Friends, I’m hiding indoors until this heat wave passes.
I have much to do in the garden, but it will have to wait. It hasn’t rained in weeks, and the ground is cracked open wide. I miss the summers of my childhood, when it seldom reached 90 degrees and almost every evening, it seemed, brought a soothing, cooling thunderstorm. Lately I’ve been catching the dish-rinsing water in a pan and running outside to relieve the container plants from their exhausted state.
Since I remain indoors, my patio umbrella shades the tomatoes and squash from the midday sun. Providing some shade can help your vegetables struggle through the hottest days and last longer into the season, but keep making succession sowings and keep those plants well mulched and watered.
Talk to you soon, my friends. I need a frosty beverage.
MissingHenryMitchell 
We have had only a few drops of rain since April, with none expected any time soon. And it’s been hot at times, but for us “hot” is about 80. 90 is “really hot” and doesn’t happen too often — usually mid-July. The dryness is worrying, though; is the California drought creeping northward? Washington State has declared itself in a state of drought, and next winter is supposed to be an El Nino one. Let’s hope our gardens get some good rain soon!