January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December
June Gardening Tips for Los Angeles County Residents
by Yvonne Savio
-- This month's discussion of garden tasks is based on my 60 years of gardening at my home in Pasadena.
-- For my comments on current weather conditions and activities, see my blog page which includes archived blogs since 2015.
-- For my discussions of major gardening topics, see my homepage listing.
-- To receive my emails of my newest postings, email [email protected] to get onto my emailing list.
Garden growth shifts into high gear this month, with hot air temperatures and warm soil. Plants are settled in and well on their way toward strong growth, many blooms, and delicious harvests.
Vegetables and Fruits
Sow or transplant lima and snap beans, celeriac, celery, chard, cucumbers, eggplants, oakleaf and other heat-tolerant and bolt-resistant lettuces, melons, okra, peppers, pumpkins, New Zealand spinach, summer and winter squash, and tomatoes.
Directly where they'll mature, sow beets carrots, corn, sweet potato slips and radishes. Plant the last batch of corn this month, as later plantings will probably have smut problems (those big, grey and black puffs of fungus in place of kernels) when harvested in September. Or, you may choose to innoculate your corn with the fungus--it's a delicacy in Southwest and Mexican cuisine. Lavender, marjoram, rosemary, sage, savory, and thyme do fine in hot sun and poor but well-drained soil with minimal fertilizer. On the other hand, basil, chives, coriander (cilantro), and parsley prefer richer soil with more frequent watering. Choose transplants that aren't rootbound. Confined roots can't spread out fast enough, now that the weather and soil are already hot, to absorb enough moisture and nutrients to survive summer heat--so they wilt frequently or die. Gently loosen the rootballs of transplants before planting them so roots can quickly reach out into surrounding soil to establish themselves and access moisture and fertilizer. Transplant seedlings close enough so that the leaves of mature plants will shade the soil between the plants. This will keep plant roots cooler, and the sun doesn't bake the soil. There's less evaporation, so you'll have to water less. When replanting areas where you've just grown vegetables, follow heavy-feeding leafy vegetables like spinach and cabbage with nitrogen-replenishing legumes such as peas, beans, and soybeans; or plant a less-demanding root crop. Don't fertilize the soil again before succession plantings of beans or carrots, since excess nitrogen results in forked and hairy carrots and lush bean plants with few bean pods. Do add some compost before setting out spinach, kale, and lettuce, since you do want lush foliage in these crops. Fill small planting area gaps with heat-tolerant lettuce or spinach. Keep seed packets of these in the refrigerator for seeds that will germinate quickly in hot weather. Some vegetables are more efficient than others, producing more food for the amount of garden space they use and the time they require from you. Carrots, cucumbers, onions, potatoes, summer squash, and tomatoes produce the most. Yields of cucumbers, squashes, and tomatoes can be even greater when they are grown up trellises, saving soil space for growing more crops. The most time-consuming activity in a small garden is harvesting--it requires twice as much time as weeding. But then, harvesting is so much more enjoyable than weeding! For greater yields, feed eggplants, peppers, squashes, and tomatoes when they blossom. Assure a plentiful set of peppers and tomatoes by increasing the magnesium available to the plants: dissolve one tablespoon of Epsom salts in one quart of warm water, and spray or sprinkle the solution on the leaves and blossoms. Pour the remainder in a ring around the plant at the dripline. Repeat this several times during the blossoming period. If your first squash blossoms don't set fruit, don't worry. They're probably just male blossoms. Once the female blossoms (the ones with the miniature squash at the base of the flower) start appearing along with the male flowers--and bees are present to pollinate them--fruit set should take place. Hand-pollinate tomatoes by flicking each bloom during the driest part of the day. Big plants can be taken care of with one or two shakes while holding onto their cages or stakes. The pollen is naturally sticky, and this helps spread it. Keep melon plants growing strongly throughout the season for best quality fruit. Optimum plant spacing for maximum sweetness is six square feet per plant. Almost half of a melon's final sugar content develops during the last week of maturation, so stop irrigating then to concentrate the sugars. Harvest celery by pulling off individual outer stalks instead of pulling up the entire plant. Or cut the plant off about three inches above the soil level, which will leave enough of the central growing point to send up more stalks. Manure can be applied as mulch directly onto globe artichokes, asparagus, cabbages and other cole crops, corn, cucumbers, melons, and squashes. But keep it away from beans, beets, carrots, peas, sweet and white potatoes, and tomatoes--or it will encourage too much foliage at the expense of the edible parts we want. Keep vegetables picked often, even if you don't plan to use that day's harvest immediately. Vegetables that aren't harvested soon enough will produce a chemical that inhibits further blossoming. Check plants at least every other day during the summer. This is especially true for beans, cucumbers, eggplants, squashes, and tomatoes. The rich tomatoey flavor and aroma in raw tomatoes is the greatest when the tomatoes are left at room temperature and eaten just after being cut. Refrigeration kills the fragrance and turns the flesh mushy. If you must store tomatoes in the refrigerator for several days before using them, harvest them early in the day, when they are still cool from overnight and are less sensitive to chilling injury--that disappointing flavorless mushiness. Pinch back herbs--especially fast-growing basil--to encourage bushy, more delicate-flavored growth through the summer. Pinch off any blossoms that start to develop to keep the plants developing more fragrant foliage. Stop watering your garlic and bulb onions when the foliage begins to dry naturally. Bend the foliage to the ground to encourage the bulbs to form the dry outer layers that are necessary for long storage. Avoid bruising the bulbs during harvest, and cure them in single layers on slats or screens in a dry, shady, well-ventilated place. Make sure the necks of the bulbs are completely dry (crisp and papery) before clipping the foliage or bunching and tying the bulbs together. Thick-necked onion varieties are more vulnerable to infection because they dry more slowly and less completely than thin-necked ones, so eat these first. Store the thoroughly dried onions in a shaded, cool, dry, well-ventilated area. Check them periodically, and eat any that show signs of spoilage or sprouting. Stop watering rhubarb to encourage it to go dormant during summer heat. Removing suckers that form at the base of cornstalks will not increase (and may even decrease) yields. The extra leaf surface of the suckers increases photosynthesis, which provides more food for the developing ears. However, remove any ears that form on the suckers, as these will take energy away from the main, full-sized ears. Lessen earworm damage on corn by sprinkling lime or Bacillus thuringiensis (sold as Bt, Dipel, and Thuricide) onto the silks as soon as they begin to dry. Using mineral oil may spoil the corn. Insect- and disease-damaged ears should be carefully destroyed rather than composted or used for mulch, since you don't want to spread the pests throughout your garden. This is especially true for smut-infested ears. Shape gourds by wrapping tape around them three or four times where you want the narrow portion to be. Scratch names or designs through the outer surface for decorations that will "grow" as the gourd or pumpkin enlargens. Protect vine vegetables from snails and slugs by lifting the fruits up onto cans, berry baskets, or boards. Also, spread crushed eggshells under each plant--the snails and slugs will avoid the sharp particles. Thin fruits on trees and vines to what you realistically expect to consume. Thin grape clusters to produce bunches of fewer but larger individual fruits, rather than many tiny ones. Thin tree fruits to opposite sides of branches for balanced and more complete development with less strain on trees, especially those bearing fruit for the first or second time. Leave at least three inches between apricots and plums; and five inches between peaches, nectarines, pears, and apples. Put netting on trees two or three weeks before the fruits begin to ripen to discourage birds from making a habit of visiting the trees. (You know they decide the fruit's ripe the day before you do, so they get them first!) Tie loose ends of the netting so birds don't get trapped inside. Paint tree trunks with a light-colored indoor latex paint to prevent sunburn damage, which then invites borers and fungus infections. Use an inexpensive brand, or thin down a more expensive one to a solution of half water and half paint. Even though it seems counter-intuitive, be sure to use indoor latex paint since it's water-based. Oil-based outdoor paint will smother the tree pores! Finish trimming crossing or damaged branches on citrus trees. Fruit is produced on new wood, so remove entire branches (thinning) rather than shortening them (heading back). To redirect branches, trim them to a leaf pointing outward in the direction you want new growth to go. The new bud will form at its base. Keep citrus and avocados well-watered--deeply every two or three weeks--and a three-inch-thick layer of mulch to maintain uniformly cool temperatures for roots. They are more tender than other fruit trees and cannot withstand the stress of alternately moist and dry soil. Roots grow beyond the tree's dripline, so give it a larger basin area. Feed fruit trees approximately every three weeks during their growing season with a half or quarter dose of fertilizer to encourage them to produce fruit and grow strongly for next year's fruit. Peach brown rot may result from overwatering close to harvest, so irrigate trees deeply but less frequently. You can prevent fungal and bacterial mildews and rots on grapes by pruning away some of the foliage. When grapes are pea-sized, clear away leaves about six inches away from bunches. Better air circulation will keep rots from getting started. Keep leaves on the sunny south side of the clusters, however, for protective shade. |
Ornamentals
Sow or transplant alyssum, globe amaranth, celosia (cockscomb), cleomes, coreopsis, cosmos, foxgloves, gazanias, marigolds, nasturtiums, nicotianas, portulaca (moss and sun rose), salvias, sanvitalia, statice, sunflowers, tithonias, and zinnias.
Keep seed trays or beds moist until seeds have germinated and seedlings have two true leaves. Then water less frequently to encourage deep rooting. Transplant these and ageratum, asters, fibrous begonias, caladiums, calendulas, campanula, clarkias (godetia), dahlias, gloriosa and marguerite and Shasta daisies, dianthus, dusty miller, forget-me-nots, gaillardias, geraniums, hibiscus, hollyhocks, hostas, iceplant, ivies, impatiens, lantanas, lavenders, linarias, lobelias, Michaelmas daisy, penstemons, periwinkles, petunias, phlox, potentillas (cinquefoil), rudbeckias, stocks, verbenas, and violas. For fragrance, choose gardenias, jasmine, and lilac. For color in shady areas, choose begonia, coleus, impatiens, lobelia, and torenia. Provide transplants with shade for at least a week, now that the sun is intense, and keep them evenly moist so the roots can reestablish themselves and begin putting out new growth. For late-summer color from bulbs, plant tuberous begonias, cannas, gladiolus, montbretias, and tigridias. Store spring-flowering bulbs in a cool, dry, dark place. Lift and divide daffodils and bearded irises if they are crowded or didn't bloom well this spring. Replant them in soil enriched with compost and rock phosphate. Stake tall-growing dahlias, delphiniums, gladiolus, and lilies--unless you prefer the more casual draping look. Plant palms, cacti, and succulents. Let the soil dry between waterings, and provide light shade during the hottest portion of the day for the more sensitive ones. Remove spent blooms and cut back shrubs, including azaleas, camellias, forsythia, flowering quince, lilac, rhododendrons, spiraea, Rosa hugonis, and weigela. Remove old, deformed, and dead branches at the soil level; and trim off about a third of the old growth. Prune wisteria to shape and control its growth. Pinch back tips and faded blooms from alyssum, tuberous begonias, carnations, chrysanthemums, dianthus, delphiniums, fuchsias, geraniums, hydrangeas, lobelias, marguerites, and penstemons to encourage bushier growth and more flowering. Root woody cuttings of azalea, chrysanthemum, carnation, fuchsia, and hydrangea. Choose growth that is somewhat woody and not still bright green and pliable. Cut a five- or six- inch piece, and strip off all of the leaves but the tiny young top growth and one or two well-developed leaves. Place the cutting in light, sandy soil or planting mix up to the bottom leaf. Sprinkle the foliage and thoroughly wet the soil mixture. Provide filtered light in a sheltered location and keep soil mix moist until the rootings are well-established, in about a month. Then they can be transplanted. Long, supple branches of azaleas, forsythias, and viburnums can be rooted for new plants while still connected to their plants. Bend branch tips to a shallow ditch a foot long. Scrape off the outer brown bark for about two inches on the bottom of the branch. Cover the branch with soil up to the top cluster of new foliage. Hold it in place with a rock. Keep the soil moist. Rootlets will form, and new plants will be ready for transplanting in about a year. Prune or sheer hedges so the top is slightly more narrow than the base to allow sunlight to reach the entire foliage profile. Otherwise, the bare branches toward the bottom will show below a puff top of foliage. Lightly prune, feed, and water roses on a weekly or bi-weekly basis to encourage them to flower continuously into the late fall. Trim faded blooms down to the first five-part leaf or further to gently shape the plant. New blooms will appear in about three weeks. This gentle pruning to shape the plant also strengthens the lower canes and root system. Cut roses last longer when cut later in the day, unlike other blooms, which last longer when cut early in the morning. Those cut after 4:30 p.m. will last up to ten hours longer than those cut at approximately 8:00 a.m. The sugar that the leaves manufacture and store during the day remains in the leaves, nourishing the blooms. In flowers cut early in the morning, sugars have traveled to the stem and roots during the night, so there's little left in the leaves to feed the blooms. Make sure azaleas, camellias, and rhododendrons get sufficient moisture throughout the summer, when they set the buds for next year's flowers. Mulch plants after watering well to moderate soil temperature and maintain moisture. Give indoor plants a summer breather outdoors. Gently wash the dust from plant leaves (both upper and lower surfaces) and remove damaged foliage. Repot them with fresh potting soil or mix. Place them away from wind and direct sun on a patio or under a tree or roof overhang, and provide sufficient water during hot spells. Enjoy your night-blooming cereus for up to a week by cutting and refrigerating the blossoms. Cut them when they're open the widest and place them in a quart jar with water covering the cut edge of the stem. Replace the jar's top or secure a plastic bag to the top of the jar with a rubber band. Place the jar in a spot in the refrigerator where you can enjoy the bloom each time you open the door. Because it's cold and dark in there, the blossom thinks it's still night and stays open for up to a week. Another trick to keep the cereus bloom from closing is to melt a few drops of candlewax into the center. This allows you to enjoy the bloom and its fragrance in an arrangement at room temperature for two or three days. You can use less water and still have a beautiful lawn. Water early in the morning, preferably before 7 a.m. Water deeply once a week (but not more than twice a week) to promote deep rooting and reduce evaporation. Remove a plug of grass to make sure the water is reaching below the root zone. Wait to water until the grass is a dull green color instead of bright green, and it's slightly wilted--older leaf blades will begin to fold lengthwise into a tight "V" shape. Don't fertilize heavily with nitrogen, since rapid leaf growth requires more water, and you'll have to mow more often. Proper mowing helps grass grow deeper roots and encourages much side-branching for a thicker carpet. For perennial ryegrass, Kentucky bluegrass, and tall fescues, set mower height at two to three inches. For common Bermuda lawns, set it at one inch; for hybrid Bermudas, three-quarters of an inch. For St. Augustine, it should be one and a quarter inches. Mow often enough so you never remove more than a third of the length of the grass blades at one time, or you'll stress the plants; they recover slowly during summer heat. Keep mower blades sharp; when blades are dull, more gas or electricity is needed to mow, and rough edges of grass blades invite dieback and diseases. |
General
Teaching plant roots initially to grow deeply for water will lessen irrigation needs during hot weather. Make sure that irrigation drip lines, soaker hoses, sprinklers, and trenches are in place before root systems get too large.
The weather and the texture of your soil will determine the amount and frequency of irrigation to apply to your garden. Heavy clay soils require less irrigation than sandy loam soils. During periods of long, hot weather, plants need more frequent and longer irrigation than during periods with more moderate temperatures. Irrigation which keeps the soil soggy will increase root rot problems.
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.
Continue pulling weeds before they form seedheads or scatter their seeds, and you'll have fewer weed problems later. Weeding the day after watering will ease the chore, and weeds' entire root systems will come out more readily. If you leave pulled weeds in garden pathways for dry mulch, be sure to leave them with their roots up so they don't reroot themselves. But don't leave weeds that have already developed their seedheads--some seeds may mature and germinate next year.
If you are considering constructing a compost pile but are leary of a potentially disagreeable smell and hovering insects, be aware that these result from the pile not being aerated enough. The foul odor and large numbers of insects are due to anaerobic decomposition.
To properly construct a "breathing" compost pile, collect some moist greenery such as grass clippings, green foliage, and kitchen scraps with no grease or fat; some dried leaves or woody material in small pieces; and some soil, manure, or compost. Keep them well mixed up to incorporate the air. Begin the pile on top of some rougher, dry brush or small twigs. Then mix the ingredients well or thinly layer them until the pile is about three feet tall and wide. Add finely-chopped, moist greenery such as grass clippings in thin layers, or stir them into the top layer of other ingredients. Otherwise, thick layers will compact, decompose, and smell rotten in the summer heat. Water the pile until it's moist but not soggy. Mix the pile every several weeks to let in more air if it seems to be compacting without breaking down the ingredients.
Bonemeal promotes excellent root growth. It becomes available to your plants more quickly when it is mixed with manure or compost and dug into well-aerated soil.
Make your own complete, slow-release, and fairly well-balanced granulated fertilizer from natural ingredients. Use four parts seedmeal or fish meal; one part agricultural or dolomite lime; one part rock phosphate or one-half part bonemeal; and one-half part kelpmeal. Seedmeal is any kind of ground-up seed. Cottonseed is the most inexpensive and is easy to work with but contains the most pesticide residues. Fishmeal tends to be odorous for a day or two after incorporation (just think you're at the beach....). All are high in nitrogen and contain moderate amounts of phosphorus but little potassium.
Agricultural lime or the more balanced dolomite lime should be finely ground so they act quickly. Do not use quick lime or slaked lime. Bonemeal and rock phosphate are effective phosphate fertilizers. Bonemeal is faster-acting but is more expensive and tends to become lumpy. Kelpmeal adds potassium and many necessary trace elements.
To encourage beneficial insects to populate your garden, provide them with their chosen foods and habitats. Many weeds--including lamb's-quarters, nettle, knotweed, pigweed, and cocklebur--as well as many cultivated annuals, perennials, and herbs are food sources for two of the most important orders of beneficials, wasps and flies. Most of these plants are members of two families, the umbelliferae and the compositae. Umbelliferae--such as anise, carrot, caraway, coriander, dill, fennel and parsley--have many tiny flowers arranged in tight umbels looking like an upside-down umbrella. Compositae--such as black-eyed Susan, coreopsis, goldenrod, and strawflower--have central disc flowers surrounded by many ray petals looking like a daisy.
Mustard flowers attract lacewings (for aphids) and parasitic wasps (for cabbage caterpillars and coddling moths; they don't bother people or pets). Rows or interplantings of these plants can support a large beneficial insect population.
Plastic gallon jugs with their bottoms cut out and caps removed can be used at least two times each year. When starting seeds or setting out plants when nights are still cool, use the jugs as hot caps. When the plants have outgrown the jugs or night-time temperatures stay above 50 degrees, invert the jugs and bury their necks into the soil for use as funnels for deep irrigation and liquid fertilization.
Recycle 2-liter plastic soda bottles into drip-irrigation containers. Punch two small holes into the screw-on cap. Remove the hard plastic base, cut off the rounded bottom of the bottle, and replace the base as a cap. Sink the bottle upside down into the soil, and firm it around the bottle to hold it in place. Remove the base (now the top) to fill the bottle with water or fertilizer solution, and replace it to retard evaporation.
Gallon- or larger-sized containers with holes punched in the lower halves and bottoms can be sunk into the soil between plants or seedlings as watering tools. Irrigation and fertilizer solutions can be poured into these containers to gently seep into the soil. Plant roots will grow deeply in search of this nutrition and moisture, and these deep roots will support the plant well during longer periods of hot weather that will kill plants with more shallow root systems. The five-gallon and larger sizes can be used in the holes dug for hills of melons, squash, etc.--the container prevents the hole from filling up with soil with each watering.
The weather and the texture of your soil will determine the amount and frequency of irrigation to apply to your garden. Heavy clay soils require less irrigation than sandy loam soils. During periods of long, hot weather, plants need more frequent and longer irrigation than during periods with more moderate temperatures. Irrigation which keeps the soil soggy will increase root rot problems.
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.
Continue pulling weeds before they form seedheads or scatter their seeds, and you'll have fewer weed problems later. Weeding the day after watering will ease the chore, and weeds' entire root systems will come out more readily. If you leave pulled weeds in garden pathways for dry mulch, be sure to leave them with their roots up so they don't reroot themselves. But don't leave weeds that have already developed their seedheads--some seeds may mature and germinate next year.
If you are considering constructing a compost pile but are leary of a potentially disagreeable smell and hovering insects, be aware that these result from the pile not being aerated enough. The foul odor and large numbers of insects are due to anaerobic decomposition.
To properly construct a "breathing" compost pile, collect some moist greenery such as grass clippings, green foliage, and kitchen scraps with no grease or fat; some dried leaves or woody material in small pieces; and some soil, manure, or compost. Keep them well mixed up to incorporate the air. Begin the pile on top of some rougher, dry brush or small twigs. Then mix the ingredients well or thinly layer them until the pile is about three feet tall and wide. Add finely-chopped, moist greenery such as grass clippings in thin layers, or stir them into the top layer of other ingredients. Otherwise, thick layers will compact, decompose, and smell rotten in the summer heat. Water the pile until it's moist but not soggy. Mix the pile every several weeks to let in more air if it seems to be compacting without breaking down the ingredients.
Bonemeal promotes excellent root growth. It becomes available to your plants more quickly when it is mixed with manure or compost and dug into well-aerated soil.
Make your own complete, slow-release, and fairly well-balanced granulated fertilizer from natural ingredients. Use four parts seedmeal or fish meal; one part agricultural or dolomite lime; one part rock phosphate or one-half part bonemeal; and one-half part kelpmeal. Seedmeal is any kind of ground-up seed. Cottonseed is the most inexpensive and is easy to work with but contains the most pesticide residues. Fishmeal tends to be odorous for a day or two after incorporation (just think you're at the beach....). All are high in nitrogen and contain moderate amounts of phosphorus but little potassium.
Agricultural lime or the more balanced dolomite lime should be finely ground so they act quickly. Do not use quick lime or slaked lime. Bonemeal and rock phosphate are effective phosphate fertilizers. Bonemeal is faster-acting but is more expensive and tends to become lumpy. Kelpmeal adds potassium and many necessary trace elements.
To encourage beneficial insects to populate your garden, provide them with their chosen foods and habitats. Many weeds--including lamb's-quarters, nettle, knotweed, pigweed, and cocklebur--as well as many cultivated annuals, perennials, and herbs are food sources for two of the most important orders of beneficials, wasps and flies. Most of these plants are members of two families, the umbelliferae and the compositae. Umbelliferae--such as anise, carrot, caraway, coriander, dill, fennel and parsley--have many tiny flowers arranged in tight umbels looking like an upside-down umbrella. Compositae--such as black-eyed Susan, coreopsis, goldenrod, and strawflower--have central disc flowers surrounded by many ray petals looking like a daisy.
Mustard flowers attract lacewings (for aphids) and parasitic wasps (for cabbage caterpillars and coddling moths; they don't bother people or pets). Rows or interplantings of these plants can support a large beneficial insect population.
Plastic gallon jugs with their bottoms cut out and caps removed can be used at least two times each year. When starting seeds or setting out plants when nights are still cool, use the jugs as hot caps. When the plants have outgrown the jugs or night-time temperatures stay above 50 degrees, invert the jugs and bury their necks into the soil for use as funnels for deep irrigation and liquid fertilization.
Recycle 2-liter plastic soda bottles into drip-irrigation containers. Punch two small holes into the screw-on cap. Remove the hard plastic base, cut off the rounded bottom of the bottle, and replace the base as a cap. Sink the bottle upside down into the soil, and firm it around the bottle to hold it in place. Remove the base (now the top) to fill the bottle with water or fertilizer solution, and replace it to retard evaporation.
Gallon- or larger-sized containers with holes punched in the lower halves and bottoms can be sunk into the soil between plants or seedlings as watering tools. Irrigation and fertilizer solutions can be poured into these containers to gently seep into the soil. Plant roots will grow deeply in search of this nutrition and moisture, and these deep roots will support the plant well during longer periods of hot weather that will kill plants with more shallow root systems. The five-gallon and larger sizes can be used in the holes dug for hills of melons, squash, etc.--the container prevents the hole from filling up with soil with each watering.