I think Georgia doesn't really have spring or summer, but instead opts for a mixing of the two called 'Sprummer'. The heat this week has been up the 90's (that's 32 celcius ) and a heat index of around 105 (40). And it's not even Summer yet.
In the heat like this there are some strategies you need to take. Shifting your watering time is a good one. I water my plants in the evening. The sun doesn't go down till nearly 9pm, so there's plenty of time. After the sun goes behind the house and the garden is in shade is when I start.
Wilted plants will end the day just as wilted if you water them in the sun, and you'll lose a lot of that water to evaporation anyways. Furthermore those little droplets of water on leaves will refract sunlight and burn holes though your plants.. Same as when I used to do contact juggling, a 3 inch acrylic sphere will give you blister if you hold it still in the palm of your hand. You can actually use them to light a cigarette. Or, in the case of someone I know - burn down your tent.
Self watering pots are what I've been using lately - they lose less water, and the evaporation of water on the top of soil can eventually lead to a build up of salts. Also mulching can lock that moisture down in the soil during the hot hot day.
For fellow vermicomposters out there - keep an eye on your thermometers. My latest bin came with a 'worm thermometer' - which is just a meat thermometer with a fancy faceplate on it. If you don't have one, get one. Indoors or outdoors high temps in the bin can lead to some heartache, and if you have an indoor bin with a spigot - remember to drain off as much excess as you can. That water will heat up and hold that heat. I had that happen to me just last night. at over 90 degrees inside your bedding you can expect a mass exodus.
I caught mine just in time (I lost maybe 20 worms total, but inside they were lined up to make the move). I put a fan in front of them and put some frozen bananas I had in the fridge into the top trays (I was a little late to make banana bread with them.. so I froze them for the worms). This took the top tray down by 10 degrees and gave them a cool place to hang out while the rest of the bin cooled down.
I cleared away the area around the bins, so I could see if any more were deciding to leave, and left the light on to deter them from leaving the bin. This seemed to work alright, bringing it down to around 85 degrees in about 20 minutes. I didn't have any more escapees - but this is going to be an ongoing problem as the workshop does get some heat trapped in there.
Tonight I have made some large ice blocks I'll be putting in to keep temps down. I'll be leaving the spigots open as well so as that ice melts it will drain out.
In the garden, you might lose some plants. It's a pain and you get attached to them, especially seedlings. But the weather will be what it will be, and sometimes you're just postponing the inevitable. Try and cut your losses and move forward.
If you're trying to move seasonally, and stay just ahead of the change, the upside is that for every plant that decides to pack it in, you'll probably find another that will thrive......
.....until the seasons change again.... to 'Finter'.
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