Garden Chores Can Wait: My Summer Heat Survival Playbook

Garden Chores I Ignore When Temperatures Soar

It was 97° and I tried to garden. Tried. 🌡️🫠

🐔 I stepped outside to give our chickens fresh food and water.

📝 That was the plan. Quick. Simple.

But then I saw it…

Our flock had scratched all the soil away from our Chindo Viburnum.

The poor plant was wilting.
Leaves dropping.
Roots literally showing.

I had to fix it—like, now-now.

🧱 I grabbed leftover firepit stones and built a quick raised bed.
🌱 Added soil and mulch.
💦 Set the hose on low and let the water drip in slowly.

Crisis handled.

But then I kept going…adding mulch here and there. Because mulch locks in moisture when it’s hot and insulates roots when it’s cold.

I already mulched in spring, but I circled back to fill the spots I missed.

After that, I just kept finding more and more to do…

Because somehow, rest is the one chore I keep forgetting exists. 😵‍💫

Then I got a text from my husband…

📱 Screenshot: 97 degrees

📱 Are you ok? It’s really hot outside?

I sent back a lol — because even though I was outside, I didn’t realize it was nearly 100°…

His reply? 📱 Babe, why are you laughing? It’s really hot right now.

And he was right.

Gardening in extreme heat is not just uncomfortable — it’s risky…

For you and your plants.
It can burn you out.
Stress plants out.

And leave you wishing the summer would just hurry up and go away.

My Summer Heat Survival Playbook ☀️

That’s why I’ve got a go-to plan now.

My personal Summer Heat Survival Playbook for safe gardening in record-breaking heat. It’s all about…

❌ What chores skip.
⚠️ What chores tweak.
✅ And what to do when skipping chores isn’t an option.

Up next—how I adjust my garden chores when temps hit disrespectful levels. ⬇️⬇️

Pruning ✂️

Pruning in heat = hurting, not helping.
That means no snips happening in my garden right now.

And trust me, I want to prune my Snow Fountain Weeping Cherry. Because Japanese beetles made it their snack and some of the leaves look like green skeletons. 

But pruning healthy branches in extreme heat can:

🚫 Stress your plant
🚫 Take away energy-making leaves
🚫 Remove natural shade that protects tender new growth

So, instead of pruning because it looks beat up, I’m gonna wait for the right season.

NOW, sometimes a limb has to go–even in the heat. 

Like when it’s diseased, damaged, or giving emergency.

If that happens, I prune lightly during the coolest part of the day. 

Then, I save the bigger cuts for my fall cleanup.
Because I’m not trying to be out here doing the most. 😌✂️

So yeah, remember my cherry tree I told you about earlier?
It has to wait.

But pruning’s not the only thing I’m holding off on…

Fertilizing 🌱

Fertilizing stressed-out plants = a trip to the plant cemetery.🪦

I skip plant fertilizer when it’s blazing hot and my plants are in survival mode.

Why? Because stressed plants don’t grow or absorb nutrients like they normally do. Some even go dormant—like they’re asleep.

And feeding a sleeping plant?
Pointless. Risky. Not recommended.

Instead, I’ll: 

 ✅ Water deeply
✅ Add mulch
✅ Keep care simple

Because right now, it’s all about survival—not forcing growth.

And speaking of stress…let’s talk about moving plants around.

Dividing or Transplanting ⛏️

Disturbing roots in high heat = danger zone.

When a plant has been growing for a while, its roots are settled in (aka established). That means those roots know how to absorb water and nutrients like pros.

So, digging them up during a heat wave?

That’s like taking a fish out of water and saying, “Go live!” 😵‍💫
Not a good idea.

That’s why I leave this garden chores for cooler seasons—spring or fall. But sometimes I have to BREAK THE RULE…

Like last year, when some of my spring plants weren’t thriving.

Long story short: We got a lot of rain. My soil is mostly clay. Some plants ended up in soggy spots—and those plants weren’t the kind that like wet soil.

I chose to:

  →  Dig ‘em up
  →  Pot them temporarily
  →  Move ‘em to a shady, cooler spot
  →  Replant when the weather chills out

Most of those ‘emergency transplants’ made it.

A few didn’t. But I’m pretty sure that was due to root rot from all the rain—not the move.

Lesson learned? Unless it’s an emergency, I’ll let the plant chill.

Another risky move is spraying insecticides and fungicides in the heat…

Spraying Treatments 🔫

Insecticides or fungicides + temps over 85° = Bad idea.

It can burn your leaves—or just evaporate before it even works. 😩

But the thing is…

Bugs and blight don’t care about the forecast.
So, if I need to spray during a heat wave, here’s what I do:

→ I check the label for any heat warnings
→ I spray in the early morning or late evening
→ I wait for a cooler day if I can

🐞 Sometimes, I skip sprays altogether and go for a natural solution: ladybugs. Because ladybugs eat aphids, spider mites, mealybugs, and more. I get them from Pike’s Nursery—pop them in the refrigerator until evening, then I release them.

Know what else I’m careful about during hot spells? 

Planting New Garden Friends 🌸

Planting in blazing heat = shocking your plants.

I still buy plants during heat waves—I just don’t plant them right away.

In June, I brought home:

🪴 Osmanthus
🪴 Alaskan Cedar
🪴 King’s Gold False Cypress
🪴 Gardenias (3)
🪴 Hydrangea
🪴 Hibiscus
🪴 Cleyeras (2)

And they were ALL deeply discounted. 

What happened? The stores couldn’t keep up with watering and would rather slash their price than watch them die. 

Buying something doesn’t mean it needs to hit the ground right away. Sometimes, it just needs time to chill—same as me.

To be honest, some of the plants we buy during the summer are stressed and need to rest versus getting planted right away. Because instant planting can actually stress the plants even more.

So yep, I’m shopping. Just not planting. 

Planting in the blazing sun = instant struggle (No exaggerating).

It also leads to babying your plants more than normal too. 

Now, I’m still planting some veggies to keep my garden productive.

But I use extra care.

Here’s exactly how I do it. 🌱✨

✅ Water the soil before planting
✅ Plant in the evening
✅ Give them shade for a few days after. I have a shade cloth but don’t always use it. An umbrella or lawn chair works just as good (and it’s less work to set up).

Let’s Recap

When it’s hot-hot outside, I press pause on:

🚫 Pruning
🚫 Fertilizing
🚫 Dividing or transplanting
🚫 Spraying treatments
🚫 Planting new plants

Although that pause sometimes comes after I’ve…

Already been outside for hours 😫
Dripping sweat.
In nearly 100° weather.

But I eventually pause because summer gardening isn’t about doing everything.

It’s about knowing what NOT to do, too.
And what I’m not trying to do…is kill my plants. 💀🪴

Final Thoughts 💡

I hope my experiences help you see…

Rest is a garden chore too. Like, actually.

Not just an excuse—it’s part of the plan. 🧃🌱

Save the big stuff for cooler days.

Handle emergencies with care.

Let your garden breathe.

And let yourself breathe too.

Got any thoughts, ideas, or questions? ♡♡♡

Drop them in the comments! BYEEEEE