Quote:
Originally Posted by upcountrygirl
Our problem has been the opposite. One extreme heat wave has already wiped out half of the tomato plants. We're a couple of days into another one and lots of the plants don't look too good. We also haven't had any rain in over a week. The ground is hot and hard. Do y'all think a good watering and then laying down mulch would help the plants to live and produce if we're in for a abnormally hot summer?
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Yes, a heavy mulch will do wonders for your soil and plants. I keep my soil covered all year long. The only time it's left uncovered is for seeds to sprout.
I use a lot of oak leaves but have also used fresh wood chips, mulch, pine needles and straw. They all work well.
I encourage you to search for what Bill (B54red) writes about keeping tomatoes producing during high heat. I've learned a lot from him about bleach spray, grafting, lean n lower, pest management.