GARDEN FRESH PRODUCE

How we keep the garden fresh:

Water: The rainy days in June and July helped keep our gardens green and blooming. But now is the time to keep the soil consistently moist. Faithful watering is the key to keeping a summer garden fresh and vital through fall. Lawns, roses and flower beds need a thorough soaking at least once a week on the coast — more if growing in warmer, inland areas. One really cannot water too much in the summer.
Keep an eye on container gardens, soaking the root area thoroughly until water pours out of drainage holes. This may mean once a day, depending on the weather.

Prune: The main chore this month and next is removing spent flowers from summer blooming annuals and perennials. If you have not done so already, thin fruits on apple and pear trees. Roses and spring flowering shrubs such as rhododendrons need to have spent blooms removed. Most summer perennials and annuals will remain fresh and blooming with consistent light pruning.

Feed: Keeping all plants well-fed during the spring growing season and beyond will produce healthy, productive vegetables and flowers. Use an all-purpose 4-4-4 organic fertilizer applied every four to six weeks. Liquid fertilizers that are kelp based are especially effective.

Spray: Drippy, foggy days on the coast invite disease to take hold on roses, dahlias, tomatoes and squash plants. Weekly spraying problem plants with an organic fungicide will keep disease away. Worm/caterpillar pests, as well as aphids and beetles come out in full force during the summer. Insecticidal soap is a good all-purpose organic spray that knocks down these pests. Bacillus thuringiensis solutions kill caterpillars and worms.