It's a Scorcher!!

Here in the Bay of Plenty we have had some very hot days for a week or so now. Our vegetables are certainly enjoying the heat and growth has been amazing but too much heat can spoil the produce you've spent so long tending.

Sun scald can affect leaves, the fruits of tomatoes, chillies and capsicums, eggplants, beans and peas, almost anything! Where the sun hits fruits it causes blisters which can rot very quickly and spoil fruit. The leaves of beans and peas can literally dry to a crisp.

What can you do? Think carefully about placement in your garden - which plants love the sun and which will wilt and bolt if they see too much.

Mulch is awesome for moisture retention in soil - doesn't matter if it's pea straw or barley straw. Wool is a great mulch as well. And this year I'm trialling NOT taking off all the leaves around the tomatoes - just so they have a wee bit of protection.

I also plant quite closely together in my vege garden - controversial I know - for shade at the roots of plants.

Greenhouses can literally turn into furnaces - I have some tomato seedlings whose leaves were scorched yesterday - They'll be alright but you can try laying some shade cloth over the roof of your greenhouse, and leave everything open. A greenhouse fan is also a worthwhile investment.

It's a balancing act but one we may have to live with as our climate gets warmer, windier and wetter.