A lot of people are gardening for the very first time this year, which I think is really terrific.  Keep it up!  Every little bit you do will help your family eat good, wholesome, healthful food, and it’s better than what you can get at the grocery store.  But, look at me, I’m rambling already.

            Summer has come with a vengeance in some parts of the country.  What do you do about gardening on those really hot days, especially if you have kids outdoors with you?  I thought I’d give you a couple of survival tips.

            First, don’t wait till afternoon when it’s the hottest out to start gardening. the heat will get to  you before you even get a good start.  You could take two five minute breaks every hour or so,  but that’s not enough in the heat, especially with kids, and when you’re not used to it.   I was out the other day and like to died!  I didn’t think it was that hot, but there wasn’t a breath of air blowing.  Cooler temperatures in recent weeks spoiled me.  I wasn’t quite ready for everything I was doing that day.

            When it’s hot, it’s a good idea to retreat to the shade if you can.  Keep plenty of cool drinking water on hand, too.  Don’t try to be some super human or like some kind of gardening machine.  The heat and humidity can and will work against you.  Don’t let yourself or your kids get overheated.  Don’t risk heat stroke on those really hot, dry days coming our way.

            If you can, water your plants and do as much as you can early in the morning when it’s cool.  Sometimes it’s still just too hot in the evening, and if you wait for it to cool back down, it will be too dark to do anything, in spite of the longer days in the summer time.  Of course, garden in the evening if that's your only time.  Just do your best to keep from overheating.

            Now, if you go to WindowBox.com and get some of their self-watering planters, you'll be doing less work, and your plants will be happy, too.  Just click on  the WindowBox.com logo, then go to the watering category.  You'll see self-watering planters right away.  Less work in the garden means you stay out in the sun less.

            Well, there you have it in a nutshell.  Be safe, and have fun out in that garden!