Happenings in the Garden

This month has been a great month, but a hot month as is every July! I don't know why I am always amazed at how hot it is!! This is also the month that lots of folks give up on their summer gardens and start dreaming of cool weather gardens!

DON'T GIVE UP!

This month and the next have lots to give if you work through it! I know right now you are dealing with every imaginable creature - assassin bugs, squash bugs, vine borers, Japanese Beetles, "wheel" bugs, squirrels looking for your tomatoes and every other visitor that means your garden no good. But, on a real good note, with care, your garden (and you! will weather (no pun intended) this and get past the 195 degree days with no rain, the critters and the weariness.

Plus this is the season for lush melons, sweet and juicy tomatoes, peppers of all kinds of varieties, delicious eggplants and squash and more!

This is an African Watermelon. Notice his outer rind is slightly bumpy. And inside he is pink and sweet! In the picture below you can also see the leftovers of a cantaloupe from the garden we devoured. I never like cantaloupe until I grew them myself. Such a different flavor!

And don't get me started on the figs! Many of you know that fig leaf tea is my favorite, but when the figs come and ripen, I love making homemade biscuits and fig jam! Before I cool the jam to be canned and go in the pantry, I slather some of that warm jam on a biscuit and really appreciate the summer that ripened them.

Freshly picked figs!

My tea bushes are also producing beautifully and I have been steaming the leaves for fresh green tea.

Tea leaves ready for steaming.

I have added to my pepper selection this year. I usually do the regular bell peppers in various colors and shishito peppers, along with jalapeno, ghost, cubenelle, poblano, serrano, and others. Last year I did a late producer called a Aji Cachucha Peppers. They are beautiful, sweet, and the plant is prolific in production! I can't wait for them to come to fruition this year!

The herbs are pretty happy right now too, with jasmine (for my tea), calendula, mints, mulleins (most of them bolting), cup flowers, dill, rue, lavenders, and many more doing what they do! I spend a lot of time drying herbs for teas. Right now I am growing around 80 different herbs.

The best thing about growing is no matter where you start- a single pot with a tomato- you are a grower! I love when the first tomato shows up! Each thing that you grow is precious and the process exciting. No matter the size of your garden, enjoy the process! There are no mistakes, only learnings! And share with us so we learn too!

Remember a few things:

Here is a quick recipe to help with so many of those pesky critters who are invading your plants now. This works well for most bugs that like to travel around your plants, sucking from the fruit, the stem or other parts. Most bugs do not like soapy solution on plants. They can't get a foot hold and, thus, can't stay on the plant and do damage. Remember the soapy, essential oil solution to spray in the early mornings on your plants:

• DIY Organic Pest Repellent Spray

  Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon liquid castile soap (or any mild, unscented soap)

  • 10-15 drops of essential oil (peppermint, neem, lavender, or rosemary are great choices for pest control)

  • 1 quart (4 cups) of water

  • A spray bottle

  Instructions:

  1. Combine Ingredients: In a quart-sized spray bottle, add the liquid castile soap, essential oil(s), and water.

  2. Shake Well: Shake the bottle gently to mix all ingredients. The soap helps emulsify the oils so they blend into the water.

  3. Spray: Spray the solution generously on the affected areas of your vegetable plants, making sure to cover both the tops and undersides of leaves where pests tend to hide.

  4. Reapply: Reapply every few days or after heavy rain

Remember to provide shade for plants

beach umbrellas

shade cloth

pulling containers into shadier areas

sheets

anything that can be hooked above your plants, using poles and clips can provide a nice break from the scorching sun and help your plants survive the hottest of summers.

Remember to water consistently!

Water in the mornings or evenings, preferably, but if your plants are hot, water their soil so they can take care of themselves. Consistent but not overwatering gives your plants a chance to get the nutrients from the soil they need to stay healthy.

Some plants have leaves that will curl in when they are hot. That is a mechanism to protect themselves. They will uncurl as they cool and receive water.

Remember to feed your plants!

Feeding your plants, every 2 to 4 weeks with the right fertilizer helps them to feed you! Remember, low nitrogen when veggies are setting to produce. If you feed them a high nitrogen fertilizer they will only produce more leaves.

Take care of you!

Avoid gardening during the hottest time of the day.

Make sure to hydrate frequently when in the garden.

Where a sunhat in the sun.

Take a break when you need to.

Enjoy the fact that you are growing!

You are growing fresh produce!

You are growing your mind with new knowledge and experiences!

You are growing your health capacity with the physical work, addition of fresh produce to your diet, and the enjoyment of gardening for mental health!