Enjoy the fruits & vegetables of your labor!
July: Act IV
Continue your good work with routine garden housekeeping.
Fertilizing: Continue applying Pro-Gro to vegetables every two weeks. Continue applying Rose-Tone to roses and watering annuals once a week with water-soluble fertilizer.
Watering: Continue regular watering. Early summer has been exceptionally hot and dry. Additional watering may be needed. Water earl in the morning, directing the flow towards the soil and along the drip edge (outer perimeter) of the plants.
Deadheading: Deadhead spent blooms of perennials and shrubs. This will encourage bushy foliar growth and stronger roots.
Disease & Pest Prevention: Continue with the same protocol as June. Scout bug issues on potatoes, broccoli, cabbage and apply Bt or diatomaceous earth to combat beetles and worms.
Protecting Your Harvest: The first week of July, just as the first blueberry turns blue, cover blueberry shrubs with bird netting. This will prevent birds and other critters from browsing your harvest. Use staking support to keep netting from sitting on the plant. Flash tape on stakes among raspberries can deter some birds from feasting. To deter large pests like deer continue to spray Bobbex on the new growth of perennials and shrubs plus vegetables like beans.
Cover blueberry shrubs with netting if you don’t wish to share!
Harvesting: Now you can enjoy the fruits of your labor. You probably have already enjoyed some fresh greens, peas, fruit and baby beets. At this point it is important to pick/cut vegetables like squash and cukes on a daily basis. This triggers the plant to keep producing and put more energy into the next set of blossoms. Most vegetables can provide several harvests. Beans are limited to three or four that is why it is important to sow several rounds. Peppers hold well on the plant and if left unpicked at maturity they will turn red/yellow depending on the variety. Now is the time to eat good fresh food and experiment with canning/preserving your harvest.
Truly garden-fresh! Tending your garden pays off.
August: Act V
Routine housekeeping continues. Harvest, Harvest, Harvest!
August is a repeat of all the housekeeping details as far as irrigating, weeding and fertilizing for gardens and containers. In early August sow the last of greens like lettuce & kale for fall harvest. Disease like late blight in tomatoes and powdery mildew in cucumbers, squash and pumpkin starts rearing its ugly head. Use Serenade or Copper Fungicide and remove diseased foliage. By late August most insects are preparing for another month of feasting before transitioning to winter dormancy. Continue to be diligent about manually removing them from plants. Remove any remaining weeds in your gardens before they go to seed.
Use this time to examine your gardens and take notes about what needs to be moved or changed and then prepare new beds for perennials that will be divided this fall or moved next spring.
Gaillardia is a pollinator favorite, especially with bees. You can expand your garden and increase poliinator habitat by dividing “pollinator-approved” perennials. In addition to gaillardia, try dividing black-eyed susan, bee balm and catmint (nepeta) All are easy to grow and divide. They’re loved by pollinators, too.
Harvest! Harvest! Harvest! Eat Fresh! Preserve Your Bounty!
If you planted garlic: If its tops have already dried, pull garlic and brush as much dirt off as possible and then spread out to let air dry, under cover, for a couple weeks before storing. Remove any remaining dirt before storing. Canning and preserving freshly picked produce, especially if you have an overabundance, means you’ll enjoy your garden’s bounty into winter. Friends and neighbors will welcome a basket of fresh produce. Check with your local food bank. Donating your fresh produce can help stretch tight budgets and supplies.
Enjoy and share your garden’s bounty.
Gardening Calendar courtesy of Mill Gardens Farmstand, Orford, NH www.millgardensfarmstand.com