#CORONA WEATHER MIDSUMMER SERIES#

Most plants and trees are stressed by the heat, and it’s uncomfortable for most of us to be outdoors. In hot-summer California areas, the period of high heat from mid-or-late-summer until weather cools during fall is the slowest period of the year for gardening. As I said in the Summerer post linked above, where is the joy and meaning in life if you don’t make up a word, or in this case a phrase, now and then?īikram Gardening is gardening with the sun like a physical weight on your shoulders and back, gardening with the exercise and the sauna occurring at the same time, gardening drenched in sweat and that requires drinking water by the quart and gallon, gardening to do whatever possible to help plants and trees that are stressed by heat, gardening to make one regret every bit of carbon humanity has released into Earth’s atmosphere. So, both humorously and seriously, I propose the term “Bikram Gardening” for the orphaned definition above. In an informal survey over the past few weeks, I found that many of my clients in Southern California are aware of this form of yoga, and some have tried it.

For those unfamiliar with Bikram Yoga, it may surprise you that some people, and even a lot of people, actually pay class fees to put themselves through physical workouts at high temperatures. Many of my readers who are active and health-conscious may recognize the term “Bikram Yoga,” a form of yogic practice that’s conducted at hot temperatures of about 105✯ and with moderate or high humidity. We could adopt the utilitarian “hot gardening” but that seems plain to me. It seems prudent to correct this gap in terminology lest we find ourselves outdoors sweating like mad and without the words we need.

We use the definition “gardening outdoors during high heat or even during insanely brutal heat” without the right term to match. Bikram Gardeningįor gardeners working in hot climates, our English gardening lexicon lacks sufficient terminology. It appears inevitable that the high heat of summer and fall in Southern California will persist and worsen in coming decades. With climate change, the future looks even hotter. For my articles describing the 5th season in hot-summer California areas, see See Summer and Summerer. Seasonally hot weather is the reality of summer and early fall in California’s inland areas, especially in Southern California’s inland and desert areas. Highs are forecast from mid-90s to 110✯ or higher for as far as the 10-day forecast can see. We’ve had a solid week of temperatures near or above 100✯ and up to about 114✯ in inland areas within and near Los Angeles. After a few short periods of hot summer weather, a long heatwave has finally arrived. I’m writing this article in mid-August of 2020. For other helpful articles, see our blog page Dig In. Home gardening is one of the safest and most-rewarding activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Safety precautions are important including sun protection, hydration, working mornings or evenings when temperatures are cooler, avoiding exertion and working for short periods only, and having indoor cooling environments available. Hot weather and high temperatures can be dangerous. See below for links to other articles in the series.

#CORONA WEATHER MIDSUMMER SERIES#

This is the 1st in a series of articles with my precautions, tips, and advice for hot weather gardening in Southern California from midsummer through fall. It’s that time again, late summer and early fall in Southern California when heat may reach 100✯ for days or weeks at a time in inland areas, and even exceed 110✯ during heatwaves or for extended periods in the warmest Southern-California areas. Hot Weather Gardening Part 1: Bikram Gardening

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Corona weather midsummer