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Master gardener's lawn struggles to beat the heat

July continues to fall behind when it comes to rainfall and it's taking a toll on gardens

There's no denying it's been hot in Central Georgia lately, but not only does the heat impact how you feel, it packs a punch to plants.

"The asparagus has not done well," Master Gardener Kathy Yawn said, while touring her garden.

When is comes to Yawn's garden, she's feeling the heat in more than one spot.

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"I grow my cucumbers in a tire, and they grow up this fence, and I've been doing this for several years, because I like pickles and my grand kids love pickles," Yawn said.

But with the lack of rain, the cucumbers did not grow right, and were not usable.

"It just went to a bulb and then to a point, so eventually, I couldn't even water them enough," Yawn said.

She says cucumbers are not her only struggling crop.

"These are Juliette tomatoes, and they're almost like a Roma tomato, and they just have not had the tomatoes and the water," Yawn said.

Water is a key ingredient for plants, especially in the heat of summer. But, why is rain just so important this time of year?  

This time of year we have a higher sun angle that leads to longer days and warmer temperatures. Warmer temperatures from longer days ultimately leads to more evaporation, so the need for water is greater in the summer time.

Yawn says she will take all the water she can get.

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"Everything is green just from having that little thing of rain," she said.

However, she worries heat is only part of the problem.

The pollinators that help her garden grow haven't been making their usual presence.

"I don't see the butterflies that we normally see and the bees," Yawn said.

Yawn recommends raised gardens rather than potted plants in the summer, because it helps maximize soil moisture.

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