1.  Provide Shade

There is a reason I am mentioning shade as the first tip and that is because in order to extend your garden's growing into our summer months, you must think about how to shade it in advance.  Shade is a true life saver during our intense hot months, for people, pets AND for plants!  Even the shade from a larger plant or vine can be the difference between survival or demise of smaller ones.  While many plants can tolerate 'full sun' during the cooler months, the rays of the Summer Sunshine in the Valley of the Sun are simply too intense.  Here are some ideas for shading your garden during the heat of summer:
 

• Shade Cloth - Most garden centers sell shade cloth, often in pre-cut/pre-packaged portions, and also on a large bolt where you can cut the length desired.  Shade cloth comes in different colors, but 40% light diffusion is the typical strength, and that's a good percentage for Az.  Shade Cloth can be attached to existing trellis or structures, or to a few posts to block intense afternoon sun.  

• Larger plants that Shade - We can plant in the shade of existing plants (like trees), or we can companion plant in our garden beds.  A trellis that has vining plants like beans can be placed on the west side of a bed, that way it creates a sun break for smaller plants planted just east of it.  Sunflowers are another excellent plant for your garden because they can grow in excess of 8 feet tall, they love the heat and sun, and can really provide some great shade!

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Here are some plants that can be extended into the summer IF you provide adequate shade.  While they may not continue to flower or produce fruit once temps raise above 100F, they should maintain until Monsoons hit and then they will do a second flush.  Fruit already set before the high heat should continue to ripen:

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Artichokes

Blackberries

Chard

Eggplant

Garlic

Ginger

Peppers

Squash

Strawberries

Tomatoes

2.  Plant Heat Tolerant Varieties​

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Choosing the best plants for our growing conditions can really make a differences in your summertime gardening success.  Some varieties are better suited to our drier, harsher growing conditions than others.  Some will even thrive in the heat.  Here are some plants better suited for summertime in the Valley of the Sun:

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Amaranth

Basil

Black Eyed Peas

Corn

Cucumbers (especially Armenian and Cukamelons)

Melons

Okra

Peanuts

Pumpkins

Sunflowers

Sweet Potatoes

 

3.  Water Slow and Deep

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Water Wisely - Watering deeply and less frequently encourages deeper root growth, helping keep the roots and the entire plant cooler.  Typically allowing the top inch of soil to dry out between waterings is preferred (except in the case of seed starting where you do not want to allow the seeds or their surrounding soil to dry out, or else seeds won't germinate).  Additionally, be sure to water at the 'drip line' , rather than on the stem/trunk of a plant (this goes for Trees as well), and do not water the leaves.  A leaf with a water droplet on it will burn once the sun hits it.

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Time of day is also a factor when watering.  Ideally you should water early in the morning or later in the evening to prevent excessive moisture loss to evaporation.  Some plants will appear to be wilting in the late afternoon but will perk back up overnight, so try to check soil moisture first if you think your plant needs more water.  It's better to encourage the plants to develop a little heat tolerance, especially if you know you've watered deeply.

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Arizona is notoriously alkaline when it comes to water and soil.  Excessive salts can build up and burn roots, especially in potted plants, so it is important to water deeply to help flush soil salts.  

 

Some signs of salt burn are:

• Brown edges on leaves

• Crispy edges on leaves

• White build up around the pots

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One of the easiest methods of watering your gardens is to install an automatic watering system.  This can be done very inexpensively if you do the designing and creating yourself.  In my own gardens I have assembled a very simple system that hooks up to a timer on the outdoor spigot.  I will eventually add a section here with information on designing and installing your own simple watering system.  Other options include having a professional installation done, hand watering with a hose or watering can, or utilizing city irrigation if you're on an irrigated lot.

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Signs of Over-watering (plant will typically look wilted AND):

• Soggy Soil

• Yellowed or Brown leaves

• Plant stems appear to fall over, no strength

• Odors coming from the soil or the plant roots

• New growth immediately yellows and then falls off

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Signs of Under-watering:

• Dry Soil

• Yellowed leaves, or browned leaves that appear dry and curl or drop

• Failure to thrive and grow

• Very slow growth

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Remember friends...we DO live in a desert, and even though we've created microclimates in our garden spaces, the air still gets hot and dry and the soil still heats up.  Sometimes we have to supplement watering even with irrigated lots & sprinkler systems.

4.  Mulch

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A layer of mulch around the base of your plants can really help retain moisture and extend the life of your plants into the summer months.  

 

There are several reasons to mulch:  

1. First and foremost it helps maintain a cooler soil temperature, which means the roots stay cooler and the plant will be much happier.  Believe it not, soil temps can get well over 100F (even up to around 140F in pots) and that actually cooks plant roots.  So adding a 2-3" layer of mulch can really keep the soil cooler.  

2. Mulch helps the soil retain moisture.  This not only helps keep the plant from drying out as fast in the hot, dry weather, but moist soil stays cooler as well.  Essentially mulching is helping to slow down water evaporation, allowing your plants to uptake water as needed.

3. Mulching does wonders to help keep down the weeds.  That 2-3" layer of organic material is thick enough to create some darkness, and that helps choke out weeds and grasses.  It may not prevent 100% of the weeds, but it will drastically cut back on how frequently you have to weed.

4. Another great benefit of adding organic mulch to your beds is as the mulch breaks down with each watering, it leeches nutrients back into the soil.  

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So what do I recommend we use as mulch in our beds?  Well first of all, I strongly advise AGAINST using large pieces of bark.  Sure it's sold in big cheap bags at the garden centers and we see it it lots of 'garden design' shows...but here in the Valley of the Sun, large pieces of bark = attracting unwanted garden pests such as roaches, scorpions, palo verde beetles, and other bark-loving invaders. I dont' know about you, but I do NOT want these creatures in my gardens!  Now, I might get a lot of flack for this, but I also do NOT recommend using straw...because even tho straw looks dry, as soon as you add water it can sprout.  It's in the grass family, and grass just loves to grow!

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Mulch I recommend using:

• Grass clippings

• Pine Needles

• Compost

• Finely chipped up wood pieces

• Wood shavings

5.  Maintaining Summer Garden Beds

 

As we transition our gardens into Summer beds, it's a good time to do some housekeeping in the garden.  Try not to let old plants sit and rot in your active beds...toss them in the compost pile.  Dying or pest covered leaves, and spent blooms (or rotted fruits) can invite unwanted insects and visitors to your garden, so it's always a good idea to remove them quickly.  

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Summer can be a great time to do hardscape maintenance too.  If you raised wooden beds, make sure the screws or fasteners are tightened.  If your twine or trellis system needs some repair, nows the time to tackle that.  Pull out your shade cloths and be sure they're ready for when you need to cover.  You can even clean unused pots right now with a bleach water solution, and let the sun dry them afterwards.

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A word of wisdom:  Don't stop watering your gardens during the summer, even if you aren't using all the space.  If you let the sun bake the top layer of your soil, it will form a hard layer and will make it difficult for water to penetrate through. Additionally, as the soil breaks down in the heat, it will lose nutrients quicker if it's dry.

6.  Letting Beds Rest

 

Another option for Summertime in AZ is to let your beds rest.  This is a great time to solarize your soil if you've had a grass or weed issue.  

   >. How does one solarize?  

Well basically, you give your garden space a good watering, add some manure or compost, and then you cover it with a thick black tarp...not a breathable material, it needs to be a thick plastic or vinyl tarp.  Anchor it down with rocks or bricks and let it sit.  As the sun hits the covering, it will heat up the soil and the temps will ideally get high enough that it literally cooks any unwanted seeds or roots.  The solar "blanket" should stay over the soil all summer (or at least 6-8 weeks), and then you pull it off and simply amend the soil for your Fall planting season.

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Another resting option is planting a simple cover crop to fix nitrogen in the soil, and then till it into the ground before the next season.

7.  Fall Garden Dreaming

 

Who doesn't love to think about the next garden?  Summer is a great time to gather seed catalogs and start fall garden dreaming.  One of my favorite pastimes during the summer, when it's too hot and miserable to spend much time in my gardens is to sit down with a stack of garden catalogs, gardening books, or garden websites online, and begin dreaming about what I'm planning to plant in the fall.

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If you like to grow your own plants from seeds, you'll want to start thinking about your fall garden early enough to get your seeds started early enough.  Remember, we can start transitioning our garden beds over to cooler season crops, usually in late September...so that means some seeds may need to be started in July!  Be sure to check on the germination times, and length each variety will take from seedling to transplantable size.

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On July 6th I am teaching a class

at Berridge Nursery that will focus

on Seed Starting for Fall Vegetable Gardens...

so consider joining in on the fun!

8.  Don't Get Discouraged

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Remember...Summertime in the Valley of the Sun can be brutal, and it's easy to get discouraged.  I urge you to look for the positive during our blistering days because even though your garden may not look as beautiful as it did in the Spring time, it can still produce a lovely harvest for you and that will boost your mood.

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Here's a few things to remember:

• First...no heavy feeding during the hot months.  The plants you have are putting their energy into survival, and they just need water and protection, but no added fertilizer during June, July or August.

• Not only are the days hot, with temps reaching 115F+, but the nights don't always cool down either. There are many summer nights that stay over 100F and that not only puts most plants into dormancy, but it doesn't allow the natural process of transpiration (which is the way a plant naturally cools itself).  Again, the plants are just trying to focus on survival.

• Monsoon rains and occasional drops in temps can do wonders for your summer gardens and even kick them into production again.  It's like they get a 'second wind' and a second flush of produce may happen!

• Did you know that pepper plants and tomato plants won't usually set fruit once temps consistently hit the 100F mark?  They will often continue to develop and ripen the fruits already on the vine, but they probably won't set new fruits until the weather starts cooling off.

• Resist the urge to prune your plants during the summer if you're planning to keep them in the garden.  Every time you cut into a plant, you open it up to moisture loss, and during the summer, you do not want that!  Wait until monsoon rains come if you need to do some selective pruning.

• Keep water off leaves during the heat of the day!  Even if your pumpkin or squash leaves look wilty, wait until the evening to see if they've perked back up.  Water on leaves during the day can burn holes thru the leaves.