Hot Weather

The weather nowadays is wilting my poor plants. It is so hot, I've had to put nets all over the farm to shield the plants form the intense heat. Despite the stifling weather my tomatoes are fruiting nicely. The herbs, mustard greens and arugula are also doing well, even without the nets. The problem is the soil dries much faster so we have to water more often and the leaves of the fruiting plants droop and some turn brown. The netting should shield the plants from to much sun. One thing that's thriving in this heat are the African Marigolds. I had more of the marigolds seeded and will plant them in borders. These marigolds are also edible so I'm eager to try them on salads and use them to decorate sweets. What I'm having a hard time with are the peppers and eggplant and the problem has nothing to do with the heat. These plants bear one fruit at a time and take a long time for even that one fruit to come about. I figured it is from the way the pants are being watered. The pepper and eggplant plants do bear numerous flowers but then come to bear single fruits. I think the farmers probably water the flowers off, so I gave instructions to water only the ground around the plants and not the tops. Hope that works. Being in the farming business certainly teaches one a lot of patience.