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Time to dig into some hot dirt–maybe with some potholders! I have to admit, my time in the garden this week has been limited. The relentless heat and humidity have been tough –and I don’t handle heat well (what can I say, I’m a New Englander, and I’m great at complaining about the weather). I have been more worried about keeping my pups cool (if you come by the store, you know Karma and Pip). Not to mention, the horseflies at my house have been absolutely brutal!
I step outside and they are lying in wait; they harass the dogs and their bites hurt! They have saw-like mouth parts, which is why their bites are so painful. On the brighter side, the birds in my yard have been very active. The goldfinches are all over the feeder, or waiting for their turn, perched upon my blooming geum. The bluejays are always full of antics, while the cardinals are determined to have a turn at the feeder too.
In my perennial beds, the weeds crept in while I was distracted elsewhere. It’s on the to-do list, but it will have to wait until that part of the yard is at least shaded. I have to laugh because I keep finding volunteer tomatillos spread to strange places: under the bird feeder, in the lawn, by the mailbox. I have no idea if they will bear fruit because they are far from the other tomas, and they require cross pollination. I’m going to leave them for now, and see how this experiment will work out.
My tomatillos that I planted in the veggie beds are cookin’! They love the heat, so they have gotten sturdy and tall. I will be pruning them soon. I’m seeing all sorts of those damned potato beetles and their damage on the foliage. I’ll have to take a walk through that row and knock those beetles into a cup of soapy water and squish any egg masses (with gloves on because…yuck). It’s time for another round of organic spinosid spray as well.
A word of caution when applying any kind of sprays (or even top watering) to your plants: avoid applying at noon. When the sun is so high in the sky, any droplets on foliage will act like a mirror, and burn your plants’ leaves.
My shallots are a-growin’! They’re getting quite big, and I have to get out there and weed around them. I want to give them as much space as possible to get those bulbs big (this goes for garlic and onions as well). As for the tomatoes, we have flowers and little green fruits popping. The butternut squash recently seeded has already sprouted!
If you’re feeling motivated, there’s still time to plant warm weather crops. From seed, you can plant beans, winter & summer squash, cukes, basil–you can even plant seed potatoes (we’ve planted as late as the 4th of July). Later on, you can do a second planting of cool weather crops too, but not yet!
Moving on to pest-talk. Some pests to keep an eye out for that have yet to emerge:
● Asiatic Garden Beetle: a copper-colored beetle (like a dirty penny) that has a humped back. They feed primarily at night, skeletonizing plants, and hide shallowly in the soil during the day time. You can scout for them at night with a flashlight and squish them. You can also gently dig around the base of your plants with your finger tip–they jump to the surface. Squish ‘em! Also…these guys love basil plants, beware!
● Squash Vine Borer: these buggers are tough to control once they have bored into squash vines. Wicked destructive. Once your plant has started to vine out, wrap fabric around the first few inches of vine. This is valuable advice from my aunt (you can read more in her blog), and an old farmer’s trick, which I believe she learned from her Grandma Johnson.
● Cucumber Beetle & Four-Lined Plant Bugs
Remember, your own observations are your first line of defense.
Alright, now for what’s blooming! Some lovely flowers are coming out now. Our hydrangeas are out on display (ours are pink, but if you want them blue you will need to add an acidifier to your soil). My geum and black-eyed susans are now in full bloom! Also starting to bud are our hostas. I was very excited to see the first blooms of daylilies–they are a welcome sight after so many flowers have gone by. Best of all? They’re edible!
Note on Daylilies: be very sure you have properly identified plants before eating anything. While daylilies are edible, true lilies are toxic.
Some final notes: As I mentioned last week, keep an eye on your watering to help prevent undue stress in plants. This hot weather is brutal, but more importantly, keep yourselves hydrated and cool. The Nashua Farmers’ crew will return from vacation on July 15th. Be careful in this heat and have a great July 4th!
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.
