One Hundred

Santa Fe is known for having delightful summers. The high elevation and sunny weather, punctuated by drenching monsoons in July and August, means summer is comfortable. Some afternoons get hot, into the mid 80s when the sun beats down, but evenings and mornings are cool and never humid. Bonus: no mosquitos.

But this July we've been in a heat wave that has set records, the result of what the weather service calls an extraordinary heat dome of high pressure over the southwest. Last weekend we had an afternoon that hit 100 degrees and not just for a brief time. It was 100 all afternoon, and the humidity was a scary 6%. For weeks it has been in the 90s consistently. And dry. Very unusual and not at all comfortable.

My self-installed irrigation system is dinky and not very robust, but it waters most of my gardens. I sit inside in the air conditioning while it automatically drips water into the rock mulch at the roots of the most vulnerable transplants and small things. It works. 

Although I tend to forget it's running while I sit inside and must constantly watch the clock and try to remember when I turned what section on. That occupies my days; with little pressure and just small dribbles, the system runs for hours. I need to get some timers.

Even the lavenders and rosemary want water now. I cut some stems from the biggest lavender and put them in a little jar to dry. 

During this heat wave I have been running my irrigation system every other day and hand watering in the off days -- so watering every single day. When I test the soil several hours after irrigating, it's quite dry again. I have to hand water all the containers. 

Mostly the system is just enough to keep things alive under stress and to let me sit indoors on these hot days, relieving my stress as my gardens bake.