Severe weather issues

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Mon, Jul 2, 2012 - 10:19am
#1
Wendy S. Delmater's picture
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Severe weather issues
More Storms Kill, Injure Dozens Amidst Brutal Heat Wave
More Storms Kill, Injure Dozens Amidst Brutal Heat Wave
Cities and towns that were struck by Friday's deadly derecho were once again the targets of destructive severe weather on Sunday.

 

Mon, Jul 2, 2012 - 10:42am
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I am in New York and was not

I am in New York and was not affected nearly so much as you, but I keep worrying about how people without power will keep cool.  One trick I learned from a science type who lives in SoCal was to put aluminum foil on all windows (while doing cross ventilation, battery operated fans, going to cooling centers, or whatever else works).  It blocks out infrared rays which blackout curtains may absorb.

 

This has made a big difference for me as I live in a unit with large windows and it is surprisingly difficult to keep my home cool even with AC.

I hope everyone is ok.

Mon, Jul 2, 2012 - 11:37am
#3
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Safewrite

the picture in you first post is of my office and the power line in front. we've had SEVERE weather,however i'm fine diesel generator. there was litlle to no rain and i'm in a SEVERE drought as well. The main garden has its own well for irrigation and is faring fine the OP corn won't make, however i keep a seed plot irrigated so seed will be made but less polenta,pone,grits,bread etc for our consumption. two lambs have died,heat related? they were in no other stress. a neighbor lost 30000(thats right)chickens(Tyson). so much is happening here.

poor and reluctant typist  Robie 

Mon, Jul 2, 2012 - 1:03pm
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hot

Safewrite - what veggies can survive at temperatures that high for several days in a row? I thought the sweet spot for summer veggies is in the low to mid 90's. I couldn't imagine having to water everyday. Hang in there - hopefully it cools down for you and you get some rain soon.

No big storms here this weekend, but yesterday I saw, and it was just a few, some of the largest hailstones I have ever seen at my dad's house, just 10 minutes away from me. I got nothing at my house, barely any rain in my gauge, but the town just north from me, they got clobbered by golf ball sized hail.

On the bright side, I still have not turned on my AC this summer. It's not entirely comfortable, but manageable. All that extra insulation is paying off. And it helps being in a forested area - the trees keep the area cooler than the pavement and concrete of cities.

Mon, Jul 2, 2012 - 1:22pm
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Nashville

I had an exchange of emails with a friend in Nashville yesterday.  He reported the same thing.  He cannot keep his vegetables or even lawn alive despite $100 water bills.  Plus, I guess they're having a severe drought at the same time.  I'm thankful to be living in wny where its been warmer than I like it, but nice compared to areas south of the jetstream.

Mon, Jul 2, 2012 - 2:25pm
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no damage to home

Hi,

 

No damage to our home. What little garden I put in this year seems to be O.K. Tomato harvest less than last year, if I can keep the plants alive till this weather breaks, fall tomatoes should be GREAT!

The peppers seem to love the heat. I just put up a few jars of jalapeno Jam! This is the first year that I have gotten Zucchini to grow so I am baking bread and passing the extras around the neighborhood.

When the electric went out Saturday (not a cloud in the sky) i figured it was heat related. So, I made sure everything was closed up tight, cycled the genny just in case and prayed... I lost power for only 3 hours, temp in the house only went up 3 degrees but I became brutally aware just how "unsustainable" this house (type of living) would be in a major disruption.

My prayers go out to those who were not as lucky as I was.

C.

Mon, Jul 2, 2012 - 2:39pm
#7
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HOT VEGGIES?

okra, peppers(sorta), cowpeas(black eye and variants) sweet potato/yams(different but similar cultivation)

all thrive in heat and tolerate drought. 

Mon, Jul 2, 2012 - 5:06pm
(Reply to #7) #8
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Sweet Potatoes

Thanks for the tip. I'm looking to try sweet potatoes out in the summer doldrums here.

Mon, Jul 2, 2012 - 5:17pm
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Weather Bubble

The storms went north and south of us and but for a phenomenal lightning display, some wind and about 30 minutes of rain, the Tidewater area of Virginia was spared.  Temps were somewhat tempered by being so close to the ocean, we got up to 98 last week but quickly fell back into the high 80s.  A breeze has made things bearable.

Peppers look like they traded syringes with Roger Clemens - tomatoes are piling up hand over fist.  We are into our second batch of cukes.  The Eenglish cukes did very well, the lemon cukes are struggling a bit.  Peaches and nectarines are about two weeks away.  Sweet potatoes are busting out all over th place.  So far so good, but I'd like to see this weather (mid 80s) hold for a few weeks.

Best of luck to all of those out there who are without power.  Gotta agree with RNCarl, even with our level of preps, this would be a challenge in a sustained disruption of power.

Mon, Jul 2, 2012 - 9:00pm
#10
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Heat Tolerant Veggies

I had great success with okra and squash in a very hot Philadelphia summer a few years back. Some of the other crops--especially the ones with andean or central american origins, like peppers, potatoes and tomatoes, have a harder time with the extreme heat. Ones from the mediterranean, like onions, or Indian subcontinent, like eggplant, or ones from Africa, like okra, melons, millett and sorghum, fare far better. Native americans had success with squash, corn, and various hard beans in the desert southwest, where temps are regularly over 100. Where I am in South America now is one of the hottest regions--and many of the same things are grown and do well (except there is no okra). I hate that I can't have a garden this year bc of my travels, but at least I am learning some different ways to hedge against the vagaries of climate! Hope this helps.

Chris

Mon, Jul 2, 2012 - 11:36pm
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heat tolerant veggies

What survived *and produced* in my Central Texas garden during last summer's extraordinary drought: okra, sweet potatoes, chard (good summer green), malabar spinach, lamb's quarters, vegetable amaranth, purslane, melons, squash, chinese long beans. You can pull other annual veggies such as tomatoes and peppers along further into the heat with deep mulching and earthworks that help conserve every drop of water -- but once the evening temps don't drop below 75 anymore, they won't set fruit. I kept the plants alive through the worst of the drought and they all set fruit again starting in the fall. I also highly advocate the use of ollas and self-watering planters or wicking beds -- these all conserve water and cool the soil. Shade cloth helps to prevent stress from late afternoon sun.

Tue, Jul 3, 2012 - 8:29am
#12
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Huge storm

No power or phones. Cell tower down for first two days. It was hot with heat index of 110. Lots of trees down. We have heard there will not be power until next weekend. Thank heaven for our preps. It has been a good opportunity to try them out. I would encourage everyone to try out their preps while there is a possibility to order more equipment or take a trip to the hardware store. It has taken us a bit out of our comfort zone but it has been good to see how the family has reacted. One of the pleasant surprises I have had has been seeing the community coming together. The stress of the situation has really helped foster community.

Tue, Jul 3, 2012 - 2:50pm
#13
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extreme hot weather veggies

jooemanc,

The others pretty well answered your question but let me add my experiences in this heat wave. Doing well in the heat: sweet potaotes, brown turkey figs, okra, jalapenos, basil (partial shade)  black-eyed peas, olive tree, swiss chard, heirloom pickling cukes, peanuts. And the Satsuma orange sapling--in full sun on the south side of the house-- no fruit as it is young, but it just keeps getting bigger. Herb garden is in full swing: thyme, rosemary, bee balm, parsley root, catnip are all doign well. Season is over for lavender or cilantro/corriander but we just harvested enough corriander to use in pickling for a year. I did not plant garlic this year butit like the high heat last year.

Doing okay with water: black krim heirloom tomatoes,  Kentucy wonder green beans (partial shade) danvers half-long carrots, June ever-bearing strawberries (straw mulch & partial shade), muscadine grapes, "cylindra" beets, herbs, Egyptian walking onions, lima beans, zucchini, green beans in full sun on the south side of the house (they get reflected light from the house's ight-colored siding. A boon in the spring but too much in high summer.)

Not doing well, even with water: lettuces (all varieties bolted, but we will save seed), salad cukes, bell peppers (dropped all blossoms). Blueberries are giviing small, sorta hard fruit. Cabbages: not happy but I never ammended the soil in that rasied bed so I am pretty sure it's not just the weather.

Where you place your plantings is important. The new apple trees, well established by the time these temps  hit, are on the north side of the house. They would have died on the south side. The new peach tree is in the shade of the old one and doing well. The new raspberry canes are in partial shade under the mulberry and to the lee of a bank from the sun - and abutting the compost pile: they're fine. The hazelnut spalings are also to the lee of the bank on the other side of the mulberry and just keep growing.

 

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