Welcome to this week’s gardening forecast! This upcoming week we’re in for some hot summer weather, particularly as we get closer to the weekend and early next week.
Temperatures are forecasted to climb well into the 90s for the rest of this week, this weekend, and early next week. Once we get into the month of July, temperatures are forecasted to be even hotter.
As for precipitation, we are forecasted to get a respectable amount over the next week, with areas closer to the coast likely seeing more than areas further inland. Most of the precipitation we are going to see will fall in the form of pop up thunderstorms, not any widespread rainfall event. This means some areas may receive tons of rain, while other areas may receive very little.
For the areas that receive little precipitation, the hot temperatures will cause the soil to dry out pretty quickly. This applies especially to plants in pots and soil close to the surface.
Luckily for us, this dry and hot weather won’t be too much of a problem. Drought won’t return right away because we’ve gotten buckets and buckets of rain in the past week, mostly due to tropical storm Arthur. Some areas in southern Mississippi and Louisiana have seen more than a foot of rain!
Luckily for us, the soil moisture index at the surface and at 150 cm (about 5 feet) below the surface, will remain high for the next week, with most days seeing values between 0.8 and 1. For context, soil moisture index values between 0.35 and 0.75 are considered to be ideal for plant growth.
Watering likely won’t be necessary in raised and in-ground gardens as the deeper soil is still so soaked from all the rain we’ve gotten. Some potted plants which drain easily may need some watering due to the heat stress, but not much will be necessary.
The real issue for your gardens this week is going to be the heat. If you have plants that can be brought indoors that are more heat sensitive, then this might be a good week to bring them in, or put them in a shaded spot at the very least.
Happy gardening!
