Phew! After so much heat, I am celebrating the cooler weather we’ve been enjoying this week. There’s a lot to cover, so let’s dig in!
Knowing to expect rain, I prepared by giving everything a good, thorough watering, as well as fertilizer (except for my shallots). With the soil being so dry, giving water before the storm will hopefully allow the plants to uptake more moisture rather than just running off. But I am positively dancing at the prospect of this rainfall (no judging, I think plants enjoy terrible dancing). All this to say: hauling water around can get tiring!
If you remember from a couple weeks ago, I found damage that I was unsure if it was fruitworm or blossom-end rot. So, it’s time for a dissection! I cut up one tomato and found no evidence of fruitworm, so I am more confident that the plant has blossom-end rot. It simply needs a foliar calcium spray. The coming fruit will hopefully be without any black spots and rot.
I am starting to spy evidence of blight on the tomatoes as well, which in my garden is amazing–usually we are very far along with this disease at this point in the season. One good thing about hot, dry weather: diseases don’t thrive as well in these conditions. I will be applying a fungicide to slow down the blight.
We had a false alarm on squash vine borer damage, so I will stop procrastinating and wrap the first 12” of vine with fabric. I also spied some Japanese Beetles on my okra–its the first time in a long while I have seen them in our yard, and these guys are destructive. I sent them packing into a cup of soapy water. I’ll be checking the undersides of leaves for any kind of egg masses and will be squishing or spraying them with organic neem oil.
A quick note on yellow jacket activity. As my aunt recently reminded me, yellow jackets are more active and more interested in human food this time of year. They are after the sugars in your carbohydrates–watch out for your picnics! Resist the urge to shoo them away. If they are interested in your food, it’s usually wisest to let them investigate and do their thing. Yellow jackets are pollinators but are quick to get defensive and are willing to chase after you. Just be cautious and aware out in the yard.
Alright, I’m excited to report that I’m getting to harvest a few things. My okra has a couple of fruits ready (and their gorgeous flowers are nearly ready to open!). My shallots will get yanked once the rain stops, so I can dry them properly (it’s very important to dry them, so they will store through the winter). If you’re looking for instructions on growing and storing onions, click here to download Nashua Farmers’ instructions!
My tomatillos are pushing out their papery lanterns, which means I will be harvesting them in the next few weeks. Salsa verde, here we come! Not to mention, it’s blueberry picking time at my house, but we have to beat the birds to it. I also see Blueberry Buckle in my future–a family favorite dessert in our house that doubles as an acceptable breakfast.
On to what’s blooming! My little celosias are starting to bud their flame-red blooms, as are my New York asters. My mint has started flowering, and my bees and butterflies are in heaven! My mint patches are simply covered with them; they seem to hum and sway on their own accord.
An exciting discovery: a lone strawflower plant survived! I thought they all died in the heat, but this tenacious survivor is thriving, and its flowers are so unusually cool! Still flowering are my stunning Black Watchmen hollyhocks, lovely daylilies, swamp verbena, and the hydrangeas are just holding on! And there’s so much Queen Anne’s Lace blooming all over–I love how delicate they are.
That wraps up this week’s report–enjoy your break from watering! Until next week, go play in the dirt–or enjoy some of the seasonal fruit at your local farm stand! I’ve got my eye on peaches next!
Kate Ratta is the manager of the local feed store Nashua Farmers' Exchange, Inc. She has more than 10 years of experience working in the business owned by her aunt and uncle, Judy Ratta-Harrington and Gene Harrington, and will be contributing weekly garden reports. The store is located at 38½ Bridge Street in Nashua in the converted Boston & Maine and Concord Railroad station.
