It seems so incongruous, having days getting shorter now that we’ve past the summer solstice, but of course the hotter weather does make sense since the calendar says it’s officially now summer.  I did thoroughly enjoy the vvvvvveeeeeeerrrrrrryyyyyyyy lllllllooooooooooooonnnnnnggggg spring we had, with its cool overcast overnights mostly in the 60s-degree range and infrequently getting into the 80s-degree range once the sun burned through the mist.  I loved the long lettuce- and carrot- and greens- and parsley- and cilantro- harvesting season – truly, that’s why I more appreciate cool-weather gardening since we get lots of food but the plants don’t have to struggle to survive much less thrive like they do during hot weather.
 
Loving Those Hot-Weather Lovers
     On the other hand, tomatoes and squash and cukes and peppers and beans are year-round must-haves in my kitchen, so I want to nurture them in my garden as early and as late in the off-seasons as I can manage.  And consequently I’m delighted to now have well-established tomato plants from the first-planted batch with lots of fruits and blossoms already set to promise future yumminess.  Even the volunteer bean plants are producing lots of tender filet beans ahead of everything else.

Having Troubles With Your Tomatoes?
See these previous blog articles:

• Tomato Growing Problems & Solutions - 6/17/20
• Why NOT to Prune Tomato Plants - 7/13/15

    
Saving Seeds of Bolting Lettuce
     I’m continuing to water my lettuce plants from which to harvest the seeds for sowing into my fall garden.  Although it seems contradictory, I want to continue watering to keep the plants absorbing nutrients and maturing completely to produce healthy dry seeds. 
     This is the one time that I have my grocery purchases packed in paper bags instead of my reusable cloth ones, because I need to use the paper ones on my bolted lettuce plants.  Once the seeds have set and the plant foliage begins to dry and shrivel, I tie the paper bag over the head of the lettuce plant.  This corrals the seeds as they dry to crispiness, rather than scattering themselves throughout the garden.  (Of course, there will always be a few excapees who’ll germinate in that bed later on.)
     Using paper instead of plastic bags is critical because the paper allows the lettuce plant foliage to dry out until it’s completely crispy -- the stalk must easily and quickly snap apart. If it still wiggles instead of snapping, it isn’t dry enough.  Any moisture left in the stalk or seedhead may spoil all the seed in the bag as it’s stored until use later on.   
     Store the bags as they are, or smash them down to loosen the seeds from the dry foliage, and place them in a dry dark place until you’re ready to sow them in the fall.
     Sowing in the fall is easily done because you don’t have to separate the seeds from the dry foliage.  Just grab a small handful of the smashed foliage and scatter onto prepared soil in your garden bed or pots.  Try to equally scatter all of the dried foliage over all of the soil or mix, since you never really know which handfuls have seeds and which are mostly dry foliage.  Then sprinkle water onto the bed to gently wet all of the foliage and seeds in place.  The dried foliage acts as a bit of mulch to help keep the seeds in contact with the soil, and to retain the bit of moisture from evaporating.  Sprinkle again twice a day for a week or so to keep the bed surface moist for better germination.  By that time, many seeds will have germinated, so cut watering to about once a week just to keep soil barely moist.

For more monthly tasks, see July.
 
For more main-topic blogs from past years, see Homepage.

     For the first time in years – since the advent of the drought almost a decade ago – I’ve planted a second batch of tomato plants at the end of May.  This used to be my general practice, planting a first batch when 4” containers first appeared in nurseries in February and March; and then another batch in May when the first-batch plants were reaching the second rung on their cages, about 24 inches, beginning to blossom, and just fertilized.
     Until then, I’d kept nipping off any blossoms that appeared earlier so each plant’s energy could focus on establishing a strong root system rather than beginning to expend energy in setting and maturing fruit.
     So after all these recent weeks of gloomy overcast with pleasant mid-70s daytime temperatures and low-60s nighttime temperatures, it finally occurred to me to get another batch of tomato plants growing to guarantee my late-summer harvest after the first-batch plants had quit bearing -- except for the cherry tomatoes, which as indeterminant varieties should continue bearing through at least fall.
   Of course, this new planting will face its own challenges, beginning with a bit of a heat wave this week and daytime temperatures in the upper 80s, although continuing with the soothing morning fog and nighttime temperatures in the low 60s.
      We’ll see how the magic works this time around.
 
Old and New Chard and Kale
     I’d finally pulled the old purple and green chard plants that we’d been eating from since last fall but were now producing only tiny leaves and 6-foot seed stalks.  They’ve gone on to their next life, enrichening the compost pile. 
    I’m now harvesting from the hugely lush new plants in salmon and pink and red-purple colors.
      We’re also harvesting from the dozen or so Tuscan or Dinosaur kale plants came up from seed sown weeks ago. 
      Both of these “greens” make a great combination of textures and nutrition in raw salads, stir-fried in omelettes, and adding to soups and stews.
    
Boysenberries
     The long-lasting overcast and chilly weather are extending the boysenberry ripening.  In the past, we’ve had a couple of quarts in the week of Mother’s Day.  This year, we’ve had a handful ripening every other day since before Mother’s Day – a good three weeks – and the bush is still full of many more berries to ripen. 
      Also because of the weather, the berries aren’t as ripe and I’d like them, but I still wait until the last possible moment to pick them. 
     The three cues/clues to the perfect moment of ripeness are 1) the berries have turned from bright-shiny to dull-matte purple, 2) the green petal cap has dried to tan brown, and 3) “tickling” the berries to fall gently into the palm of your hand (if you try to pick the berry and it won’t easily release, it's not yet ready and will be tart!). 
 
Sowing Summer and Winter Squash Seeds
      All squash are grown during the heat of summer.  How long they grow and when we eat them is determined by whether they’re “summer” or “winter” squash.
     Summer squash – we eat these immature when they’re young and tender, generally immediately after harvesting during the summer, like zucchini, crookneck, scallopini, pattypan.
     Winter squash – we let these develop fully until the skins are hard enough that they can’t be easily punctured with a fingernail,  generally stored for eating during the winter, like pumpkins, acorn, delicata, butternut, spaghetti, dumpling.
     Squash blossoms – we harvest these as soon as they develop on both summer and winter squash and prepare them immediately.
 
Adjust Irrigation Schedule
      Assuming that our “real” hot summer weather is almost upon us, it’s time to adjust automatic and manual watering patterns so that we continue to teach plant roots to grow deeply for water for the rest of the summer.
         Make sure that irrigation drip lines, soaker hoses, sprinklers, and trenches are in place before root systems get too large.
         Water plants deeply so the water sinks below the plant’s root system every time. 
      Watering too frequently means that the water stays within the top inch or two of soil, and this makes the plant susceptible to drying out during hot weather because the soil several inches down where the roots are isn’t kept moist.
    Mulch the soil with organic matter such as compost, leaves or grass clippings to temper the drying and heating effect of the sun, and irrigation will be more effective with less frequency and quantity.
 
For more monthly tasks, see June.
 
For more main-topic blogs from past years, see Homepage.