Some veggies like it hot... but not too hot... or cold

The last few days have broken the 100 degree mark but the forecast indicates relief is on the way for me and my veggie garden. Over about 90 degrees, even heat-loving tomatoes and peppers begin to suffer from fruit set failure. Luckily, lots of fruit had already set prior to the heatwave and it's maturing nicely.

Some tomatoes have been bred to resist high heat, and I do plan to grow one or two heat-resistant varieties next season to see how they taste.







At the other end of the climate spectrum, coastal gardeners have a hard time rounding up enough heat for good fruit set, particularly when night temperatures dip below the critical 55 degree mark. I think if I lived on the coast, I would require a Veg-A-Lot Greenhouse. These affordable compact greenhouses... greenhuts?... are manufactured by Doyle Doss, a Humboldt County gardener and inventor.

The tomato-obsessed (like me) would definitely require a Tomato Palace. It's a vertical beauty, but only one lucky gardener gets one because production has shifted to the Veg-A-Lot and there's only one left!






Here's the Veg-A-Lot press release and a few photos:

GROW VEGETABLES ALL YEAR IN A VEG-A-LOT™ INSULATED GREENHOUSE

Vegetable gardening on the Pacific North Coast is extremely challenging and very often heart breaking. Low temperatures, constant winds, summer fogs, salt air – all conspire to sabotage the most dedicated gardener's efforts to raise food for their family and friends. Now you can put all that bad weather behind you and garden successfully right next to the ocean with a Veg-A-Lot™ Insulated Greenhouse.

The Veg-A-Lot™ Insulated Greenhouse is specifically designed for adverse growing conditions. Five ft wide, eight feet long, and five feet tall provides 40 sq ft of insulated garden space. (You can grow a lot of food in 40 square feet!)

No need to "go inside" – the walls go UP↑ and DOWN↓ like a Roll-Top Desk! (Completely assembled and priced at $795-.) No wasted space to an aisle way – yet convenient and easy access to all your vegetables. It's amazing!

Solidly constructed of structural aluminum and wood to withstand wind and storm; the Veg-A-Lot™ Growhouse is glazed with Solexx™, a translucent UV resistant twin-wall polyethylene, which creates an insulating dead air blanket around your garden.

The Veg-A-Lot™ Greenhouse is superbly suited for raised bed "square foot" or "French-intensive" gardening techniques. No deer, raccoons, dogs, cats, or birds can get to your vegetables. No winds to dry out your crops, so watering is greatly reduced. Very effective pest control with minimal care and maximum yields. "Honey, I need some carrots, would you mind going out to pick a few?" (This could be you.)

GO ORGANIC! It is so much easier in a Veg-A-Lot™ Growhouse -- you have absolute control of the growing environment! I am growing eggplant, carrots, turnips, beets, lettuces, bell peppers, habanero pepper, spinach, parsley, cilantro, lettuces, arugula, broccoli, okra, strawberries, bush beans -- all in 40 sq ft, with room for more!

This truly is an amazing new approach to vegetable gardening, especially for today's busy lifestyles and high food costs. You can grow a substantial portion of your food in your own backyard and enjoy the flavor and improved nutritional value of fresh food. Um-m-m-m-m good!

Visit http://www.heatstick.com for further information.

Any plans for a Veg-A-Lot Shadehouse for Central Valley gardeners, Doyle? ;-)