batten down the hatches

Tomorrow it's meant to be 37 degrees (that's 99 to you Northerners).  It's our first big scorcher of the year, and thankfully it's only meant to last the one day.  We're going to spend the evening at the beach with friends, but in the meantime I've prepared my plants for the heat as best I can.

I've moved my pot-plants into spots that should get some shade in the afternoon.  Here, for example, are my three tomatoes in a row near the garage.  I'm very worried for the Better Boy, it's getting its first blush of red on one tomato so I'd hate to lose its first fruit.  They got a nice long drink too.  In fact, they're needing lots of water these days, and when I poked the soil I found out why: there's more roots than soil in those pots.  I don't think they'll be getting any bigger, they've run out of soil to grow into.

My other worry is the rhododendrons out the back.  They got the shade cloth treatment today, it should keep them from the worst of the sun and they do get afternoon shade.  I didn't have enough cloth for all four of them, but the one left over is bigger than the others and in a shadier spot against the fence so it should be okay.

Here's hoping!