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39C today, 40C tomorrow.
A slightly cooler next week, but pretty warm (high 20s, early 30s) through to Jan.
Next week is supposed to be some rainfall here and there. We can hope. It will make things awfully sticky, but sticky I can manage.
The bit I'm nervous about is a handful of seedlings I planted out a few days ago - melons and pumpkins. Don't know if they're going to survive it - I've watered them morning, noon, and evening, covered them with shadecloth, but none of that is a guarantee when the temps hit 40C.
Oy.
My sister is worried about the chickens, who aren't coping real well with the heat - they never do, but it's particularly difficult in these super-hot days, and when there's not a lot of spaces where they can stay cool. I might have to let them back into the triangle garden, so they can take shelter in the thickets of the trees there.
I'm kind of wondering if I can set up a specific space for them during the middle of the day. They won't get to move around so much, and they might be at risk of dogs going by (although the owners around here are good and keep them on leashes...most of the time, except when Bev's dogs get out) but...it'll be cooler?
Anyway, I gotta go out and check that the chooks aren't overheating.
A slightly cooler next week, but pretty warm (high 20s, early 30s) through to Jan.
Next week is supposed to be some rainfall here and there. We can hope. It will make things awfully sticky, but sticky I can manage.
The bit I'm nervous about is a handful of seedlings I planted out a few days ago - melons and pumpkins. Don't know if they're going to survive it - I've watered them morning, noon, and evening, covered them with shadecloth, but none of that is a guarantee when the temps hit 40C.
Oy.
My sister is worried about the chickens, who aren't coping real well with the heat - they never do, but it's particularly difficult in these super-hot days, and when there's not a lot of spaces where they can stay cool. I might have to let them back into the triangle garden, so they can take shelter in the thickets of the trees there.
I'm kind of wondering if I can set up a specific space for them during the middle of the day. They won't get to move around so much, and they might be at risk of dogs going by (although the owners around here are good and keep them on leashes...most of the time, except when Bev's dogs get out) but...it'll be cooler?
Anyway, I gotta go out and check that the chooks aren't overheating.
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Thoughts
Depends on the variety and, especially, their genetic diversity. Some varieties from southwest tribes are very resilient to heat and drought, others not so much. Anything that was raised in a cool wet climate will probably curl up and die. If these die, you could try making a landrace by crossing different cultivars -- melons and pumpkins are both enthusiastic at that -- then select the hardiest to save.
Ironically it's 7F here tonight.
>>My sister is worried about the chickens, who aren't coping real well with the heat - they never do, but <<
Again, it depends a lot on the breed. Heat-tolerant ones like Egyptian Fayoumi will do a lot better in sweltering summer weather than the big fluffy ones like Black Australorps. And in sun, most light colored ones will do better than dark colored ones.
>>it's particularly difficult in these super-hot days, and when there's not a lot of spaces where they can stay cool. I might have to let them back into the triangle garden, so they can take shelter in the thickets of the trees there.<<
They do need shade. There are some other things that can help:
* If they have access to the ground, they will probably scratch to make a bare spot to lie on. The ground tends to stay cooler.
* You can also make a chicken cave for them to retreat to, like a miniature root cellar. Dig down a couple feet, make a roof, put sod on top. It will stay cooler and they can retreat in there.
* If you have space in a freezer, then freeze big blocks of water, like a gallon or more. You can put it in a pan so they can have cold drinking water, or just put it in a shelter to cool the air. They'll huddle around it, same as with a heat lamp in cold weather. Even in high heat, a solid block will last a good while -- the bigger it is, the longer.
I hope things work out okay. Hot weather sucks.
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