However, the smart gardener knows that this is a critical month and actions taken in the coming days will go a long way in determining the size and quality of the August harvest.
The troublesome heat and dryness during July can take its toll on the garden. Proper fertilization and watering play a significant part in helping plants cope with these conditions. Since so many of the vegetable crops have been in the ground for some time growing rapidly, nutrients quickly become used up or otherwise leached out of the soil.
Tomatoes, squash, eggplant, okra, peppers and other such crops need periodic feedings throughout the summer. Side-dressing with a granular fertilizer will give the plants the nourishment they need to continue growing and fruiting. Now is an opportune time to get this done before the real summer heat takes hold.
Also, I like to stake all my eggplant and peppers, and this long weekend is a good time to do this. Nothing fancy is required here; I simply buy six-foot-long green bamboo stakes (the threeeights diameter size), cut them in half and push them into the ground next to each plant. After that a couple of loops of string to attach the plants to the stake and I won't have to worry about the plants toppling over once they begin to set their heavy crop.
With the heat becoming a constant, hanging baskets and potted plants need to be watered daily. With
To avoid this, about every third or fourth watering I will liquid feed the pots and baskets with the easy-to-use Miracle Gro liqua-feed device. This neat fertilizing "gun" works great and is easy to use. You install a bottle of liquid fertilizer into the gun, turn the water on and press the handle and voila, the fertilizer is mixed in the right proportion of flowing water. Use this method of liquid fertilization throughout the summer and your pots and baskets will stay green and healthy all summer long.
SUMMER SQUASH HELP
It's been nearly 11 months since the last zucchini and other summer squash were harvested. With the bright yellow blossoms now on the plants, it won't be long before this delightful crop is back on the table.
This productive vegetable could quickly wither away if careful attention is not given to the plants, especially during early July.
The squash vine borer will make its appearance as the females lay their eggs near the base of the plants. Soon after, hills that resemble sawdust are evident, and it is at this point that the larvae have already entered the vine of the plant. To prevent this I'll use a rotenone dust every few days for the next three weeks on all of the squash plants.
A light dusting is all that is required, but to be effective the dust must get under the leaves at the base of the plant.
I like to sow a second crop of summer squash now as backup to the main plantings.
Depending on conditions, summer squash has a tendency to wear itself out by late August.
With a second crop planted now, I can be assured of a continuous crop right up to the first frost. If room is scarce in the garden, the plants can be started in peat pots and moved into the garden as space becomes available.
Buddleia, better known as the butterfly bush for its woodsy-scented flowers that attract butterflies, is one of those plants that defines the start of summer. The first blossoms almost instinctively begin to open on the very first day of summer and continue their display well after Labor Day.
One of the very first plants to return to bombed-out Europe after World War I, buddleia was dubbed the "flower of ruins."
It's a fitting name for the plant because of its adaptability in growing in a variety of soil and climate conditions. Full sun, in relatively light soil, well drained, is perhaps best suited for them, but they will do just as well in sandy, gravelly or comparatively poor soils. It prefers an acid soil pH of 6.5 or below, but performs well in soils as high as 7.8.
Varieties of buddleia vary in terms of flower and leaf structure, but most varieties have a very natural " unkempt" appearance to them. To some, this appearance might even become annoying as the large and heavy flowers tend to droop branches almost to the ground, but that is really part of its charm. I suppose large growing bushes (eight-to-10-feet tall) like Buddleia Davidii could be staked and the flowers propped upright, but I tend to let them ramble at will.
It's quite rare to find a perennial that isn't affected by pests or disease, but buddleias rarely succumb to much of anything. In fact, it probably is a good idea never to use any type of strong pesticide on them, as it would only kill the many butterflies that feed off its flowers' nectar.
I will lightly feed the plants periodically throughout the summer with an application of 5-10-10 granular fertilizer and a foliar spraying of fish/kelp mixture, but that's about it. As a native Chinese plant, its origin is bog-like, as they flourished along streams growing in thickets. My particular plants are set in rather wet, heavy soil and don't seem to mind the lack of good drainage in the least.
Buddleias have a tendency to become rather outgrown and scraggly in appearance by the end of the season. This is one plant that really benefits from a hard shearing of its branches. In early spring I cut the plants back drastically, in some cases, nearly to the ground. No need to worry, though, they'll blossom just fine and on "ontime' when that first day of summer rolls around.
FROM THE MAILBAG
Q: How does the pH of my soil affect the color of my hydrangea blossoms? I'd really like to maintain the blue/purple color they are showing right now.
- F. Aikens, Monroe A: It's simple. The flowers of bigleaf hydrangeas (macrophylla cvs.) are blue in very acidic soil and pink in slightly acidic soil.
It gets complicated where the actual color comes from, but I can describe it best by saying that there are watersoluble pigments within plant cells that appear blue when closely "stacked" together and pink when farther apart. If your soil is alkaline or slightly acidic (soil testing), then add sulfur or aluminum sulfate, which acidifies the soil and adds aluminum. Also, use acidic fertilizers, like the acid Miracle-Gro water-soluble fertilizer.
Have questions? Send them to Bing J. Carbone, 46 Winthrop Woods Road, Huntington CT 06484, or e-mail them to bjcgardens@aol.com.
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