Covering All Bases

This week saw record highs well over 100 F in Los Angeles. Although the sunshine was much needed for my seedlings, the afternoon scorchers were intent on damaging these fragile babies. When temps reach 100 and above, you risk killing some of the pollen in tomato plants as well.

The good thing is that we got warning of the extreme forecast well ahead of time.  Last year during these killer temps, no matter how much water and care I provided, the elements were out to destroy most of my plants. So,  this year, I consulted some sources and picked up a roll of shade cloth from the local nursery, and got to improvising. A few bamboo stakes, and a simple staple-gun job later, and voila, these guys enjoyed a lovely plant-paradise, under the canopy. Only thing missing were the cocktails :)

The trick is to allow enough space and air to flow freely on the sides of the plants and raised beds. Creating a makeshift tent couple feet above the plants allows sunlight to come through, without the full impact of deadly heat.