We’ve certainly all been affected by the smoke continuing to be a nuisance throughout our area because of wildfires both nearby (The Bobcat Fire is closest to me) and further away (throughout the state!).  Besides the inconvenience of keeping us indoors with the air conditioning running, our concerns run to the safety of our vegetable garden harvests.  Depending on how close you are to a fire, whether within range of burning structures and considerable ash, or merely smoky air and a few scattered ashes settled onto your soil, these two articles will provide you with the considerations you can make regarding eating your produce or not.
 
1.   Is it safe to eat my garden produce affected by wildfires?
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/ask-expert/featured/it-safe-eat-my-garden-produce-affected-wildfires
 
Q:  We have a lot of smoke in our area, is it safe to eat produce that has been affected by wildfires?
A:  First and foremost, stay safe when gardening in an area that is experiencing smoke and ash from wildfires. Avoid gardening and other outdoor activities when air quality ratings are in unsafe ranges. Wildfires produce a lot of particulate matter and large pieces of ash (gray gritty material) that can be moved long distances and be a health hazard. You can get an estimate of your area's air quality here: www.airnow.gov
     Once the air quality has reached safe levels to be outdoors, then you'll want to assess your garden. Until we get our fall rains you may see a lot of ash on garden surfaces including your plants. Many folks in our urban areas may see only a thin layer of ash, but if you live closer to the wildfire or where the wind was depositing ash there may be heavier amounts. Use your best judgment and avoid creating clouds of ash that you might accidentally breathe in.
     Don't use a leaf blower to clean plants or your garden; just a gentle spray of water from a hose will work and try to move the ash into ornamental landscaped areas like turf grass or shrubs rather than areas growing edible plants. Wear a face covering at a minimum while doing this, wash your hands afterwards, and avoid tracking ash into your house on your shoes or clothes.
     Rinse the produce off outside (with a hose or watering can) and then give a second or third rinse in the sink indoors.
     Now getting to your question about safety of garden produce after a wildfire: The produce was exposed to smoke and may have ash on it. The smoke and ash won't be able to necessarily penetrate deep into the fruit or vegetable and so rinsing well should remove any residues. Rinse the produce off outside (with a hose or watering can) and then give a second or third rinse in the sink indoors. Peeling (for example removing apple or tomato skins) and removing the outer leaves of leafy greens will also reduce your risk. And wear a face covering as need, wash your hands after handling the produce, and avoid tracking ash into your house on your shoes or clothes.
     Again, use your best judgment in all of this. If your garden has a heavy layer of ash, was located near a structure fire (which creates different toxins than a forest fire), or you are at all uncomfortable - when it doubt, throw it out (into the compost pile).
 
2.   The University of California has a research-based publication on produce safety and wildfires that you might find useful: https://ucanr.edu/sites/SoCo/files/315093.pdf . This publication also talks about soil testing and other things to think about before planting next year's garden. Note: this source recommends wearing an N95 mask but these are hard to find due to the current COVID-19 health situation needs. 

Stay safe out there!

For what to do in the garden once the air is clean enough to breathe heavily out there, go to September Monthly Tips.
​

Fuyu persimmon putting out two differently-shaped fruits - pointed ones like Hachiya on left, and regular                                     flat Fuyu on right.

     Boy, what a way to blast into our cool-crop growing season - with threatened 115-degree heat for this weekend here in Pasadena.  Certainly brings back torrid memories of 116- degree heat a couple of years ago that fried a batch of my tomato plants, even with the deep watering I'd accomplished several days ahead of the blast.
     So, first off, go deep-water your garden NOW so the moisture can sink down to infuse the entire root system of whatever plants you still have producing in the garden before the heat actually hits.  For some of you, that's tomorrow.  For me in Pasadena, it's apparently Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.
     Second helpful measure to take before the heat is to cover plants lightly with cheesecloth or some sort of shade cloth, spunbonded polyester landscape fabric that will allow some light in but cut the blasting rays of the intensely hot sun.
     After the heat, the first thing to do is sprinkle the entire plants to help them rehydrate their leaves, spraying both topsides and undersides of all foliage.  I'd leave the cloth coverings on the plants for at least another week or so so they're not subjected to more intense sun now that they've been damaged.
      Also, deep-water to make sure root zones are fully hydrated.
     However, DON'T prune any dead-looking leaves and other damage that may appear next week.  You don't want to stress the plants even more by cutting off any browned foliage.  Despite any need you may have to neaten up affected plants, wait until you see new growth emerging - which may be more than a month - to see what actual damage occurred.  You'll be surprised how much more new foliage will appear in the areas that you thought were dead.  That's the time for you to trim off the dead stuff and even up any wayward growth.    
     More on this after the blast!

Transition Time in the Garden
     September and March are Southern California’s transition times in the garden, beginning their shifts from hot to cold crops (September) or cold to hot crops (March).  The hangers-on plants from the previous season are still producing but slowing down.  Seedlings for the coming season are just becoming available at stores, and seeds will begin germinating because of the changing air and soil temperatures. 
     But because we don’t know what kind of weather the next couple of months will bring, we can sow and transplant a last batch of warm-season crops like beans and cucumbers, okra, pepper and squash – as long as their maturity dates are no more than about 70-80 days, by which time it certainly (!) will be too cool for them to ripen properly.  And if the weather gets too cool before them, at least we tried a few in case the weather would have complied.
     If you want to concentrate now on starting cool-season crops, it’s time to get the soil beds cleared and amended so they can “cure” for a couple of weeks of microorganism activity before sowing and transplanting.  The mixture of manure and compost and other amendments like coffee grounds that have been incorporated and well watered will heat up as the microorganisms do their thing; when the soil feels comfortable again after a couple of weeks, you can sow seeds and transplant seedlings without risk of overheating them.
     So spend time now purchasing seeds of the crops you’ll be sowing.  
     The seeds of crops that will germinate at the top optimum soil temperature range of 85 degrees include asparagus, beet, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, Swiss chard, collards, kale, kohlrabi, leek, onion, parsley and radish.  So, sow these as soon as you can.
     Crops whose top range is a bit cooler – 75 to 80 – include amaranth, artichoke, arugula, fava bean, celery, endive, fennel, lettuce, mache, mustard, parsnip, pea, radicchio, rutabaga and spinach.  So wait another month or so to sow these.
     All of these have minimum temperatures down to 60 or 70 degrees, so keep repeat sowing them through the fall and winter and early spring for continuous harvests.
     If you have seed packets that are a couple of years old, the seeds may still be viable but with a lower germination rate, so sow them pretty thickly to see if you’ll get enough to germinate for your family’s use.
     Keep seedbeds moist and shaded from hot afternoon sun until the seedlings develop two to four true leaves.  Mulch the soil lightly to hold moisture for better germination
     Several companies offer individual varieties and collections of California wildflowers that are grouped by color or geographic area or other characteristics such as drought resistance.
     Bulbs to plant for spring bloom can be purchased now for first-choice quality. These include alliums, amaryllis, anemones, brodiaeas, crocuses, daffodils, freesias (so fragrant!), fritillarias, galanthus, baby glads, glory-of-the-snows, grape and Dutch and wood hyacinths, Dutch irises, ixias, leucojums, lycoris, montbretias, narcissus, paperwhites, peonies, ranunculus, scilla, snowdrops, sparaxis, tigridia, tritonia, triteleia, tulips, dog-tooth violets, watsonias, and winter aconites. 
     Choose big, plump bulbs, as these have the most stored food and will produce the largest and most numerous blooms over the longest period of time. They cost a bit more, but they'll provide a great deal more pleasure when they bloom. 
     Refrigerate hyacinths and tulips for six to eight weeks before planting them in November.  However, keep them away from apples and bananas, whose ethylene gas will destroy the flower bulbs ability to bloom.

More Garden Tasks
For more garden tasks, see September Monthly Tips.

Here's a walk through a garden showing how many of these repurposed tools can be utilized.

     Dreaming about buying that new "perfect" tool?  Forget it.  Recycling and repurposing - inventing new uses for household items - can be more productive and certainly less expensive.  Some items can gain whole new lives as garden tools, and developing new uses for dependable old standbys can open a whole new world of possibilities.  All of these "new" tools will ease your gardening chores for many years, and you'll feel the pride and delight that comes with creating a new use for what might have been discarded.
       Here are 50 ways to get started.
 
FROM THE KITCHEN
 
1.            Save boxes just wide enough for seed packets to stand up.  Sort packets by planting season, and put each group in its own box.   Within each season, arrange packets alphabetically, or group them into early-, middle-, and late-season use.  When you're ready to sow, the packets for that time will be together already, with no searching.
2.            Use empty citrus rinds for the simplest seed-starting container of all.  Just fill the rind with potting soil, place one or two seeds in each, support it upright, and water to moisten the mix.  Thin later to one seedling per rind.  Transplant the whole unit into the garden.  The rind will decay into the soil, and the roots will benefit by the fertilizer close at hand.
3.            Use pint-size plastic mesh berry or cherry tomato baskets to start seeds indoors.   Cucurbits--cucumbers, melons, squash--and other plants that don't like to be transplanted do especially well with this method.  Line the baskets with one or two thicknesses of newspaper or paper towel, fill them with potting mix, and sow four or five seeds in each.  Thin seedlings later to one or two plants; three if they'll be planted in hills, as for melons.  The baskets allow plenty of room for root growth.  When the weather outside is warm and settled, plant the baskets, making sure the soil is mounded over the plastic and the newspaper.  There'll be no transplant shock, and the roots will grow through the paper and mesh into surrounding fertilized soil.  At the end of the season, lift, clean, and store the baskets for future use.
4.            Keep vegetable and flower row/bed labels bunched together with rubber bands or twist-ties from sandwich bags.  Make a grouping for each individual vegetable, with all the varieties in that one bunch.  This makes searching easier the next time you plant, whether in several weeks or next year. 
5.            An old fork or spoon will separate and lift seedlings gently from flats, and the handle--or a pencil or ice cream stick--can be used to ease transplants from individual growing pockets in segmented flats--all without damaging the tender roots. 
6.            An old paring or putty knife can be used to cut transplants out of a flat or as a harvesting aid.
7.            Slit open plastic dry cleaning bags for lightweight sheeting over newly seeded flats or beds.  Outdoors, anchor the sides to keep it from blowing away.  Remove the sheeting when the seedlings are an inch tall.
8.            Cheesecloth staked over a seed bed or a transplanted seedling helps in several ways.  It protects the bed from hard rains and overhead irrigation.  When the sides are anchored down, it keeps snails and birds out.
9.            Slip half-gallon milk cartons with the tops and bottoms cut off over celery plants to blanch them as they grow. 
10.         Use plastic mesh baskets from cherry tomatoes or strawberries to protect newly-sprouted seedlings such as corn, cucumber, melons, and squash from birds.  By the time the seedlings are tall enough to reach through the tops of the baskets, they are no longer as tender and detectible as the birds prefer.
11.         Use plastic or metal cans (or those ever-useful plastic berry baskets) to support melons and squash as they mature.  These supports will keep the fruits above the soil surface so they are out of range of many soil-borne insects and diseases.
12.         Metal cans under melons concentrate the sun's warmth and transfer it to the maturing fruit, resulting in sweeter melons ripening earlier in the season. 
13.         Use refrigerator and oven racks covered with cheesecloth to make a "sandwich" rack for drying fruit or herbs. Place cheesecloth on one rack, and spread out the fruit on it.  Cover the fruit with another layer of cheesecloth, and place the second rack on top.  Flip the "sandwich" each time the fruit needs to be turned for even drying.  Bread and cake cooling racks also work well.
14.         Use inexpensive household rubber gloves during wet weather for all but the roughest garden chores.  They will not absorb moisture, and they'll insulate your fingers from the cold better than will cloth gloves, especially when they get wet.
15.         Save sets of jars for sorting and storing seeds you've collected.  Use the same type of jar for each type of seed for quick sorting.  Choose the jar size to match the quantity of seeds you have.  Place them together on a shelf for quick, at-a-glance recognition and easy retrieval. 
16.         Use a lightweight plastic garbage can to haul around the yard when weed¬ing or pruning. Periodically, empty its contents into central disposal cans, and continue collecting.  You won't strain yourself carting around a heavy container, and this saved energy can go into further gardening.
17.         Use common household baking soda to get rid of mildew in your home and garden.  Dissolve five tablespoons of the soda in a gallon of water.  Spray or wipe the solution on windowsills, porch, or other mildewed areas, and let it dry for 30 minutes.  Rinse the area, scrubbing with a plastic brush if necessary.  Spray it onto plant leaves weekly or after rain or overhead irrigation. 
18.         Use a coffee can with two plastic lids to protect the connection of two extension cords outdoors from the weather.  Remove the metal bottom from the can.  Slit each plastic lid from one edge to the center, and enlarge a center hole in each lid to be slightly smaller in diameter than the cord.  Slide the can over the end of one cord, connect the cords, center the connection in the can, and slip on the lids.  Keep the slits pointed downward to allow drainage, in case of condensation.
              
FROM THE GARAGE
 
19.         Create a "glove trap" by attaching a mousetrap to the wall near an entrance to the garden.  The gloves will be easily accessible and can dry quickly.
20.         Use a shallow, compartmented, plastic basket with a handle as a garden carryall for seed packets, pruners, trowel, fork, and other small items.  Before each day's initial trip into the garden, replenish the basket with seed packets appropriate for planting at that time.   As empty spots develop in the garden, plant a few seeds of carrots, lettuce, parsley, etc.
21.         Tie twine through the springs of two clothespins, and clamp the pins to a trellis on each side of a cucumber, pea, or other reluctant climbing vine.  The clothespins allow easy moving or readjustment of the tension on the twine without a lot of tying and untying knots hidden in the plant foliage. 
22.         Use a child's wagon for hauling moderate amounts of fertilizer or tools into the garden.  Its four-wheeled stability makes the effort easy when a wheelbarrow-sized amount is unnecessary.
23.         Place a rubber washer around a length of dowel at the correct planting depth to punch planting holes for seeds like corn and beans without bending.  The washer can be moved up or down the dowel to adjust for different seed depths. 
24.         Use a long section of pipe to direct seeds into premade holes without bending.  Just drop the seed in at the top.  When the seeds are in their holes, push a bit of soil over them with the end of the pipe. 
25.         Bury five-gallon and larger plant containers as irrigation funnels in between large plants such as tomatoes, or at the center of hills of beans, melons, or squash.  The containers prevent the hole from filling up with soil with successive watering.  The drainage holes at the bottom of the containers serve as funnels for water and fertilizer solutions to flow directly to plant root zones.  Place a shovelful of manure in the container for manure tea each time the plant is watered. 
26.         Place a few buckets around the garden as handy waste baskets.  Two can be left at each location--one for items destined for the compost pile, and the other for items to be discarded.  Inexpensive galvanized pails, plastic paint buckets, and five-gallon plant containers are ideal. 
27.         Use pliers to pull up tree seedlings without having them break off at ground level and grow back stronger than ever.  Grasp the stem at the soil line, carefully winding it around the pliers, and pull upward.  The whole root system will come out.  Watering deeply the day or two before will ease the pulling.
28.         Use masking tape for handy labels on containers.   Stick a strip of the tape onto a container of a concentrated solution such as liquid fertilizer, and write abbreviated instructions on it with indelible ink.  Refer to the simplified version on the tape each time you need it, rather than searching for and rereading the container's more lengthy and detailed directions.
29.         Paint tool handles and hose nozzle heads with a bright color of exterior enamel paint for easy retrieval in the garden, especially when they are forgotten or mislaid. 
30.         Use a garden hose to help plan a curved landscape area.  Its position can be easily changed until the desired shape is attained. 
              
PLASTIC GALLON MILK OR WATER JUGS:  THE KING OF RECYCLABLES
              
31.         Cut strips from the flat center portion of plastic jugs for use as plant labels.  Use pens with indelible ink to write on them.
32.         Use jug bottoms as saucers for pots, shallow starting trays, or cutworm guards.  For the guards, cut a slit from one side to the center, and remove an inch-wide hole at the center for the plant stem.  Slip the plastic into place, with the bowl directed downwards.
33.         With tops and bottoms removed, jugs become mini-greenhouses.  Pushed an inch or so into the soil, the containers form a barrier to cutworms, snails, slugs, and other crawlers.  Rest the snap-on caps lightly over the tops for some protection from nighttime chill.  Be sure to remove them during warm days, however, or the plants will steam.  When the plants have outgrown the containers, they will be sturdy enough to thrive without their protection. 
34.         The jugs can be used as watering or fertilizer funnels for smaller plants such as lettuce.  For slow percolation of water and nutrient solutions into the soil, punch holes in the lower halves of the jugs, and sink them into the soil between plants or seedlings.  For faster irrigation, invert the bottomless mini-greenhouses, and bury them between seedlings so the jug is about a foot deep and the bottom edge is just above the soil level.  Place a shovelful of manure in this container for manure tea each time water is added.  Roots will grow deeply in search of this nutrition and moisture.  During longer periods of hot weather, these deep roots will keep plants thriving--especially contrasted with shallow-rooted plants that are barely surviving.
35.         The jugs can protect tender plants from late frosts.  Fill four or five jugs with water, and place them around each plant so that the corners touch.  This wall around the plant will protect it from light frosts by radiating the heat it stored in the water during the day. 
              
LEFTOVER BITS AND PIECES
 
36.         Use two-foot-long sections of bamboo staking to keep plastic jug mini-greenhouses from blowing away.  In the jug, cut away a hole leading straight down into the handle.  Through this hole, push the stake into the soil, leaving six inches or so sticking out the top.  No amount of wind can dislodge the jug from the stake.
37.         Support stems of chrysanthemum plants growing closely in beds by using chicken wire.  Unroll the wire the length and width of the bed, and stake it one foot above the soil.  The stems will grow up through the holes and support themselves to their full height without toppling over.  Setting up this support is easier than staking each plant, selective cutting of blossoms is easier and clean-up is quick.
38.         Short lengths of hose and "Y" hose connections with individual on-off valves can simplify garden watering chores.  Attach a "Y" to an outside faucet for double duty there--one outlet for a hose and one for a bucket or another hose.  Further "Y" connections and short sections of hose ending in soaker hoses or sprinkler heads can easily provide all-at-once irrigation of a small or medium-sized garden.  Any variety of shapes can be accommodated, from very long and narrow to square.  Tailor the layout of the hoses to the vegetable and flower beds as needed, and end each with the appropriate sprinkler head or soaker hose.  Adjust the valve at each "Y" connection for water flow rates as needed.  With sufficient water pressure at the originating faucet, many small and perhaps awkwardly shaped areas can be watered all at one time.
39.         Use an outdoor grill or fireplace to sterilize soil, rather than using your indoor oven or fireplace.  This avoids filling the house with the unpleasant odor from the sterilizing.  After lighting the fire in the grill or fireplace, set an old roaster pan onto the rack, and fill it with a mixture of equal portions of garden soil and builder's sand.  Cover the mixture tightly and bake it for an hour, stirring it several times to keep the soil evenly heated.  After removing the pan from the fire and letting the mix cool thoroughly, stir in an equal portion of milled peat moss.  Store the mix in a closed container.
40.         Save a "Y" shaped crook from pruning to scrape mud from boots, forks, and other tools.  A broad wedge is best for shovels.
41.         Save used motor oil to coat the metal surfaces of tools for winter storage.  Fill a can with builder's sand, and add some old oil for easy maintenance of shovels, hoes, and forks after each use.  Be sure to choose a can with no drainage holes that is deep and wide enough to accommodate the whole shovel blade and fork tines. 
42.         Apply used motor oil to the underside of the mower housing before you mow the lawn each time.  The oil inhibits rust and helps prevent grass clippings from sticking, making cleanup easier.  Coat all the metal surfaces before storing the mower for the winter.
43.         Make a garden colander by replacing the bottom of a wooden box with half-inch hardware cloth or chicken wire.  Collect fresh-picked vegetables in the box, and rinse them off in the garden so that the soil remains there.  Only the final cleaning will be necessary indoors.
44.         Fasten chicken wire to a frame a foot above the soil as a horizontal trellis for vining crops.  Plant seeds in compost-enriched hills in the center, and mulch heavily under and around the racks.  As the vines develop, train them up through the wires onto the flat area.  They'll soon shade their roots and thus require less irrigation.  Suspended in the air, the vines and fruits are less susceptible to downy and powdery mildews, and to soil-borne insects and diseases.  Those insects that do appear are easy to spot and control.  The racks also help keep the vines and fruits above walking and weeding areas. 
45.         Save pantyhose to hang individual fruits and vegetables from trellises and to protect them from birds, earwigs, snails, and other munchers.  This works well for corn, cucumbers, grapes, melons, peaches, small pumpkins, and squash.  For trellis support, tie the pantyhose ends to the trellis, and support the fruit or vegetable in its own hammock.  For protection, tie knots at the top and bottom of the fruit or vegetable for a close fit with no entry openings.  The pantyhose dries off quickly, doesn't hold heat, yet stretches to allow further growth. 
46.         Make your wheelbarrow support its own load by adding wheels to the rear legs.  Anchor a bar to each leg with a "U" screw and bolts.  Anchor two small wheels to the ends of the bar with a bolt and washer on both the outside and inside of the wheel.  The smaller the wheels, the less the rear end of the wheelbarrow is raised.  This enables the wheelbarrow to be pushed rather than lifted and pushed, making heavy loads much easier to move with less strain.
              
MAKE YOUR GARDEN WORKING TIME MORE PLEASANT
              
47.         When planning several hours of work in the garden, take along a light¬weight chair, a clip-on umbrella, a hand towel, and a thermos with some liquid refreshment.  Enjoy a periodic rest and appraisal of your garden efforts.
48.         Pin a facecloth or hand towel to your waistband to wipe the sweat off your forehead and out of your eyes while working in the garden on a hot day.
49.         Leave backless, thick-soled rubber or wood shoes such as clogs that are somewhat worn outside the door to the garden for quick and easy garden access.  They'll keep feet well above soggy soil and won't require cleaning every time you take them off.  With only the addition of heavy socks or old padded house slippers (also recycled) during cool weather, the clogs will serve well year around.  In cold-winter areas or where pathways aren't mulched, heavier protection such as boots may be preferable. 
50.         Give your hands a moisturizing treatment as you garden.   Lavishly spread hand lotion or cream onto your hands, adding more under your fingernails, before you put on your gloves.  As you work, your hands will absorb the cream.  When you remove the gloves, your hands will have benefited from the cream rather than suffered from the moisture-removing soil.  Any soil on your hands will wash off easily because the cream or lotion formed a barrier.

HUELL HOWSER'S VISIT TO MY GARDEN

See Huell Howser's video of his visit to my garden when I demonstrated many of these repurposed tools -- Green Gardener -- under "Yvonne's Web Appearances" on my WebLinks page.

WANT MY ZOOM PRESENTATION?

I'll discuss these and many more tips and techniques and photos with your group, including the items highlighted in Huell's video.  Contact me to arrange -- GardeningInLA@gmail.com

SEE ALSO MY ZOOM PRESENTATION TO THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY GARDEN ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE -- under "Yvonne's Web Appearances" on my WebLinks page.​

     Whew! We managed to get through July without a recurrence of our 116-degree days from 2018.  Of course, we still have the rest of our hot season to come.
     Like memorable days throughout the year for each of us, we look forward with delight or dread to some of the good and bad things that’ve marked our past lives.  When I was younger and undergoing what felt like catastrophic happenings, I’d wished that I’d had some warning so I could emotionally prepare myself for what was to come.  As I’ve grown older, I’ve been thankful that I didn’t know of ahead of time of the stresses to come, so I didn’t have to suffer ahead of time as well.
     The gardening year is the same way – we never know how it will play out -- hot or cold, wet or dry, with great success or abject failure.  Of course, it always turns out to be a mixture of all possibilities.  So we figuratively plow on, exploring new techniques and plants as well as repeating our favorites. Now is a great time to start considering what needs improvement and what magic already works as we begin thinking about our cool-season garden.
     In the meantime, let’s move back out into the garden with some timely tasks and harvesting highlights.

Some Timely Tasks
      Lift melons off the soil surface to get them away from moist soil and crawling pests. Boards, cans, or plastic baskets from strawberries or cherry tomatoes serve well. Stop watering plants the week before they're ripe to allow the sweetness to concentrate and to minimize fruit-cracking problems.
    Zucchini are the blessing and the bane of gardeners and their neighbors.  They’re usually more productive than we expect, especially if we’ve planted more than one plant, and they keep coming.  I prefer yellow crookneck squash, which taste already buttered when merely steamed. 
      Continue to keep vine vegetables (especially beans, cucumbers, squash, and tomatoes) picked, whether or not you will use the harvest that day. If many fruits are allowed to overmature on the plant, the plant “thinks” it’s done its reproductive job, and it stops producing more blossoms.
     If your vegetables and fruits won’t be eaten that day, or if you’ll refrigerate them for use later, harvest them as early in the day as possible.  Research at the University of California, Davis, found that the six hours before sunrise is the best time to harvest because the edibles have been thoroughly cooled overnight. As soon as the sun hits the fruits or vegetables, the pulp temperature begins to rise, and even shading them will not delay the temperature rise for long. Each five degrees lower temperature when the fruit is picked will extend shelf-life for another three days. Tomatoes, in particular, develop more chilling injury -- that telltale graininess and mushiness -- when they are cooled after being harvested when thoroughly warm because the cell structure breaks down.  This is why you shouldn't refrigerate tomatoes unless they've been cut open.
     If you have kept plants well-picked, but fruit set has stopped, suspect hot weather. Fruit set will begin again about ten to fourteen days after the temperature stays below 85 to 90 degrees.  This is why we want to get plants established as early in the spring as possible, so they’ve set a lot of fruit by the time it heats up now.  
     To keep veggies producing well, continue to fertilize and keep root zones thoroughly moistened. Plants appreciate this extra boost in nutrition to use immediately in setting more blossoms and maturing their fruits.
      But during our extra-hot weather now, be sure to water the plants well before applying fertilizer, to fully hydrate the full root systems so the fertilizer won't "burn" dry roots.
     To re-energize vegetable plants, prune off their leaves that have become ragged from age, disease, or insect attacks. Then water the plants well. Healthy new leaves and blossoms will hopefully appear again once the weather cools a bit, and fruit set will begin again. This technique is especially effective with beans, cucumbers, and squash.
     As vine crops reach the tops of their trellises, pinch off the lead vine; the side shoots will take over the major growth and food production.
     Toward the end of the month, pinch off the last blossoms of eggplants, peppers, melons, squashes, and tomatoes. Plant energy will then be concentrated in maturing fruit that's already set, instead of setting more fruit that won't ripen sufficiently before fall’s cooler weather (yes, it's coming!).

My Tomato Tally So Far:  305 fruits
237 Cherry-size -- Sungold, Chocolate Sprinkles,
        Flamme, Chocolate Cherry, Isis Candy, volunteer
 68  Large size -- Celebrity, Black Krim, Black Zebra,
        Chocolate Stripes, Cherokee Purple, Cherokee
        Green, Big Rainbow

For more garden task possibilities, see August.

     "Oh,  yuck!  Those crummy bugs are all over my beautiful veggies,  and do those poor plants look sick!"
     Has this wail and lament come to your garden yet?   As long as there have been  nasty  critters  and diseases that seem to appear spontaneously  with  a penchant  for destroying vegetables that we've loved and labored over  in  our gardens, there have been solutions to be had.
     After  the  initial  disgust,  the  first  consideration  should  be  to determine  the acceptable level of infestation - just how much damage to  your plants can you stand before you feel that you must take action?  Just how many chewed  or  dried-up leaves can the plants stand,  and how much yield can  you sacrifice, before you are driven to counterattack?
     This  level  of tolerance is as personal as  a  taste  preference.   Some gardeners can't stand the sight of a single creepy-crawly beast or marred leaf or  fruit,  while  other  gardeners routinely plant extra to  accommodate  the anticipated loss.
     Generally,  concerns for the health and safety of our food, the soil, and ground water supplies requires that we use the "small guns first."  Start with the least disruptive action,  such as blasting pests with jets of  water from the hose.   If the problem persists,  apply increasingly destructive methods, such as narrow-spectrum  pesticides  for specific problems or pests.   Take these intermediate  steps, rather than turning immediately to the "one spray kills all" approach - because it  does  kill  all,  beneficial insects and soil organisms  as  well  as  the baddies.  
     If  the  current generation of plants can't be saved,  then certainly  an improvement can be made for the next,  whether in a subsequent planting or  in next year's garden.
     Remember   that  all  plants  are  determined  to  grow  successfully  to maturity - to produce foliage,  flowers, fruits, and seeds - and then die.  This is  their natural process,  and they will strive to proceed,  no matter  what.  They  will  be  more successful,  and you  will  benefit  more,  when  growing conditions - weather,  fertilization,  irrigation - are  ideal.  To what  degree plants  achieve  this  goal  depends  on the  quantity  and  timing  of  these elements - whether  provided by nature or by the gardener.   How the conditions in your garden are altered for better or worse will affect whether your plants thrive,   barely  exist,   or  die.   This,  in  turn,  will  determine  their vulnerability  to  diseases  and  pests and the quality  of  the  produce  you harvest.   In a word,  healthy gardens make healthy plants, and healthy plants ward off diseases and pests more successfully than unhealthy ones.
     The  most  important  means of combating pests and diseases  is  by  good cultural practices. Thorough preparation of the soil before planting or sowing is necessary.   Incorporating well-rotted manure,  a balanced fertilizer,  and compost will ensure that plants are given a good start in nutrition and proper drainage that will last through harvest.   Additional compost or other organic mulches applied to the soil surface will help to retain soil moisture, provide further nutrients, and suppress weeds.
     Growing  the same or closely-related plants in the same place year  after year should be avoided,  as this encourages a build-up of soil-borne pests and diseases, and it depletes the soil of the specific balance of nutrition that those plants need in common.
     Maintaining  a  clean garden means removing and destroying  all  infected plants and debris.   Plants that have been badly attacked by pests or diseases should not be left in the garden to infect other plants or offer a steady diet for  pests.   Even relying on the heat of a properly constructed compost  pile cannot completely dispose of the pests or diseases.   Organic mulches must not include diseased material,  particularly in the fall and winter,  because they may overwinter to infect the next year's garden.   Weeds should be kept  under control before they set their new seeds since many are the hosts of pests and diseases,  and they compete with cultivated plants for water and nutrients.
 
BENEFICIAL INSECTS:  THE GOOD GUYS
     Welcoming  and  providing for insect predators in your garden is  a  wise move.   There  are  limitations  to the value of purchasing  adult  predators, however.   Once  they've eaten their fill soon after release in  your  garden, they'll leave to find their meals elsewhere.   Some adult populations - such as the  ladybug - are  "programmed" to automatically fly away from their point  of release in order to search for their food.  In both cases, they will no longer be  around your garden to feed on subsequent populations of pests.   In  other words,  you paid for them to eat but one meal from your garden.   On the other hand,  if you provide them with their preferred forage areas, release them in the early evening, and sprinkle the entire area so the plants are moist, the ladybugs may at least stay overnight and perhaps remain longer in your immediate area to benefit your during further pest scourges. 
 
Some of the predators more commonly used are:
 
Predator (eater)           Object (eatee)
Aphytis wasp               Scale
Cryptolaemus              Mealybugs
Encarsia formosa        Whiteflies
Fly parasites                  Flies
Lacewing                       Ants, aphids, some worms and
                                         caterpillars, and eggs and larvae
                                         of other pests.
Ladybug                         Aphid, mite
Praying mantis             Wide variety (including their
                                          own mates!)
Predatory mites            Other mites
Trichogramma wasp   Variety of worms & caterpillars
 
     Another helpful predator is the daddy-long-legs, which constantly "combs" plants for aphids and larvae of other insects.
 
PESTS:  THE BAD GUYS
     Garden pests can be grouped into either of two major categories:  chewers and suckers.  The chewers bite to get what they want and include caterpillars, potato  bugs,  grasshoppers,  and cutworms.   Treat this group  with  filtered sprays  of pungent concoctions made of ground-up parts of aromatic plants such as  marigold,  garlic,  onion,  or hot pepper.   Many of these insects can  be eradicated with two sprayings of a tabasco-detergent-alcohol  spray.   Combine one tablespoon liquid dishwashing detergent,  one tablespoon of tabasco sauce, one  quart of rubbing alcohol,  and one gallon of water.   Be careful to  wear non-absorbent  rubber  gloves  and to not breathe the fumes,  as  the  tabasco liquid and vapor are very irritating.
     The second group suck plant parts.   These include aphids, thrips, flies, and scale.  Treat this group with sprays of a biodegradable insecticidal  soap or  oil solutions that asphyxiate the pests by coating them and clogging their respiration systems.
     Diatomaceous earth, when magnified, looks like a cluster of pins pointing out of a ball.   These "pins" prick the bodies of insects,  causing their body fluids to drain out.  While fatal to most insects, it has no harmful effect on people or warm-blooded animals.   Vegetables can be eaten the same day they're treated.   However,  be  sure to use only the type sold specifically  for  the garden, not the one to be used in pool filters, which have their “pins” rounded off and so are ineffective treating insects.
     Aluminum  garden siding or boards laid on the soil will attract a variety of  pests to the cool darkness underneath them.  Lift the boards in the  early evening, destroy the pests, and replace the boards for the next day’s "catch."
 
     I’ve compiled this information from a variety of sources including the University of California Cooperative Extension, California Department of Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture, Rodale Press, University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension, and Washington State Cooperative Extension.

Ants
PROBLEM:   Ants  may be in general presence in the garden,  but they  are  not automatically a problem since they do eat the larvae of fruit  flies and houseflies,  and caterpillars.   They may also "herd" aphids for their honeydew, however, and then they do become a garden problem.
SOLUTION:   Paint  tanglefoot on trunks of trees to keep ants and  the  aphids they  "herd" away.   A homemade sugar-and-yeast brew can be made very inexpensively.   Stir  together one pound of brown sugar and one-quarter teaspoon  of baker's yeast into one gallon of warm water (80 degrees is ideal).  If substituting refined white sugar, add a one-inch square of bread and one teaspoon of soil  to  initiate fermentation.   For the greatest yeast  activity  and  pest response,  air  temperatures  should be between 50 to 100 degrees.   Ants  are attracted indoors by sweet or fatty foods,  so keep these foods  well-covered.  Place  cucumber  peelings on cupboard shelves to deter them.   Invasion  paths into the house can be disrupted by sprinkling them with kitchen cleansing powder.   Planting mint,  pennyroyal,  southernwood,  and tansy by doorways  will drive them away.   Within a six-inch circumference of a nest entrance, stir in several tablespoons of Epsom salts into the top inch of soil.   Use silica gel to seal openings around pipes and treat areas behind cabinets.  Carpenter ants don't eat wood,  but they do nest in it and can cause structural damage.  They are fond of moist or partially-decayed wood.  Firewood that is stored outdoors should  be elevated above the soil level,  provided with air circulation,  and covered to keep it dry.   Inspect the wood before bringing it into the  house, and bring in only a small amount at a time.
 
Aphids
PROBLEM:   If foliage is crumpled,  curled,  and yellow,  and shiny and sticky with honeydew,  or looks blackened with sooty mold,  aphids are enjoying themselves.   Aphids  thrive on new,  young growth and excessive nitrogen  in  the soil. 
SOLUTION:  Add raw, carbon-rich organic matter such as straw or sawdust to the soil  to put the excess nitrogen to work.   Aphids are "herded" by  ants,  who "milk"  them  for  their honeydew and can be blasted from their perches  by  a forceful stream of water from a hose.    Spray them with a garlic/onion/paprika mixture or a  biodegradable insecticidal soap and water solution.   If the foliage  looks dull  and wilted after two days,  rinse it off so that the plant  can  breathe again.  Crush the aphids on branches, leaves, or flower buds - these "corpses" and   "bug  juice" warn off current and later generations.    Dust the  aphids with diatomaceous earth.   Place aluminum foil or white plastic on the soil or mulch  under  the  plant foliage to reflect  sunlight  - this  disorients  the aphids, and they'll settle elsewhere to feed.  Sticky traps can be made easily from yellow plastic can lids.  Paint the lids with a thin solution of honey or sugar and water,  and set them outdoors near an infested area.  When they have attracted and trapped many pests,   wash the lids off, reapply the sweet solution,  and  set them in place again.   Encourage ladybird beetles,  lacewings, praying mantids,  and syrphid flies. Aphids generally stay away from nasturtiums, spearmint, and stinging nettle. 
 
Earwigs
PROBLEM:  Earwigs are in the garden, eating decaying vegetation.
SOLUTION:   Most earwigs feed on other insects and are thus  beneficial.  When they become too numerous, however, they occasionally eat live plant parts. although their pincers look ferocious, they can't inflict real damage.  Trap earwigs by placing rolled,  moistened newspaper or cardboard near an infested area; check daily,  and destroy earwigs.   Earwigs also can be caught in a homemade sugar- and-yeast brew (see "Ants").
 
Flea Beetles
PROBLEM:   Many tiny holes in leaves,  with more damage in the  lower  leaves, signal the presence of the flea beetle.
SOLUTION:  Spray with a garlic/onion infusion.   For severe infestations, dust with wood ashes,  diatomaceous earth,  or rotenone.  Rotenone also kills beneficial predators,  so use it only for severe infestations.  Flea beetle damage seldom occurs once the plants have developed beyond the seedling stage.  Potatoes are safe to eat.  Black flea beetles stay away from catnip, hyssop, mint, rosemary,  sage,  thyme,  and wormwood.   Interplant cole crops,  lettuce, and tomatoes.   Incorporate organic compost.  In the fall, deter overwintering and laying  of  eggs by frequent cultivating of the garden and keeping it free  of weeds and trash.
 
Grasshoppers
PROBLEM:  If grasshoppers jump all around as you pass through the garden, they are probably chewing the foliage on your plants.
SOLUTION:  Catch and destroy them by stomping them.  Protect seedlings by  covering them with cheesecloth.  In spring and early summer, the young are most vulnerable,  and Nosema locustae may be the answer.   It is a protozoan that attacks specifically grasshoppers and some species of crickets.  Dissolve the spore in water,  add it to a bran mixture (grasshoppers' favorite food),  and then disperse  this  over the garden or yard area.   As the grasshoppers feed  on  the Nosema-bran mixture, they become infected and slowly die.  Surviving grasshoppers  retain  sufficient  infection to reduce or  inhibit  reproduction.   The infection is also transmitted when infected grasshoppers are eaten by  healthy ones.   In the fall, winter, and early spring, cultivate the soil and  destroy cream-to-yellow colored egg clusters that look like grains of rice.
 
Leafhoppers
PROBLEM:   If  the tips and margins of leaves look dried or burnt,  and  white stippling is on the upper surfaces, the damage is probably due to leafhoppers.
SOLUTION:  Dust with diatomaceous earth.   Employ lacewings.   Plant petunias, geraniums as repellents.  Remove and destroy affected plants.  Keep the garden free of weeds.
 
Leafminers
PROBLEM:  The leafminer leaves white blisters,  tunnels,  or blotches in plant foliage.
SOLUTION:   Handpick and destroy the infected leaves.   Grow  less-susceptible varieties.   Keep garden free of weeds.   Consider growing pak choi to replace infested  spinach - the pak choi's taste and use in cooking is  similar,  its  growth needs are the same, and it overwinters well.
 
Loopers and Worms
PROBLEM:  The worm family which includes loopers and cabbage worms chews large ragged  holes in the leaves they consume.   Cabbage and lettuce heads  may  be bored into.   The light green caterpillars and their droppings may be present. 
SOLUTION:  Handpick and destroy the worm and its egg clusters, and destroy the adult  white moths that flutter so prettily.  Apply garlic/onion/paprika spray or dust with diatomaceous earth. Cover plants with  cheesecloth when the adult white moths first appear,  to prevent their  laying eggs  on plant foliage.   For severe infestation,  spray with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) or  rotenone.  Lacewing larvae and trichogramma wasps destroy the eggs that the adults lay.
 
Mites, Spider
PROBLEM:  When foliage is stippled,  loses color,  wilts,  and may be  covered with fine webbing, mites have been at work.
SOLUTION:   Hose  off the mites and their webs with a strong stream of  water, including the undersides of the leaves.   Sprinkle the plant foliage occasionally – both top sides and undersides - to  keep it free of webbing.   Lower surrounding air  temperatures  with applications of organic mulches.   Spider mites thrive in hot,  dry conditions and plants with a calcium deficiency.  Maintain a more frequent watering schedule to eliminate the moisture-stress condition  which initiated the calcium deprivation.   Predatory mites and lacewings eat mites. Plant onions, garlic, and chives as repellents.
 
Nematodes
PROBLEM:   The  extended  family of nematodes causes  damage  to  plants  that results in the foliage becoming yellowish and wilting readily on hot days, and roots that are stunted,  knobby,  and distorted with galls.   Potato and sweet potato tubers have irregular dark brown sunken areas.
SOLUTION:   Plant resistant varieties.   Incorporate organic  matter.   Rotate crops.   Grow  non-host  plants for three or four years,  and incorporate  the plant matter into the soil before replanting host plants.  Nematodes are  susceptible to drying out,  so turning the soil and allowing it to dry thoroughly can help reduce populations.   Infested plant root systems should be carefully destroyed,  not  mulched  or composted.   Nematodes will not be a  problem  in biologically  active soil,  as the bacteria eat the nematode  eggs.   Nematode damage  develops more frequently on stressed plants where the root systems are unable to take up adequate water and nutrients. Vegetables which are relatively resistant to root-knot nematode are asparagus,  the cole crops,  and  sweet corn.   Cherry  tomatoes do not seem to be affected as severely as other tomatoes,  and they will produce well, even in moderately-infested soil.  Increasingly  numerous  nematode-resistant varieties of  susceptible  vegetables  are available to choose from,  especially of tomatoes.   Plant red salvia, dahlia, calendula, and African and French marigolds as repellents.
 
Slugs and Snails
PROBLEM:   Slugs  and snails,  which thrive in moist,  cool  conditions,  give themselves  away by their shiny,  slimy,  slick trails.  They eat  just  about anything that's cool and succulent.
SOLUTION:  Eliminate harbors - boards, debris on soil and around the perimeter of the garden - or use these as attraction areas, and destroy those collected.  Construct a yeast-and-sugar trap (see "Ants"),  or use old beer.   Snails love beer,  even old flat beer, but they can't handle it.  Any container with sides low enough for the snails to crawl into will do.   The snails will plunge into the  beer,  absorb too much,  and be unable to leave.  Dispose  of  the  dead snails,  pour  in  more beer,  and wait for another "catch."   Paint tanglefoot on the trunks of trees to keep aphids and their ant "herders" off.   Poison bait  can be  utilized  in the garden so that it does not come in contact with  it,  and neither  pets nor birds can get it - place some of the pellets in  small  baby food jars that are laid on their sides next to plants.  The slugs can crawl in to dine and die,  but the bait will remain dry even after overhead sprinkling.  Barriers of sharp sand,  powdered  charcoal,  diatomaceous  earth,  ashes,  or sawdust will get caught in the mucous membranes of snails and slugs who try to cross.   Reapply these after rain  or overhead  watering,  as the particles are most effective when they remain  dry and separate.   Poultry-grade crushed oyster shells gives planting beds a dry, rough,  sharp,  alkaline  surface which is avoided by slugs and  snails.   The shell  powder  is also good for raising the soil pH because of the  high  lime content.  Fences can be constructed of 1/4" hardware cloth cut into strips and attached  to  wooden stakes or raised bed railings.   Slugs and  snails  can't easily  crawl up the mesh;  but if they do manage,  they can't crawl over  the tiny  spikes  at  the top without piercing themselves.  Plant  prostate rosemary, wormwood as repellents.
 
Sowbugs and Pillbugs
PROBLEM:   Sowbugs  and pillbugs are generally present in the  garden,  eating decayed vegetation.
SOLUTION:  Keep soil surface free of mulch for a two-inch area around plant stems.   Provide  good  air circulation between plant foliage  and  the  mulch underneath.  Remove lower decayed plant leaves from the surface of the soil or mulch.
 
Thrips
PROBLEM:  When dwarfed foliage wilts,  is speckled,  curled, crinkled and papery, silvery or tan colored, and dies, suspect thrips.  Onions develop whitish chainlike marks on leaf surfaces and on distorted bulbs. Thrips thrive in hot, dry weather.
SOLUTION:   Wash  or soak seeds in a saltwater solution before planting  them.  Plant  seeds  as  early as possible so that the plants are  mature  enough  to withstand the initial infestation period in spring.  Unless the infestation is very heavy,  plants will outgrow the problem.  Dust with diatomaceous earth or spray with solutions of soap,  oil,  tobacco,  or rotenone.   Rotate crops  in three-year cycles.   Maintain sufficient moisture.  Keep garden free of weeds.  Employ  lacewings,  ladybugs,  and predatory wasps.   As with aphids,  foil or white plastic mulch disorients thrips, and they'll settle elsewhere to feed.
 
Whiteflies
PROBLEM:  Leaves that are slightly curled and wilt,  yellow, dry, and may look shiny  from honeydew or blackened from sooty mold may  harbor  whiteflies.  If white flecks fly into the air when the foliage is disturbed, their presence is confirmed.
SOLUTION:  Hose off both sides of all leaves on infested plants every few days with  an  insecticidal soap solution.   Destroy heavily infested  plants.   On plants  which are still productive,  remove lower,  heavily  infested  leaves.  Provide  traps of yellow sticky boards.     Whiteflies are attracted by a lack of phosphorus (plant foliage is a purple-green) or magnesium (plant foliage is yellow between the veins).   In the greenhouse or other enclosed area, utilize Encarsia formosa predatory wasps (they don't attack people or pets).   Also, use a  sticky yellow cardboard to attract and trap them.   Add  wood  ashes,  bone meal,  blood meal,  fish emulsion, or poultry manure tea to increase the phosphorus in the soil,  and dolomitic limestone to increase the magnesium.  Plant nasturtium and marigold as repellents.
 
Wireworms
PROBLEM:  Wireworms,  which are  most prevalent in poorly drained soils, puncture or tunnel roots.
SOLUTION:   Rotate the crops.   Trap wireworms in pieces of potato buried  one inch  below  the  soil surface for one or two days,  and  then  destroy  them.  Harvest  early  potatoes as soon as possible.   Plant late potatoes  in  June. Cultivate the soil several time in the late fall to expose the worms.   Incorporate compost to light the soil texture.
 
 
For more garden tasks for now, see July.

    With our 90+ degree days becoming more plentiful, paired with fewer inches of winter rains and more expensive water prices, I’ve reduced the amount of gardening I initiate during the summer.  
         Whereas I used to plant second or third batches of tomatoes and beans and cukes and squashes in late June, since our droughty weather for the last 6 or so years, I’ve given up adding anything new now that July is here.  
     The June-planted and sown veggies barely survived in the last several years, much less thrived.  And last year’s couple of 116-degree days wiped out several tomato plants and fruit trees, despite my heavy irrigating and mulching.      
     So what to do in the garden, especially now that I don’t thrive in the heat or bright sun anymore, so my gardening time is an hour or two after 6pm when the sun has crested the hill to my south, and my garden is in shade.  Very pleasant time to be outdoors! And this is just enough time to do any of a selection of activities before my arthritis decides that I’ve done enough for the evening.
 
     Here’re some of my projects.

Trimming Roses.
     The first flush of blooms has finished, so I've trimmed the long branches back to an out-facing leaf to encourage more new shoots and flowers to develop.
 
Repotting My Succulent Collection.  
     I’ve loved cleaning off root zones of old potting soil (saving it for the compost pile layers on top of the green stuff before layering the brown stuff), matching colors and textures and sizes with decorative pots that I’ve collected over the years, and placing them back on my sunny concrete growing area where I can enjoy them from my computer.
     As a side benefit, I’ve ended up with many babies that I’ve either included with the repotted mother plants or potted up separately for sharing later whenever we gardeners can gather again. 
     I must admit that this time around with repotting, I’ve gotten rid of almost all of the prickly ones – they’ve just grown too large to handle easily without getting stabbed, so I’ve passed them along to other gardeners.
     It’ll be another five years or so before the collection grows too much like a jungle again and so I’ll have to repot them.  In the meantime, the plants are enjoying their increased root space and new neighbors!  And I'm loving seeing them thrive and as each comes into bloom.
 
Watering Tomato Plants
     I water my tomatoes using two methods which keep plants happy even during a week or more of 95+ air temperatures before needing to be watered again:
1.  Directly into the sunken basin where they were planted so the water sinks directly down around the root system which grows straight down following the water.  I do have to pull out some of the soil mix that’s “melted” down next to the base of the plants every other time I water, to form a larger basin that will hold more water.  Even when this reveals some of the roots, the next watering will "melt" more of the soil to cover those roots.
​2.  Into the 5-gallon plastic nursery pots that are buried almost up to their rims, allowing the water to release out at the bottom into the soil a good foot down, directly to the root system.   
      While the hose is placed in the nursery pots, I use the couple of minutes that it takes to fill them with water to tuck tomato branches under the rungs of the tomato cages.  This is best done before watering, when the branches are somewhat limp and can be wrangled under the cage rungs.  If I attempt to do this the next day, when the plants are again turgid from the day-before’s watering, the branches tend to break more, especially when they're long and don't bend easily.
     And as of July 1, we’ve begun harvesting – 20 Sungold tomatoes and 3 Celebrity tomatoes.  Finally!
 
Watering and Sowing More Squash Plants
     We’ve been enjoying crookneck squashes for more than a month from the first batch of seeds that I’d sown back in March, with continued watering both at the soil level and in the buried 5-gallon nursery pots between plants that releases the water directly in the deep rootzone.  But, now the harvest from this first planting is slowing down.
     Coming into bearing just in time is the second batch of seeds that I’d sown when the first batch started bearing, so this seems to be good timing to have consecutive bearing without much overlap of too many squashes. 
     Now I’ll sow another batch of seeds.  We’ll see whether they germinate and then thrive and bear in another couple months of this hot summer weather.
 
Watering Fig Trees
     Following those extremely droughty years and loss of several stone-fruit trees, last year I concentrated on planting more varieties of fig trees.  We now have Celeste, Conadria, Kadota, Mission, Panache/Tiger Stripe, Peter’s Honey, Texas Everbearing, Violette de Bordeaux, and an unknown variety from a cutting from a friend’s tree.  
​     We love figs, they produce well even with minimal attention to watering, and each of the varieties bears at a slightly different time and with a distinct flavor, so we’re looking forward to a nice selection of yummies!

​For other July garden task possibilities, see July.   

Despite our best efforts, sometimes bad things happen to our prized tomato plants.  Here's a list of tomato problems and solutions that I've compiled from a variety of sources including the University of California Cooperative Extension, California Department of Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture, Rodale Press, University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension, and Washington State Cooperative Extension.
 
YOUNG PLANTS

Symptom:  Wilting and falling over at soil line.
Problem:   Damping off fungus.
Solution:  Use clean soil.  Provide warm, well-drained seedbeds, control excess moisture.

Symptom:  Cut off near soil line.
Problem:  Cutworms or darkling ground beetles.
Solution:  Protect  transplants  with can or paper tubes reaching one inch below  and above soil surface.   Spray with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).  At end of season, clean the area to discourage the cutworm from laying its eggs.
 
GENERAL PLANT GROWTH

Symptom:  Tops become weak,  pale, dwarfed, wilt easily, and die prematurely.  Yield is lessened.  Swelling on roots becoming distorted, enlarged, and decayed.
Problem:  Root knot nematode.
Solution:  Plant resistant varieties.   Interplant with marigolds (especially dwarfs) or where marigolds were grown and dug into the soil.
 
Symptom:  Sudden wilting of plant and rapid rotting of roots.
Problem:  Phytophthora  root  rot brought on by excessive watering  and  lack  of drainage.
Solution:  Correct irrigation techniques.
 
Symptom:   Deformed growth or wilt.
Problem:  Numerous  insects sucking sap.   Aphids found on undersides of  leaves  or clustered on new growth.   Whitefly larvae on underside of leaves,  adults fly up when foliage is disturbed.
Solution:  A few insects won't hurt production.  Crush them onto leaves or stem.  Spray with soapy water.  Natural enemies of aphids include ladybug larvae and adults, syrphid fly larvae, lacewing larvae, and parasitic wasps.
 
Symptom:  Slow growth. Leaves paling from top of plant down.  Leaves small and thin, with purple veins.    Stems yellow and rigid.  Flower buds yellow and drop off.
Problem:  Nitrogen deficiency.
Solution:  Apply nitrogen and compost.
 
Symptom:  Slow growth.   Plants tinged purple.   Leaves small and fibrous.   Delayed fruit set.
Problem:  Phosphorous deficiency. 
Solution:  Apply bone meal at planting time, and sidedress six weeks later.
 
Symptom:  Brittle young leaves that curl up and turn yellow away from stems.   Green border on yellowed leaves.
Problem:  Magnesium deficiency.
Solution:  Incorporate dolomitic limestone or a handful of Epsom salts at planting time.
 
Symptom:  Blackened  areas  at growing tip of stunted stem.   Terminal shoots  curl, yellow, and die.
Problem:   Boron deficiency.
Solution:  Apply one teaspoon of borax around base of plant and water in.
 
Symptom:   Yellowed leaves with green veins.
Problem:   Iron deficiency.
Solution:  Add acidic supplement such as leaf mold or manure.
 
Symptom:  Stunted shoot growth,  poor root development, bluish green foliage, leaves flabby and curled upward.  Few or no blossoms.
Problem:  Copper deficiency.
Solution:  Apply manure.
 
Symptom:  Small,  narrow  leaves colored yellow between veins and mottled with  dead areas.  Stems may crack.
Problem:  Zinc deficiency.
Solution:  Apply manure.
 
Symptom:  Very slow growth.   Yellowed areas between veins on leaves.  Few blos­soms, no fruit.
Problem:  Manganese deficiency.
Solution:  Apply manure.
 
LEAVES

Symptom:  Roll upward and are firm and leathery,  but with no yellowing or stunting.  Leaves on the sunny side of staked plants may often curl,  while those  on the shady side do not.
Problem:  Common growth, no harm to plant development or fruit production.  Too much leaf pruning, sucker removal, or overly wet soil may pro­mote.
Solution:  Plant on well-drained soil.   Do not cultivate deeply near the plants, and avoid extremely close pruning.
 
Symptom:  Roll upward and twist, become stiff and leathery, yellowed, stunted. Veins on underside turn purple.
Problem:  Curly top, western yellow blight.  Transmitted by leafhopper from weeds.
Solution:  Use resistant varieties.  Destroy infected plants. 
 
Symptom:  Yellow and green mottling,  crinkled,  and smaller than normal, shoestring appearance.
Problem:  Mosaic  viruses.   Transmitted from weeds and  flowers,  aphids,  cucumber beetles.
Solution:  Wash  hands with soap and water before handling plants.   Do not smoke  or handle  tobacco  before  or while handling  plants.   Remove  and  destroy infected plants.
 
Symptom:  Numerous  small dark brown circular spots on young leaves, becoming bronzed and withered;  older foliage is yellowed.   Dark brown spots or streaks on stems near tips.
Problem:  Spotted wilt.  Spread by thrips from weeds and ornamentals.
Solution:  Keep separate from vulnerable vegetables like lettuce,  celery,  spinach, peppers, and potatoes. 
 
Symptom:  Yellowing,  wilting,  dying  of lower leaves progressively up  the  plant.  Initially,  often  affects only one side of the plant.   Brown streaks  in tissue  of  lower  stem when split lengthwise.   Produce few  fruit  which usually decay and drop before ripening.
Problem:  Verticillium or fusarium wilts.
Solution:  Plant  resistant  varieties.   Use clean  soil.   Avoid  areas  previously planted with toma­toes, peppers, eggplant, potatoes, or cucurbits.  Destroy infected plants.
 
Symptom:  Distorted,  cupped,  or curled,  ragged at edges, curved downward.  Light-colored veins appear parallel.
Problem:  Hormone-type herbicides.
Solution:  Use extreme care when using herbicides.   Plants may outgrow damage if given good cultural care.
 
Symptom:  Irregular greenish-black water-soaked patches on older leaves which enlarge and may show a white, downy growth on surface.  Fruits develop gray, green spot which becomes brown and wrinkled or corrugated; may become mushy.
Problem:  Late blight fungus.
Solution:  Prevalent in mild, moist weather.  Hot, dry weather will slow or stop advance of disease.
 
Symptom:  Dark areas of dead tissue surrounded by yellow on oldest leaves.
Problem:  Anthracnose, a soil-borne fungus disease.
Solution:  Avoid  handling wet plants or planting in poorly-drained soil.   Rotate to new  soil each year.   Remove and destroy infected plants or  plant  parts after harvest.
 
Symptom:  Many  tiny round holes,  leaves may be so riddled that they turn brown and wilt.
Problem:  Flea beetles.
Solution:  A  few holes are not damaging.   Most damage occurs during the first  warm weather of spring, when plants are small.  Apply garlic spray.
 
Symptom:  Eaten or chewed, partially or entirely.
Problem:  Hornworm.
Solution:  If  the  worm is carrying white pupae,  let it be -- it's the victim  of  a parasitic  braconid  wasp  and should be left to nurture a  new  brood  of beneficials.   Remove worms by hand and destroy (sprinkling water on plant will make them wriggle, making them more visible and easy to pick).  Spray with Bt.  Release  trichogramma wasps.  
 
Symptom:  Greasy appearance becoming bronzed and stippled, webbing and "moving dust" on  undersides of leaves or in leaf axils.   Plant appears to dry out from the ground up.  Leaves turn brown and paper-like but do not wilt.
Problem:  Mites.
Solution:  Thrive in hot,  dry weather.  Wash  down plant, especially undersides of leaves.  Use garden  sulfur according to label directions.
 
BLOSSOMS

Symptom:  Lush foliage, but no blossoms and few fruit.
Problem:  Too much nitrogen.
Solution:  Incorporate a balanced fertilizer at planting time.   Do  not  feed  more nitrogen during growing season.
 
Symptom:  Blossom drop.
Problem:  Plant  is  stressed  due to cool night temperatures (below  58 degrees)  or  high daytime temperatures (over 90 degrees),  unusually heavy fruit set, lack of moisture,  poor soil fertility,  too much shade,  certain diseases,  exces­sive nitrogen  ferti­lizer,  insufficient potassium or phosphorous,  or an aphid infestation.
Solution:  Plant in full sun.   Large-sized fruit varieties are very susceptible where summers are hot and  dry.  Choose varieties which produce  small or medium-sized fruits.  Cherry  tomatoes  tolerate  cooler weather and set fruit better  when  air temperatures are in the low 50's.  Blossom set will resume approximately seven  to ten days after temperatures return to cooler  levels.   Readjust irrigation schedule.  Natural enemies of aphids include ladybug larvae and adults, syrphid fly larvae, lacewing larvae, and parasitic wasps.
 
FRUIT

Symptom:  Light-colored cloudy spots with pithy or corky areas just below the skin.
Problem:  Stink bug punctures.
Solution:  Remove  by hand and destroy.   Spray with insecticidal  soap.   Keep  down weedy areas if bugs have been persistent.  Plant smaller sections of crop, rather than large areas.
 
Symptom:  Hole at stem end and fruit hollowed out.
Problem:   Tomato fruitworm.
Solution:  Remove  by  hand  and destroy.   Spray with Bt or  onion/garlic  solution.  Release trichogramma wasps.  After harvest, turn soil to kill pupae.
 
Symptom:  Large holes or completely hollowed out.
Problem:   Slugs.
Solution:  Stake  tomatoes and place mulch or boards under fruit to get them off  the soil.  Harvest frequently.
 
Symptom:  Hollow fruit.
Problem:  Poor pollination caused by low light (dark,  cloudy days), too much nitro­gen,  heavy rainfall,  temperatures that are too high (over 90 degrees) or too low (below 58 degrees), or too much hormone fruit-set spray. 
Solution:  Set  tomatoes  out later in season and modify  environment  with  hotcaps.  Shade in hot weather.  Use less fruit-set spray.
 
Symptom:  Cracks--concentric circles around stem or in lines radiating from center.
Problem:  Sudden, rapid growth during high temperatures (over 90 degrees) and high rain­fall or  heavy irrigation,  especially after a dry spell.   Ripening fruit  and fruit exposed to the sun are most affected.
Solution:  Plant  less-susceptible  varieties.   Keep soil evenly moist  with  proper watering  techniques and mulches.   Do not remove leaves from plants.   Do not irrigate just before harvest.
 
Symptom:  Black mold along growth cracks.
Problem:  Damaged, cracked tissue developing under warm, moist conditions.
Solution:  Prevent fruit cracking (see above).  Handle fruit carefully.
 
Symptom:  Misshapen fruit but with no scars.
Problem:  Inadequate moisture, fruit confined in foliage.
Solution:  Water deeply and more frequently,  especially during hot spells.   Provide trellising, free fruits from binding.
 
Symptom:  Catfacing -- misshapen,  puckered,  swollen areas; cavities lined with scar tissue.    
Problem:  Incomplete pollination due to 1) weather being too cool or hot, 2) bees not being available,  or  3) overhead irrigation during blossoming that makes blossom cling to itself, resulting in abnormal shaping of the fruit.  Common on early fruit of varieties that produce large-size fruit. 
Solution:  Plant less-susceptible varieties,  including those bearing smaller  fruit.  Encourage bee activity.  Irrigate under foliage.
 
Symptom:  Circular sunken spots on skin which enlarge and darken.
Problem:  Anthracnose.
Solution: Plant  in well-drained soil.   Destroy plants and fruits (don’t compost).
 
Symptom:  Blossom-end  rot – water-soaked  area  on blossom end  which  darkens  and becomes larger, sun­ken, and leathery.
Problem:  Related  to lack of calcium due to  lack of water when plants  have  grown rapidly  during the early part of the season and then are subjected to hot dry  weather when the fruits are in an early stage of  development.   More severe in sandy soils and soils with a high salt content.
Solution:  Plant  less-susceptible  varieties.   Refrain from planting in  very  cool soils.   Calcium is not available to plants at a low soil pH, so incorpor­ate dolomitic limestone at time of transplanting.   The finer the grade of limestone, the faster it breaks down in the soil, and the sooner it raises the  pH and enables the calcium to be utilized.   Keep soil  evenly  moist with  more thorough irrigation.   Stake tomatoes or mulch beneath them  to get fruit off ground.
 
Symptom:  Brown, slightly sunken spots which enlarge, dar­ken, and break open.
Problem:  Soil rot fungus  where fruit are allowed to lie on the soil or are repeat­edly splashed by rain or over­head irrigation.
Solution:  Plant in well-drained soil, stake tomatoes, and mulch beneath them.
 
Symptom:  White or yellow patches on parts of green or ripening fruit which face the sun;  become  blisterlike and form large,  flattened,  grayish-white areas with a dry paperlike surface.
Problem:  Sunscald,  most  frequent during hot dry weather and on plants which  have lost foliage from pruning or disease.
Solution:  Some  varieties  with  little foliage are more tender  and  sunscald  more easily.   Do not remove leaves from plants.  Where fruits are exposed, put a light covering over the clusters to diffuse the direct sunlight.
 

     Tomatoes are blossoming and setting fruit, as are squash and beans and peppers, persimmons, tangerines, oranges and grapefruits; plums and nectarines and peaches and figs are ripening.  The boysenberries are finishing.  The short-fruit (1 inch) mulberries are done fruiting, and I’ve pruned back the branches, but the longer-fruit (3 inch) Pakistan are just turning color. 
 
Tomatoes
     Plants are big and bushy, filling their cages, which proves that they have more than enough nitrogen in the soil.  But they’re also loaded with blossoms and some already-set fruit – especially the cherry tomatoes – so they also have enough phosphorus and potash and micronutrients; and have been well-watered to keep them growing well.
     As our hot temperatures start being consistent, be sure to keep tabs on your deep watering of all of your vegetables, especially for tomatoes.  If you allow too many days between watering deeply, the plant roots will be unable to satisfy the vigorous growth of the plant, and the outermost cells of the plant – the fruits – will die back, creating the dark leathery “blossom end rot”.  This is your cue to water deeply immediately.  You should also remove the affected fruit, so the plant’s energy can transfer to another fruit to ripen it instead.  If the affected fruit is nearly ripe, just cut off the leathery part and eat the still-good part.
 
Squash
     My first batch of yellow-crookneck squash continues to bear, although some of the fruits shrivel and die because they weren’t pollinated; but almost-too-many more get to harvestable size so I have more than enough to eat and supply our neighbors.  Which is good, because my second batch of squash plants that I’d seeded when the first batch started bearing are almost ready to start bearing themselves.  Next year, I’ll allow 3 weeks instead of 2 weeks between new sets of seedings so I don’t have this too-much-squash overlap. 
 
Grapes
     My grape vines that I’d rooted from cuttings 2 years ago are blossoming and setting fruit, so of course I’m visiting them every day and urging them on.  I’ve been amazed at how much new foliage has developed and consider this a two-fold blessing – it shades the grape clusters from too much direct sun, and (perhaps more importantly) shields them from marauding birds and squirrels and whatever other critters might be interested. 
     I’m assuming that if they can’t see the fruit, they won’t know it’s there – we’ll see whether this actually bears out.
     Expect the individual grapes to be smaller than any that you purchase commercially, since those are treated with hormones to make them larger and more marketable.
  I remember reading a tip years ago that recommended trimming out half of the fruit clusters so the remaining berries could utilize all the plant’s energy to grow even larger.  I haven’t had to do this yet because only about half of the blossoms have set fruit, and the berries are pretty well spread out, with lots of space between each one. 
     So I also won’t have to deal with any rot setting in because the little grapes still have so much “breathing” space around them. And, I don’t overhead water so theoretically no moisture will settle between the berries to cause rot problems.
     I’ve debated whether to trim some of the foliage stringers so the energy will redirect back into the fruit clusters.  I’ll remove some of the longer vines, especially those that I’ll want to remove later in the year in anticipation of harder pruning back.
     Lastly, hold back on watering your grapes for the last 2-3 weeks before harvesting the clusters, so the sweet flavors are concentrated instead of "watered down" due to continued irrigation.

More June Tips

​With our blissfully pleasant temperatures in the 70s and 80s for months on end, we can easily fall victim to assuming these ideal conditions will continue and our garden plants will be just as happy as we gardeners are.  But, given that we’re moving toward the end of May, our summer’s heat will shortly be upon us.  Unless we change our activities to match the plants’ upcoming needs, now-happy plants will become stressed-out plants. And we gardeners will be disappointed in not getting the vegetables and flowers that we'd planned on.
     The critical elements to accomplish now for summer success include planting, fertilizing, watering, and mulching.
 
Planting
     Make your choices and get them into the ground or containers by the end of this month.  They’ll need several weeks to get acclimated to their new homes and environment as they begin to make new roots to establish themselves, so hopefully blasts of summer heat will wait until the later part of June. 
      Three planting tricks will help plants get established more quickly:

1. Dig planting holes at least a foot wider and deeper than the plant containers, and massage the rootballs to loosen the existing roots and incorporate some of the planting mix into the soil.
2. Create a berm around the edge of the dug-up soil as a watering basin to direct water down to the roots.
3. Place a piece of cardboard or plastic on the south side of the plant to shade the plant from mid- to late-afternoon direct sun for at least a week, until the plant stays perky throughout the day.  

 
Fertilizing
     For tomatoes and other vegetable and berry plants that are starting to bloom,  water in a timed-release fertilizer to provide nutrition for the extra-hard work the plant will have to accomplish over the next several months of blossoming and setting and maturing fruits.  
     Ornamental plants appreciate the extra nutrition as well.
 
Watering
     Water deeply and less frequently to assure that the water sinks down to below the plants’ rootzones to keep them well-hydrated during our blasts of summer heat.  A stick or shovel inserted the day after watering will alert you to how deeply the water actually went – so you can adjust the length of time you water to make sure it goes deeply enough each time you water. 
     Depth guidelines depend on the genetics of the vegetable you’re growing.  For summer vegetables, these are:

• 1 foot deep = celery, chard, lettuce
• 2 feet deep = bean, carrot, cucumber, eggplant, pepper, squash
• 3 feet deep = melon, pumpkin, tomato

     Frequency guidelines depend on your soil, the amount of foliage, and the air temperature.

• Soil - Start with once a week for loam soil, twice a week for sandy soil, and once every two weeks for clay soil
• Foliage - More frequently for tomato plants that are 5’ tall with lots of foliage
• Temperature – More frequently when temperatures are above 95 degrees; even more when above 100 degrees.

     The problem with watering too frequently is that the water stays within the top several inches of the soil, so plant roots stay there as well.  Then, when we get our several-days-long blasts of summer heat, those top several inches of soil are too hot for the roots, and there are no roots further down in the cooler soil, so the plants stress out or actually die.
 
Mulching
     Organic mulch provides five benefits to the garden by providing shade:

1. Conserves soil moisture – irrigation water doesn’t evaporate as quickly, so roots stay hydrated.
2. Moderates soil temperature – soil doesn’t suffer swings in heat and cold and wind, so seeds and seedlings and plants can grow without these stresses.
3. Keeps weeds from germinating; any that do are easy to pull – Weed seeds that require light to germinate are foiled.  Any that do germinate grow very spindly stems up through the mulch to reach the light, so are easily removed.
4. Lessens erosion – The force of the drops of rain and irrigation is broken by hitting the mulch, and water seeps gently into the soil, so downbursts can’t sweep away bare soil.  
5. Enrichens soil nutrition and texture as the mulch decomposes and feeds beneficial microorganisms – At the junction of the mulch and the soil surface, the mulch gradually breaks down, becoming perpetually slow-release fertilizer that dissolves further into the soil.

 
For more tasks and opportunities, see May Monthly Tips

In these COVID-19 times, with Stay-At-Home mandates, lots of folks are considering gardening as a keep-from-going-crazy-with-all-this-free-time activity.  As “novel” as this activity is for them, it can be a delightful adventure for adults and kids alike, literally discovering where our food comes from and how to grow something as simple as lettuce.  And, growing it yourself makes it infinitely more exciting to eat it!  It can be as small-scale as one container on a windowsill indoors or patio outdoors, or extending to several raised beds in the yard.  So, how to get started?  

1. Where is the best soil and sun exposure? 
You can't just dig a hole, plop a plant in, and expect to get lots of flowers and fruit. If you plan to grow foliage-only plants like lettuce, cilantro, parsley, you’ll need a location that receives at least 6 hours of direct sun.  For plants that will flower and ripen fruit like tomatoes and squash, the location must receive at least 8 hours of direct sun every day since it's doing all that extra work to blossom and set and mature the fruit.

2. Soil is basic. 
Soil is the beginning, middle, and end of successful gardening. It doesn't just prop up the plants! Clay soil can be dense and full of nutrients but not well draining.  Sandy soil drains well but doesn’t have much nutrition.  Loam soil is a combination of both.  All soils can be improved by adding organic matter -- in clay soil, it provides more air pores; and in sandy soil it provides more absorption.  Dig in manure and compost to a depth of at least 12 inches.  If you have access to coffee grounds (Starbucks and Peet's, etc., may provide for free!), add them too since they offer across-the-board nutrition.

3. Grow only plants proven to do well in your micro-climate.
Whether your garden space is along the coast, inland, or in the mountains or desert, check with local nurseries and neighbors to choose varieties that will do best there. If the plant description indicates that plants should have full sun, this means different things along the coast or inland.  Along the coast, the moisture in the "marine layer" cools things down and it may frequently be foggy. Inland, plants may need some protection from the late afternoon sun beating down. 

4. Choose the healthiest plants you can find. 
Make sure that you choose types of plants according to the upcoming season – in late Spring, choose plants that want summer’s heat; in Fall, choose plants that thrive in Winter's coolness.  

5. Transplant properly.  
Ruffle the rootball slightly to loosen up the outer roots, and rough up the sides of the planting hole so roots don't meet a "brick wall." Plant most plants at the same depth that they were in their containers.  Tomatoes are the only plants that also develop "adventitious" roots all along the portion of the stem that is underground, so plant them deeply, up to the top set of leaves, to encourage an extensive root system and consequently more vigorous plant producing more food. 

6. Wait until the soil has warmed sufficiently in Spring. 
While you may want to have the first ripe tomato on the block, don't transplant summer vegetable seedlings into the ground until the soil has warmed above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Peppers, especially, will "pout" and never really thrive when transplanted too early.  

7. Grow plants up trellises.
Trellises enable the greatest use of the soil, fertilizer, and water in your garden beds since you can grow plants more closely, with the foliage growing up instead of shading more growing space. And harvesting is much easier.  Tomatoes come in "determinant" (they grow only to a determined height, bear all their fruit and then die) or "indeterminate" (they keep growing and bearing fruit until killed by frost), so give them support as soon as you plant them, rather than waiting until they get too big and flop over. 

8.  Fertilize when planting and when blossoming.
Before transplanting, incorporate a complete slow-release fertilizer (like 5-5-5) into the root area along with manure and compost. As plants grow, use a good organic fertilizer, like fish emulsion (yes, it will be stinky for a day or two, but some new versions  don't smell so strongly). When fruiting plants like tomatoes start blooming, give them another feeding to encourage lots of blossoms and fruit. 

9. Water properly.
Watering frequency changes according to the weather.  Always water deeply to "teach" the roots to grow deeply. Then the plants will thrive during hot spells instead of dying because their roots were so close to the surface from shallow watering.  Also, plants like to have their leaves (including the undersides) rinsed every once in a while during hot weather. But, fungi and other diseases can get a good start within only six hours of wet-and-warm conditions, so make sure that foliage dries off by sunset. Soaker hoses and other "dribblers" help release water slowly so it's absorbed into the soil to keep root systems hydrated. 

10. Mulch, mulch, mulch
Keep replenishing a two-to-four-inch thick layer of organic matter on top of the soil throughout the gardening year to moderate soil temperature, hold in moisture, lessen evaporation, prevent weeds from sprouting, and ultimately break down into the soil. Smaller mulch pieces offer more protection and break down more quickly. But, for moist organic mulch like fresh grass clippings, lay down a thin layer so it doesn’t dry into an impervious layer. 

For specific month-to-month task possibilities for you and your garden, see Monthly Tips.