so hot last summer what to plant this year?

[<moo]

Last year in the northeast usa it was 95 for many days in a row I would go out and my tomatos were hot to the touch

watering 2 or 3 times a day cost me a lot of money and still my yeild was very low

my second crop was about useless and because it was so dry by the end of the summer all the bugs found my zucinni and cucumber plants which were about all I had left from the end of july. by september i snuck one last lettus crop in but it went to seed very fast and the harvest was small only when it was young

so this year since it is 70F in january I expect it will be very hot again and I need to keep my water bills down

installing a catchment or cistern is not really an option since i live in a development that has regulations but my garden is a decent size

So what do you guys think? I would like to have something I can store or freeze for the winter to offset vegetable prices and something that will grow in the heat I usualy freeze zucinni and green beans

also any ideas about mulch or using netting for a sunblock would be of interest too

thanks

[JoeSpareBedroom]

Did you use any mulch at all? If not, that's a major problem. You said watering cost you a lot. Water is cheap, so you must've been watering a LOT.

Who mows your lawn? If it's you, does your mower have a bagging attachment? If it does, grass clippings make a great mulch. Add one or two inches of it around the plants, but NEVER very close to small seedlings. There are other options for mulching, but grass is obviously going to be the most economical.

Use dark colored window screen for sunblock. It's far more durable and easy to work with than any other material you'll find.

[Jay]

I have been raising my veggies in raised gardens first because the soil here is hard packed clay and secondly I save significantly on watering. Last summer was particularly dry and regular watering of the raised garden beds added only about $2.00 per month to my bill. Right now I have a winter garden of collards, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower planted in late Sept. I have already taken broccoli and collards and will be harvesting cauliflower this week and cabbage in about two weeks. Jay www.greatgardens,org

snipped-for-privacy@an> Last year in the northeast usa it was 95 for many days in a row