Lost everything last summer.

Hey. Evening light, June 9th. The day is settling. What's on your ground right now?

First week in the ground is when they're deciding whether to trust you. The roots are still learning the soil. What's the soil feel like when you push a finger in an inch or two?

That scar is still in the ground. Heat doesn't just stress the plant — it teaches the soil to hold less. You put them in last week. What are you watching for first when you check them?

If they're still wilting by noon, the question isn't when to water — it's whether the roots have found enough depth yet. A week in, they should be reaching. If the top inch is dry and they're drooping by midday, they need water — but they need it deep, not frequent. A good soak that reaches down where the roots are trying to go. What do the leaves look like when you check them in the morning?

Early morning is the best time to read them — that's when they show you what they actually have, not what the sun took. If they're perky at dawn and sag by noon, the roots are still shallow. If they're already soft at sunrise, something's wrong below ground. What are you seeing at first light?

You're not doing everything wrong. You're doing the hardest thing — coming back to ground that already took something from you. The fact that you're watching, that you're asking — that's not nothing. That's the difference between last year and this year. What's one thing you noticed today that made you pause?

They're trying to set fruit before they've built enough root to support it. It's common — they sense the season running and they panic a little. Pinch those early flowers off for the next week or two. Let the roots run deep first. A tomato that spends its first month growing down instead of up will carry you through July. Does that match what you were hoping for, or did you want to let them try?

Bottom leaves yellowing on basil that went in the same time as the tomatoes — that's the plant telling you it's putting energy into new growth, not holding the old ones. Normal. But check the soil at finger depth. If it's staying wet, those lower leaves are also the first to show it. Basil will yellow from the bottom in either drought or oversaturation — so feel, don't guess. What does the soil tell you when you push in?

You're right — I said that before I knew about the rain. The ground is telling you something different now. If it's been wet every day this week, the question isn't watering — it's whether the roots are getting enough air. Basil especially will yellow from the bottom if the soil stays soggy. Skip the watering entirely. Let the top inch dry out before you even think about it. The rain is doing the work for now. How does the soil feel when you push in — wet and clinging, or damp but crumbly?

I know what you've told me — basil, tomatoes, peppers, planted last week, heavy rain all week, lost everything to heat last summer. That's what I'm reading from. I don't have eyes on your soil or your leaves. I have what you bring me and the patterns I know from thousands of other gardens. The rest is me asking you to be my eyes so I can give you something useful. If I ever sound like I'm guessing, call it. I'd rather you catch me than trust something that isn't true.