gardening, including educating my daughter. This time is certainly doing that, too.
I have to find a creative way to build more shade in my backyard; we have just a small courtyard. The shades tht Andrew has demonstrated are very effective, but just wouldn't fit into my tiny space. I have star jasmine trellised up the fence; perhaps I could encourage it to grow out a bit more to create a ledge of shade.
Hi Maggie,
thanks for your blog,I too am beginning to think my vegie patch will be beyond saving given the extreme temperatures we are experiencing, everything seems to be fighting for survival at present!
I will try and use your trick of covering as much as I can with shade cloth.Although temperatures in Carey Gully haven't gone much above 35 it still seems to be that everything is stressed including the poor old apple orchard. My sister Lyn who lives 10 kms from Murray Bridge has been experiencing temperatures of 48 degrees.She is heartbroken as 25 years of hard work is down the drain with most of their fruit trees dying, along with their 170 or so beautiful rose bushes all dead, even the hardy succulents are shrivelling up! So I guess in comparison I can't grizzle too much at least the majority of my garden will survive!
Good luck in the coming days and hope you are all managing to stay cool!
Glenys
Wrap up well! We usually say that for the cold. Your heat wave has even made the news here in Europe. I hope you all manage to save as much as possible from the heat in your gardens.
Hi Glenys, we have very strong winds now and the shade cloth will probably end up at your place tonight!
This is getting scary, "I don't want to play windy heatwaves any more"!
We have all these very old enormous trees in the streets around us they loose branches all the time.
Check Debs blog a branch nearly squashed dear little Hebe's kennel.
48 degrees, your poor sister.
Our tomatoes which were ripening to red, have today ripened to yellow, they taste fine but I am wondering what is going on. Would the fact that the heat is stressing the plants so that the tomatoes are ripening quickly and without the colour they should have? I notice some large tomatoes are just falling off.
I guess we shall just eat more fried green tomatoes.Maybe I shall spice up the flour this time!
Thanks for your comment Laura I love the recipes on your blog.
have just pulled out all but two tomato plants and put bokashi compost into the ground. So we start again in autumn...
At least my mini-white cukes have done quite well, along with the climber beans, zucchini, strawberries, ground cherries and cherry tomatoes. There is something to be grateful for; my heart goes out to farmers. My livelihood doesn't depend on the state of my crops.
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