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San Diego

I live in San Diego. Our summers at my house are pretty warm July through September. We average 85 to 95 degrees at my house these months and about 10 degrees cooler 75 to 85 in May and June. I have over head cooling, micro sprinkers on a great timer for the warm part of the day. In seed selection, I have heard that it's better to get a warm weather seed than one from a mild climate if I live in a warm climate. Is this true even with a cooling system? I have some great seeds from 80 degree climates and really hope they will do fine. What is better, an awesome seed from a mild climate or a average seed from a warm climate if I have micro sprinklers? Is this weather thing over rated? Thanks for any opinions. Jim

1/31/2003 2:55:07 PM

Chester Co., PA

Jim,
Although we have a heat disadvantage in S. Calif. we don't have to deal with many of the serious problems encountered by the North East (Orange zone) growers. To be specific, Squash Vine Borers, exotic funguses and mildew, hail, unexpected frost, and etc. Some seeds do better at resisting wilt, look at Boily's diary from Australia; they have had one of the hottest summers on record. He has plants that wilt down flat each day, but his 845Bobier is vigorous and gains 20 - 30 pounds per day at 110 degrees. Also there was an 1100-pound pumpkin grown in Napa Co., Calif. last summer. So seeds with genetic tolerance to heat can make a difference.
Look at where the record pumpkins are grown each year they come from north of 45 degrees latitude. The weather is cooler there but they also have more hours of sunlight in the summer then southern states. My opinion is that misting can make a difference and seeds from a mild climate might be heat tolerant unless proven otherwise.

1/31/2003 4:05:25 PM

Caceres, mid west of Spain

I live in the same latitude as Columbus, OH, and summers here are warm, but dry, then I hope refreshing irrigation work fine. Also Boily's experience cheers me up a lot. He has to deal with even much hotter summer and is doing it very very well. I plan to plant proven seeds that have shown big offspring in, preferably, places with high peak temperatures, like SD, OH, IA, NY.
Irrigate early in the morning, except pollination days, and several times in the middle of the hottest days (up to 16 times, 2-3 min each), also the best amendments for the soil, a lot of compost and pH adjusted, can help the plants to fight against the summer heat.
I hope....... and I trust.
Good luck,
Don

2/1/2003 4:37:35 AM