Sun, sun, and more sun is the review of this week. Temperatures have been through the roof, with morning temperatures around 15°C(59°F), and daily have been around 30°C(86°F). Of course, because of the temperatures, the soil is pretty much all dry, and I’ve been watering the garden every day. We were supposed to get some rain earlier in the week, but all we got was more wind. Luckily, on Saturday we got a big weather change, and finally some rain. Although the weather reports said we should get lots of rain and even storms, the amount we got was little. I will probably need to water the garden again in a couple of days. The only great thing about this change is that the temperatures dropped to only 12°C(54°F) on Saturday afternoon, and we finally got a much-needed break from the heat. The break will be very short since the forecast is announcing a temperature rise, and another heatwave with maximums over 33°C(91°F) on Friday. I guess this year summer came almost 2 months earlier.

The main garden is still doing great despite the very high temperatures. Some plants are actually enjoying this weather and are growing like mad. They are growing so fast that you can actually see the difference in the size of the plants between the morning and the afternoon. Right now, due to the heat, I’m dividing my garden tasks into morning and evening tasks. I dig, remove the weeds and sow in the early morning until the sun gets to the garden, and during the evening I water the plants and do simple jobs like tying the plants to poles and spraying the bugs. 

The tomatoes are absolutely delighted by the heat. They are growing so quickly that I had to tie them to a second level already. The plants are now completely healthy, and even starting to flower, which I didn’t expect to happen so fast, at least not after their poor appearance at the beginning of May. I also had to raise the hail protection to give them room to grow and reposition the netting twigs. Soon I will also transplant the tomatoes which I’ve sown in March, and we’ll how long it will take for them to grow. 

Speaking of the bugs, they are everywhere. We never had so many insects and pests. Not only in the garden, but there are also thousands of insects everywhere. Flies, wasps, hornets, and mosquitoes are everywhere, there are so many different flies that it’s becoming hard not to get annoyed by them. Midges are constantly hitting you in the face, mosquitoes are biting as soon as the sun is down, and flies are constantly entering the house. We even have Hoverflies, which were never here before. This year they are everywhere, buzzing around the house. Still, out of all the insects, they are my favorite. They don’t bite, don’t annoy me, and at least they help with the pollination. The only problem I have with them is their fascination with my garden bag, but they are polite enough to move when I need something. 

The biggest issue with pests right now is blackflies on the broad beans. They have covered the beans completely. I’ve tried removing them with soap and water, taking them off with gloves, and sprayed them with pest removers and nothing seems to work. There are more and more flies every day. I’m now considering calling this battle lost and letting them gobble the broad beans. At least while they’re on broad beans they won’t touch the rest of the vegetables, which is a good thing.

 

The rest of the garden is growing without any problems. Peppers are struggling a bit with the heat, but not so much that they would stop growing, zucchinis are constantly flowering and lettuce is almost ready for its first harvest. I’ve sown a bunch of cutting lettuce and some leafy varieties, and I have lots of lettuce this year. I guess I managed to get the right varieties at last. We’ll see if these varieties will also start bolting prematurely. 

The effect of the heat is clearly visible on my spinach, which is already done. The small plants are already bolting, and there was no point in leaving them in the ground anymore. So during this week, I’ve harvested all of the spinach. Although the plants already had flowers, they were completely edible. The plants are very young, there has been only a month between the sowing and bolting, so all the leaves are still very tender. Even the flowers are not bitter, so I’ve harvested everything and used it to make myself a lunch.

I fried some mushrooms, poured an egg over them, and added the spinach. The combination was actually very delicious and a perfect light lunch. 

Next week I will have to do some more sowing, spread some additional fertilizers, and redig the whole garden after the rain. Probably I’ll also need to trim the grass again. Hopefully, the beginning of the week will be cooler so I will be able to do everything without the constant running from the sun.