CINCINNATI — The high temperatures we're seeing in the Tri-State this week can impact everything from our health to our food, so those responsible for growing that food are making some changes to keep their plants alive. These adjustments are similar to the changes any gardener should be making.
“It’s been extreme," said Mona Jenkins, an urban gardener in Walnut Hills, describing the heat.
She works in the community gardens throughout the neighborhood, growing everything from okra to potatoes and asparagus.
This week, the focus is keeping all of those plants alive, while staying safe from heat-related illness. Jenkins said that means working earlier in the day and re-thinking where they get the water for the plants.
“We’ve been able to rely on rain water and now the extreme heat is just causing us to have to take a step forward to install water at our sites," Jenkins said.
Jeff Webler, one of the owners of White Oak Gardens will tell you, water is key to helping plants through this heat wave.
“Deep watering is the best way to go rather than spritzing every day," he said.
He also said over watering can be as harmful as not watering at all, so the best way to tell if your plants actually need to be watered is a moisture meter.
“You simply just probe it into the soil and the deeper you go. So plants that are registering somewhere in the middle are getting close to being watered — or needing to be watered," Webler said.
Plant owners need to do their research though. Webler said the perfect moisture level on the meter depends on the plant.
His other advice includes using mulch and adding straw on top for any vegetable plants.
If you're not done with your planting for the year, he has a few suggestions too.
“I don’t suggest you plant when it’s over 90 degrees," Webler said.
He said you can wait until the heatwave passes or plant earlier in the morning.
As for what to plant, a few of the plants he said do well in the heat include lantanas, coreopsis and echinaceas.
Some might guess in this heat, business would be slower at businesses like White Oak, and Webler said it has a bit.
“But it’ll pass and it’ll get through it and the plants will survive," he said.
