July 2002

Edible

Sow seeds in mid-July of beans, carrots, beets, turnips, collards, mustards, and rutabaga for a fall harvest.

Water vegetables early in the day. Water deeply. Watering during the hottest part of the day (10 am - 2 pm) will cause loss of half the water applied through evaporation. Vegetables need the equivalent of one inch of rainfall per week.

Squash vine borers are hatching at the base of vines of summer and winter squashes. Check the stems every day for brown, button-shaped, 1/16 inch eggs. Wrap the lower stem with aluminum foil or floating row cover to prevent egg laying.

Do not harvest rhubarb or asparagus after July 1. The plants need foliage to bring energy into the root stocks to survive the winter and remain vigorous for next season.

Pick your tomatoes as they start to turn pink to avoid squirrels taking a bite out of them. Ripen tomatoes indoors.

Ornamental

Remove faded flowers on delphiniums and phlox. This may cause an extra flowering.

Pinch back snapdragons after blooming to encourage a second flush of growth.

Check the moisture level in containers often during summer months. With very warm temperatures containers may need watering two times a day.

Watch for earwigs. These insects are about 5/8 inch long, brown and slender with pincers on their back end. The pincers are used in defense for protection against predators or to capture prey. Earwigs eat aphids, mites and insect eggs. They will feed on marigolds, petunias, dahlias and hostas. They hide during the day in cracks and crevices, being commonly found under loose bark in mulches and under door thresholds. They are nocturnal and tend to prefer moist environments. They are attracted to outdoor lighting.

To control earwigs, remove firewood, plant debris, weeds and thick organic mulching from around the foundation of the home. A moistened rolled up newspaper, inverted old tuna fish can or and 8 inch to 10 inch section of garden hose can be used to trap earwigs. Place traps in shaded areas. In the A.M. check traps and shake insects into a pail of soapy water.

Drought - Try these good gardening practices during summer
hot spells:

• Water deeply. This promotes deep root developments. Plants are less likely to dry out. Plants need one inch of water weekly.

• Water in the early morning. You will lose 50 percent of water applied between 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. due to evaporation.

• Use mulches around vegetables and ornamental plants to conserve soil moisture.

• Mow lawn at height around three inches or slightly higher. Grass grown at a higher height will develop deep roots and will dry out slower than more closely mowed turf.

• Stop watering your lawn. Allow it to go dormant. Lawns only need 1/4 to 1/2 inch of water every 2 to 3 weeks to keep root and crown tissue alive. With cooler temperatures and rain your lawn will green up again.

• Watch for leaf scorch on trees. This is a non-infectious environmental scorch that occurs when water cannot be translocated to the foliage as rapidly as it is lost. Symptoms include browning on edges of leaves. Scorch will not kill a tree. Watering the tree will help to relieve the symptoms.

Do you have a dog? Watch for yellow spots from dog urine. Dog urine can kill grass. Look for dead spots with greener grass around the edges. After the dog urinates flush the area immediately with water to reduce damage.

Notice browning and dropping leaves from your trees? With our recent wet, cool weather, many tree leaves have been infected with anthracnose and other leaf spot diseases. Anthracnose is common among ash, maple, oak, birch, dogwood and walnut. Browning of leaves and buds is usually seen. Anthracnose is not usually life threatening. Most infected trees will outlive us all.