Take it from someone in heat zone 10. Waltham butternut grows great in high temperatures, if watered responsibly. Male versus female is ENTIRELY random. Some years you luck out. Some years you don't. This year we're hitting nearly 100F everyday, and I have a bumper crop.

Oh wow dan, that's great to know that they can tolerate the heat. Not sure why mine are so slow. I've grown them in the same place for a number of years. Maybe I need to improve the soil (even though I did use some good fertilizer). If I never get anymore female blossoms this year, would it be smart to buy from a different seller next time? That probably wouldn't make a difference........it's just that I love my Waltham squash all through the winter and I'm addicted to it and want it back! Don't you think it's a bit too late, even if it did start making female flowers? I'm not sure it would have time to mature. But maybe we'll have warm weather all year round now!

I should add that squash tend to pop out male blossoms before they start producing female blossoms. That's because female blossoms are harder to make, and male blossoms attract the pollinators, so they'll be around when the female blossoms show up. So it might just require some patience. Good luck!

Shade cloth over beans might help some.

Here's what I had to do last year for my fall shell beans

Okie HU

Problem the heat causes: I get overheated and woozy and must retreat to air conditioning. Then my body does some fun temperature swings.

Vegetables aside ... I don't know if I can make it through this crappy weather.

Thanks Okie............I've been wondering about using shade cloths. I have a bunch that I've hardly ever used somewhere around here. It's kinda late for me now to do this, I think. But I really think the heat is here to stay, so I'll look for them to use next year. Hopefully the rain (in moderation) will still be available.

Dan.....there's still no sign of a female blossom, and winter squash take a couple months to mature, so I'm not sure there's time. What a bummer.

BlueberryBundtcake........I have the same problem outside in this heat. I've learned to drink lots more water ahead of time, which helps a bit. I sweat more than the average person and it's a drag. Anyhow........I have fears of this kind of weather being here forever (or worse), if we don't clean up our act on this planet. Strange how some of my plants seem to be doing fine, while others have just shut down. Can you get one of those iced neck things for when you go out? good luck!

Not completely sure what shade cloth would be for. It won't lower the air temperature much, though it would certainly slow down evaporation in the soil. To the extent that soil moisture is the issue, the easy solution is just to water more. I guess it might be of some benefit for seedlings in the heat. For mature plants, the soil is already being shaded by the foliage.

I am in Northern California, due to climate change we removed 25 acres of cherries, replanted , no commercial crop for 4 years.

In addition to limited water, we seem to be in the firewood business, vs almonds and cherries. Too much supply vs demand may make wine grapes breakeven.

Catherinet, I sweat very little ... that's a large part of my problem.

A Mat, so sorry about your cherries. Did youreplant a different variety or ?

Yes, a UC Davis cultivar from Spain. We are in Year #18, we have and had profitable crops.

Temperatures matter, ”chill hours” is our concern. And rain during harvest.

Good luck!

Blueberry..........I would be more than happy to share my sweat with you. :)

Dan , Shade cloth certainly made a difference in my fall bean planting . I planted the beans right in the heat of August so as to mature before first frost (zone 7a/b). I put the shade cloth up right after the beans started sprouting and kept it watered. No , shade cloth doesn't lower the air temp much but it does the soil temp which can be as high as 140 degrees at that time of the year which can cook anything that's sprouting up. And that's a lot of the problem of starting a fall garden ( at least in my locale). That and the grasshoppers. Can't even grow winter squash without the hoppers chewing it down.

https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/fall-gardening.html

Okie HU

Yes, I can see that shade cloth would keep the soil cooler IF there wasn't foliage shading the soil. Your picture shows seedlings, which is exactly that case. I guess what I'm saying is that if you have full foliage, shade cloth won't do much, temperature-wise on either the air or the soil. I have to assume that's the situation the OP is describing. Now beans do require full sun for peak production, so shade cloth would interfere with that once the plants are mature.

Well, I will say that STRESS reduces female flowers. To the extent the plant is stressed because of heat, that might be what you're seeing. Could also be nutrient imbalance. In the first case, it's just a matter of having enough water. No way to cool it off. As said below, for mature plants, shade cloth won't do that, and you need full sun for productivity anyway.

agreed.

okie hu

Would covering the soil around the plants with mulch help to keep the soil temp down? I didn't do that this year, and the soil dries out soooo fast in my raised stock tank beds.

In CA, mulch was used, now the trend is black plastic with drip irragation.

High heat and low water.

Weather is the Enemy of commercial agriculture.

Mulch will certainly keep the soil cooler. Think of it as insulation. Mulch is air-permeable, so as it heats up, it will cool effectively. Packed soil will not. Mulch also prevents air from circulating down to the soil, so it inhibits evaporation. Mulch is your friend in keeping soil moist.