The Piedmont Report

08/04/2026

Our tomato vines are already coming alive again with our temps easing a bit!

08/04/2026

Our tomato vines are already coming alive again with our temps easing a bit!

We are in the heat of summer, with daytime temperatures consistently in the 90s and nighttime temperatures in the 70s. Tomatoes often slow their ripening during extreme heat, and blossoms may drop without setting fruit because high temperatures interfere with pollination. Your plants are not necessarily dying. Once temperatures moderate into the 80s during the day and 60s at night, many tomato plants will resume flowering and producing fruit. Determinate varieties, however, may be nearing the end of their production cycle.

Harvest tomatoes once they begin to blush, meaning they are showing their first color change. Leaving them on the vine during extreme heat increases the risk of sunscald, cracking, insect damage, and losses to wildlife. Birds and mammals may feed on tomatoes partly because they provide moisture during hot weather.

Providing shallow water sources in shaded areas can help wildlife access water while reducing pressure on garden crops. Refresh water every day or two to prevent mosquito breeding.
Shade cloth can help reduce plant stress by lowering plant temperatures and may reduce surrounding temperatures by several degrees, depending on shade density, airflow, and placement.
Meanwhile, consider sowing heat-tolerant companion plants between tomatoes. Plants like basil and heat-tolerant spinach can shade the soil, conserve moisture, and increase biological activity in the garden ecosystem.

08/01/2026

NEW EPISODE!

Piedmont Report #158

LINK: https://mudcatblues.com/podcast/?name=2026-08-01_piedmont_report_158.mp3

Cora Mae Bryant & Joshua Jacobson – Blues Was My Best Friend
Guitar Gabriel with Tim Duffy – Came So Far
Neal Pattman & Taj Mahal – Shortnin’ Bread
Cootie Stark – Meadow Bottom
Willa Mae Buckner – Peter Rumpkin
Adolphus Bell - Black Man’s Dream

Farm Report – Summer Tomatoes

Belmont and Jones – World Gone Wrong
Ross Pead – Trouble
Buddy Moss – Too Dog Gone Jealous
Curley Weaver and Blind Willie McTell – Wee Midnight Hours
Sweet Betty – Aint That Good News
Sweet Betty and Bob Margolin – Coffee Break
Reverend Gary Davis – Soon My Work Will Be Done

07/09/2026

The Effect of Maintaining Taller Grass on Lawn and Landscape Temperatures

Lawn management practices can have a significant effect on the temperature of the soil, vegetation, and surrounding landscape. One simple approach to reducing heat stress in a yard is allowing grass to grow taller rather than maintaining a closely mowed lawn. Taller grass provides increased shade, improves moisture retention, and supports natural cooling processes that contribute to a healthier and cooler landscape.

Taller grass blades create a greater layer of natural shade over the soil surface, reducing direct exposure to sunlight. Closely mowed lawns allow more solar radiation to reach the soil, causing ground temperatures to rise rapidly during hot weather.

By maintaining taller grass, the soil is protected from direct solar heating. This can significantly reduce surface temperatures, with differences of approximately **10–25°F during sunny summer conditions**, depending on grass species, soil moisture, weather conditions, and surrounding vegetation.

Increased Evaporative Cooling

Grass cools its surroundings through a natural process called **transpiration**. Water absorbed through the roots moves through the plant and is released through the leaves, where evaporation removes heat from the surrounding environment.

Taller grass supports this cooling process by providing:

* More leaf surface area for transpiration
* Greater capacity to store and release moisture
* Increased protection from heat stress

Healthy, taller vegetation can create a cooler environment immediately above the soil surface, particularly during hot, sunny weather.

Improved Soil Moisture Retention

Short, frequently mowed grass exposes more soil to sunlight and wind, increasing evaporation and allowing the ground to heat more quickly. Taller grass shades the soil, slows moisture loss, and helps maintain a more stable soil temperature.

The improved moisture conditions also encourage deeper root development, which allows plants to better withstand drought and extreme heat.

Proper Mowing Practices for Plant Health

Regardless of the desired lawn appearance, mowing practices greatly affect the health and cooling ability of grass. Grass should not be cut too aggressively at one time.

A recommended practice is to **remove no more than one-third of the grass blade height during a single mowing**. Removing more than this can stress the plant by reducing its ability to photosynthesize, weakening the root system, increasing moisture loss, and making the lawn more vulnerable to heat and drought.

Allowing grass to remain taller between mowings helps maintain more leaf surface, stronger roots, and better natural cooling capacity.

Effect on Surrounding Air Temperature

While a single lawn will not dramatically change the overall outdoor temperature, taller grass can create a cooler microclimate within and immediately around the lawn.

Typical effects may include:

* **Soil surface temperatures:** 10–25°F cooler beneath taller grass compared with closely cut turf
* **Air temperatures directly above the lawn:** approximately 2–5°F cooler during hot afternoons
* **Greater landscape cooling:** achieved when taller grasses are combined with trees, shrubs, gardens, and other vegetation

# # Additional Landscape Benefits

Maintaining taller grass can provide multiple ecological and environmental benefits, including:

* Reduced water loss through evaporation
* Greater drought tolerance
* Improved soil health
* Protection of soil organisms
* Reduced erosion
* Less heat reflection toward nearby plants and structures
* Increased habitat value for insects and other wildlife
* A more resilient landscape during periods of extreme heat

Allowing grass to grow taller is a practical landscape management strategy that can reduce soil temperatures, conserve moisture, and improve the resilience of the lawn ecosystem. While taller grass alone will not substantially change regional temperatures, it can contribute to a cooler local environment when combined with trees, mulch, gardens, and other vegetation.

Moving away from excessively short mowing practices allows grass to function more like a living ground cover rather than a decorative surface, improving its ability to shade soil, retain water, and naturally regulate temperature. Maintaining adequate grass height and following the one-third mowing rule helps preserve the plant’s ability to cool itself and the surrounding landscape.

07/09/2026

Shade cloth can make a surprisingly large difference, especially during hot summer afternoons. The exact cooling depends on the shade percentage, wind, humidity, and how it's installed, but here are typical results:

Shade Cloth Light Blocked Typical Air Temp Reduction Leaf/Soil Temp Reduction
20–30% Light shade 2–5°F (1–3°C) 5–10°F (3–6°C)
40–50% Moderate shade 3–8°F (2–4°C) 10–15°F (6–8°C)
60–70% Heavy shade 5–10°F (3–6°C) 15–20°F (8–11°C)

The biggest benefit is that plants themselves become much cooler than the surrounding air. On a 95°F day in full sun:

Leaf temperatures can exceed 105–115°F.
Under 40–50% shade cloth, leaves might stay around 90–100°F, greatly reducing stress.
Soil also stays cooler and loses less moisture.

30–50% less water evaporation from the soil.
Reduced sunscald on peppers, tomatoes, squash, and pumpkins.
Better fruit set for crops like tomatoes and peppers when daytime temperatures exceed about 90°F.
Less wilting, even if the air temperature isn't dramatically lower.
Choosing the right percentage

For most vegetable gardens:

30% shade: Lettuce, spinach, cilantro, basil, and other greens. It extends the harvest without slowing growth too much.

40% shade: A good all-around choice during extreme heat. Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, beans, and pumpkins usually tolerate this well.

50% shade: Useful in very hot climates or during heat waves over 95–100°F, especially for cool-season crops.

70%+ shade: Usually too much for sun-loving vegetables and better suited for orchids, ferns, or propagation.

The cloth works best when it's 12–24 inches above the plants rather than draped directly over them. Leaving an air gap allows hot air to escape and provides much more cooling. Many gardeners also install it so it shades the garden only during the afternoon (roughly 1–6 p.m.), when the sun is most intense.

For a Georgia summer, if your goal is keeping vegetables productive through July and August, I'd recommend 30–40% knitted shade cloth. It provides a good balance between reducing heat stress and still letting in plenty of light for fruiting crops.

07/09/2026