We've had temps hitting 95°F+ consistently this summer, and my raised bed vegetables are struggling even with daily watering. The soil dries out so fast and plants like lettuce and spinach are bolting within days. Should I be adding more mulch, using shade cloth, or switching to heat-tolerant varieties?
I've watched my greens cook in the summer heat plenty of times, and honestly the combo approach works better than picking just one fix. Mulch is your friend - thick layer of wood chips or straw keeps that soil temps down and moisture locked in way longer, plus shade cloth (30-50% density) can drop leaf temps by several degrees without completely blocking sun. For those heat waves though, the real game-changer is just accepting that cool-season crops like lettuce and spinach basically don't want to grow then - I've had way better luck switching to heat-lovers like Swiss chard, Armenian cucumber, okra, or southern peas during peak summer, then replanting the delicate stuff for fall. Daily watering helps but you're fighting physics at that point; better to work with what actually thrives in the heat instead of against it.
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