Day three of our heatwave here in South Eastern Australia and it is still hot as Hades. Temperatures have been in excess of 40°C (104°F) since Monday, which is why I have not been as active on the blog as I should have been. Last night the minimum temp was 30°C, so it was a very ordinary nights sleep. With Kim’s MS fatigue flaring up, I am taking the next two days off as carers leave to look after her.
The Met Bureau has forecast that this weather will remain until Friday evening. I have never in my time experienced five days over 40°C this far south. I know that no single weather even is an indication of climate change, but heck, this takes the cake.
In fact, on tomorrow’s podcast episode, which is scheduled for 7 am EADST, I talk to Ted McIntyre about climate denial in the US media, who are rambling on about the Polar Vortex being an indicator that climate change is not real. Send them over here for a few days Ted, I will show them what the future has in store for them!
Anyway, the veggie patch has been getting a regular water each morning from the rainwater tanks, which are now just under half full. As I don’t know how long the rain is going to avoid us, I have been using mains water to water all of the fruit trees.
It takes me about one and a half hours before work to get through it all, however because Monday morning was cooler, Kim volunteered for watering duty.
I haven’t lost any plants or trees yet. The only damage so far have been the Scarlet Runner beans, which got totally burnt on Tuesday. No great loss, because I think they will recover in time to give me a crop of beans.
The chooks are surviving under their nice mulberry tree, and the little ones have been roaming free around the clay oven garden. I have been making puddles under the mulberry tree so they can scratch around in the moist soil. They seem to really enjoy the water. I have also been spraying a mist over them to keep them cool which seems to be working.
So, how are you coping with the extreme conditions you are experiencing where you live? Keeping cool or warm I guess.
Lets hope that our collective governments see the writing on the wall and start to take big leaps forward soon. I don’t want to cook to death.
My scarlet runners bit the dust too.
The only things that have, so far. The wicking boxes and beds are really proving their worth.
Wicking beds are certainly the way to go in this extreme heat. Well done FD!
The heat is breaking records here too. Tomorrow is supposed to be 47C! It has already been 49 on monday and yesterday it got to 47, today reached nearly 48, I dread what tomorrow will bring. We wont get relief until Tuesday next week! My garden is holding up but I think tomorrow will really be the test as I wont be here for the afternoon to keep an eye on things. It looks quite a sight at the moment with sheets and curtains draped everywhere to protect the plants. Garden tent city it looks like. I must remember to take a photo in the morning 🙂
I am dreading the next water and electricity bill…
Take care in this heat.
Sounds like it is crazy over there as well Tania. At least the sheets keep the veggies from frying on the bush. Great reuse as well.
Take care as well.
Gav x
The only time I’ve experienced that sort of heat was in the heatwave of 2003 here in France. 40c degs for 17 days on the trot – and it was our first summer here. No wonder over 14000 people died – no one knew what to do to keep cool. Us? Headed for the local lake everyday – at least the kids learned to swim.
Good solution, swimming that is. Cools the core temp down quickly.
I’m on the other side of the world in central Canada where we have had the so called Polar Vortex. We had a bitter December and an even worse first 10 days of January with temps down to MINUS 39. With the wind that was equivalent to MINUS 50 where exposed skin freezes in less than 5 minutes. The global warming deniers love it of course but they can’t seem to understand the concept of climate change, nor the difference between weather and climate.
On the gardening front I pity you and at the same time commend you on your determination. I wonder what the commercial growers do. In my experience the flowers of scarlet runner beans fall off after pollination unless the night time temperature falls below a certain figure. There are more heat-tollerant varieties that are grown in Africa and air freighted to Europe so as to enable Europeans to have runner beans for 12 months. It is the cool British weather that has made runner beans the favourite there. Unfortunately your customs are very thorough and confiscate seeds that are sent in the mail otherwise I would send you a few of these special heat tolerant seeds.
David
We’ve been putting ice in the chook’s water, spraying ourselves with a spray bottle, sleeping in a tent….. Tomorrow is rated extreme fire danger si I think we’ll go somewhere for the day.
Stay cool and take care.
Best of luck Linda. Hope nothing serious happens tomorrow for everyone’s sake.
Gav x
How awful is this weather? Our house is hot and we have no air con (trying to resist it, and improve the house’s performance in the heat instead.) But with days on end over 40 degrees, what chance do we have? We had no water Tuesday morning too, due to maintenance in our street, I thought it was meant to be the day before, so I wasn’t entirely prepared, but at least we have tanks. We lost a chook in the heat on Tuesday, and I feel like I failed her:( I think 2 of our baby avocado trees might be dead, and our hazelnuts are fried, but I think they’ll come back. Rethinking the driveway productive garden now, there’s just so much radiant heat from the concrete. Some plants are doing well though, so that is promising. Take good care of Kim, and stay cool.
Sorry about your chook Alicia. I lost one last night as well. Very sad, but I know I did everything I could to keep them cool bar installing an aircon in the run.
Kim is keeping very cool. We have one aircon which we are using sparingly lest it breaks. I keep bringing her cold drinks and icy poles.
Gav x
Im picturing you attending to Kim. She is reclining while you gently wave a palm frond above her head. You offer her iced tea and sing sweetly (did i say that?) Remember your Christmas offering. That would not be very conducive to any form of relaxation. You’ll just have to keep your mouth shut and look sweet. LOL
Yes, im delirious from the heat….
I am a regular kabana boy! Cold drinks on demand, and I throw her in the pool once in a while to keep her cool.
Gav x
My answer is shade cloth, Gavin. I was watering so much …and the plants were still getting burnt. But a small square of shade cloth just draped over something special you don’t want to die works wonders!
Thanks for the tip Kim. I am investing something semi-permanent regarding shade cloth for the veggie patch during summer. Might have to make a frame of sorts.
I’ve lost a few tomato plants, many of my geranium cuttings and sadly, my little peach tree appears to be toast too. My conundrum was keeping either the sheep or the heat out of the greenhouse. Keeping the door closed meant the temperature in there was 54.1C (130F) Still, I have 3 ginger plants up and my sweet potatoes think its heaven. Not all lost.