That heat wave in July nearly killed all my balcony lettuce, check your pots daily

Casey Webb · 2026-09-07T08:45:05.789192+00:00

Last month we had 5 straight days over 95 degrees here in Austin, and I lost about 80% of my leafy greens before I caught it. The issue wasn't just the heat, it was that my black plastic pots were cooking the roots even though I watered every morning. I came home on day 3 and the soil was bone dry by 2 PM, plus the leaves looked like they had been blanched. I moved everything into lighter colored containers with saucers underneath to hold extra water, and added a cheap shade cloth clamped to the railing. Since then I check the pots twice a day and use my finger to test two inches down, not just looking at the surface. Has anyone else dealt with sudden heat spike losses on a south facing balcony, and what did you do to bounce back?

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That heat wave in July nearly killed all my balcony lettuce, check your pots daily | Balcony Vegetable Gardens - HW Forums