So HOT!

It has been hot these last several days; the kind of hot where you realize life is going by in slow motion. I have about a hour left in my apartment before the temps reach the upper 80s in here. Needless to say, my garden is not happy with this dry soaring heat. I pulled up the tomatoes I planted in the spring. They were only producing small tomatoes and the plant just looked sickly. I repotted my pomegranate to a larger pot, but it seems the heat is taking a toll on it as well. Where it was lush and green with dozens of buds a month ago, now it is scraggly with loads of yellowing leaves.

Despite all this death in the garden, I am a bit comforted since I took a walk to the local community garden last week. Normally, I am incredible envious of all those plots filled with lush dense veggies three times the size of my container varieties. But the dog days of summer have had their way with the community garden. The plants look like pure weeds and decay. Tomatoes rotting on the ground and still attached to their withered brown stems. Straggly herbs, dead flowers. It was like a horror movie. So, naturally, I felt better about my situation.

I am greatly looking forward to the new cooler season. I have been pondering which fall crops to plant. I am toying with the idea of growing some chard or kale but I am not even sure that I like the taste of those two plants. Has anyone grown either of these two plants in a container?

Though I love growing from seed, I think for the fall I will buy some already established plants (like oregano- that darn thing will not grow from seeds!!!). I read in the Sunset Magazine that nurseries have sales in September, so I will wait until then to do some shopping.

Until then, I would love to hear how any of my readers summer planting went.