Definitely extreme heat is a factor in growing veggies in the Deep South. It's not just that our days are so doggone hot. It's our nights too. It can cause many plants to heat check, which means they will stop growing, and/or pollination can be disrupted so fruit stops forming. The daytime wilting you describe is plants' defense mechanisms kicking in. They wilt a bit to preserve moisture in their tissues and then perk up again at night. Hydrangeas do it too. The best that I know to do is to thoroughly prepare the soil before planting, being sure there's plenty of moisture retaining organics in the soil, mulch the beds thoroughly, and of course, keep the water coming. If you can keep your plants alive, they will resume production once cooler temps roll back around. The heat check phenomenon is a good reason to choose seed varieties that are proven winners in our climate.

Thanks for your reply, Donna. We'll just have to keep an eyeball on them.

I think we watered them too much, though, because our tomato plant leaves started to curl upward and some of the tomatoes have blossom end rot. Our soil test came back with sufficient calcium so I think the rot was from lack of watering because of the heat. We simply overwatered to compensate which, I believe, is why the leaves curled.

Julie