Heat Wave!!

[curly_kate]

Anyone else bracing for triple digit temps in the Midwest? I know that is a regular occurrence for some TEGers, but here, especially at the end of June, it's CRAZY! Add to that a drought, and we're in for a stretch of weather I'm NOT looking forward to. No rain predicted in the next 7 days, and after the weekend where 100 is predicted, nothing but 90s. I guess I should be thankful that it's not a hurricane or wildfires. :/

 

[Ridgerunner]

Tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, wildfires, blizzards, heat waves, flood, drought, it's always something. It's so hot here I turned the heat off my one week old chicks in the brooder in the coop last night. They were thankful.

One of the side effects of the heat and drought here this year is that the grasshoppers are attracted to anything green, just like last year. About anything I water attracts hords of grasshoppers since it is the only green stuff around for them to get their water. Beans and iris are taking the worst hit, but they have even started stripping the leaves off my tomatoes, let alone what they are doing to corn and many other things. I got some of that Semaspore for them, but even if it kills a few hundred thousand, how much of a dent will that really make?

Has anyone noticed the Japanese beetles this year? Mine are way down. June bugs too. I read that our heat last year cooked the beetle grubs in the ground.

 

[so lucky]

I can't say that I have many grasshoppers this year. The chickens seem to get most of them. The chickens aren't allowed in the garden, but they patrol the perimeter. The Japanese Beetles have been keeping my roses looking pretty ragged. I just picked 5 out of one rose bloom this morning. I have a pheremone trap that gets emptied into the chicken yard every morning, while yesterday's trapped bugs are kind of comatose. Chicken delite! It does seem that the JB numbers are slowly declining, but that may be due to the drought; don't know about that. We are in a severe drought here in SE Missouri, too. Last year at this time we had had 41 inches of rain. This year, less than 12 inches. Of course, last year we had floods. I think "average" is around 24 inches by this time of the year. I watered my garden long and slow this morning, hoping that will hold it for 3 days or so. It is mostly mulched, and is planted so thick, there is a lot of shade on the ground. (not intentionally, just poor planning!)
I haven't seen any squash bugs yet. Only have one hill of zucchini, and it is just now blooming.
I am starting to get cukes, small tomatoes and onions to harvest, so at least I can have a salad!

 

[Carol Dee]

We are wilting here. Hot and Humid. Heat index to reach 110. Too hot. Will be staying inside with air on. Plants got a good watering last night and pots this morning. Will rewater late evening or early a.m. as it is to HOTTER Thursday. Still no real rain chances in site. The last few rains only amounted to a lot of noise and 2 or 3 drips. Just wonder what July and August will bring. *scary*

 

[Kassaundra]

Wilting here too, triple digets and no rain. We have grasshoppers but not bad I think the chickens are helping w/ that. Squash bugs are ridiculous!!!!! Not that bad for junebugs this year. Not a tomato worm yet????? seems unbelievable to me.

 

[lesa]

We are having the up and down pattern... Last week high 90's, this week- sweater weather, 60's. Now, 90's again for the weekend! Yikes! A lot of people are getting colds, and blaming them on the crazy shifts of weather!

 

[grow_my_own]

Man, what I wouldn't give for your temps! Those are normal temps for this area, though it has been about 6 years since the last time this area reached its normal temperature range.

If I had your temps, maybe my tomatoes would ripen.

 

[curly_kate]

We have a lot of Japanese beetles here & I feed them to our chickens too! Like you guys, I watered yesterday too. We have a verrrry old a/c and I'm certain it will die during a stretch like this. It's like it never stops running! So last night we put cardboard in all of our south facing windows. So tacky, but desperate times....

 

[retiredwith4acres]

Same here in Tennessee. We are about 10+inches below normal for rain and very dry. We have watered garden several times and the yard is dying. Our pond which we were so proud of since digging it last fall may go dry (poor fish), only about 2 feet of water left. We have 100+ temps today and last throughout the weekend and high 90's to follow. No rain in sight. We had hopes that Debby would have come our way, but did not. The bugs aren't too bad, which is good since we had to put the chickens back in covered run because hawks were taking them one at a time. I hate to wish for a tropical storm but would really help us middle country folks if one would come up through the middle of the country. Wishing all the best through this time.

 

[desertlady]

106 degrees here ! thats nothing !! Just kidding, we thought it will have rain for sure here in southern Arizona for the last few days , Not one drop ! Just dust storms. weather has been very strange this year ! We got wind almost everyday ! It wasnt windy last year. .. whats up Mother Nature??? Grass hoppers are sneaking in.....