Advice On Garden Tasks For July And August
posted on 07/07/2009
It's hard to believe, but summer is here in all its glory. It seems like it was just yesterday that we were planting flowers and vegetables, anxiously waiting for them to pop out of the ground. Well, vegetables are ready to harvest, and flowers and shrubs are in full bloom. This is not the time to sit back on your laurels, though. This is a time to do some routing maintenance in the yard and garden, to keep things looking good through the rest of the growing season. Here are some tips to keep in mind.
Trim flowers
If your flowers are starting to look a bit raggedy, then this is the time to remove old flower heads from any of your annuals or perennials. Although it may seem counterproductive to remove them, this really does keep them healthy and blooming through the rest of the season.
Maintain your herb garden
Some of your herbs may start going to seed. Leave the flowers on your herbs if you would like to have them self-sow during next year's planting season. This is especially good for herbs like basil, which are sometimes fragile and persnickety.
If you have large flowers, stake them up
Some flowers get really tall, so you may want to stake them up to avoid damages from wind or rain. Use stakes that are long enough and sturdy enough to support the flowers, but not to conspicuous to call attention to them. Use twist ties or elasticized twine to secure the plants to the stakes.
Control mosquitoes
Eliminate all pools of standing water so they don't attract mosquitoes, which can be carriers of the West Nile virus. Clean out drip trays under plants on a regular basis.
Conquer and control the weeds
You want to get rid of weeds before they go to seed so they don't spread even farther next year. Don't put weeds with mature seed heads into your compost pile, since that's just an invitation to have more weeds develop when you start using your mulch. Weeds are hearty and insidious, so do your best to get rid of them.
If you do a little work each day, you will find it a more manageable task than waiting until it's almost too late, and then feel totally overwhelmed!
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jtrombetti says:
(137d 20h 49min ago)
Good article John. The East Coast has had so much rain that keeping the garden and yard in shape is a daily chore, but well worth it. The rain causes everything to grow beautifully in most cases and if you maintain you will see fabulous results and terrific vegetables from the garden.