Late June Garden To-Do List

It’s. So. Hot.

This means two things at the end of June. 1.) your garden is probably growing FAST. Does it seem like the plants are 6” taller than last time you checked on them? and 2.) you’d pretty much rather do anything than check on your garden.

We get it, but don’t give up so easily. There are still a few things to monitor and do this time of year. Just get out there early or late (how much are you loving the after 8pm sunset?!)

Harvest: We have harvested a few last cool season crops like cabbage, snap peas, and even some decent lettuce in gardens this week, but those won’t last much longer. If you still have them, eat them now. Let’s talk roots: You might be seeing a few carrots ready to harvest. When the top of orange (or red or yellow) root starts poking out of the soil, pull up the entire plant. Check the spacing of your onions, you can harvest them at any stage, so if they are too crowded, pull out every other onion in the row and use them as fresh green onions (scallions). Your garlic might be ready too!

Summer crops

are starting to produce. The first cucumbers, green beans, cherry tomatoes, shishito peppers, and basil are filling our harvest baskets. Speaking of basil and other summer herbs like mint, lemon balm, stevia, and tulsi; harvest those often, and try not to let them flower. Even if you don’t need basil right now, you can freeze or dry it for later. If you see a plant starting to form a bud, snip that off to encourage the plant to form more stems and leaves, rather than create flowers and seeds which signal the end of its life cycle.

Cut bouquets of flowers to enjoy inside. Like basil, they grow more when you cut them.

Plant: More bean seeds, cowpeas, summer squash, and cucumbers. These crops only take about 2 months to mature, so there is time for a second crop this summer. When a space opens up from harvesting your spring crops, pop in a pepper, eggplant, or okra plant.

Support: Help your vining crops find their supports by weaving stems into the trellis or tying them up if needed. Some folks are experimenting with staking up their summer squash to help with airflow around the leaves and to make it easier to spot pests. What do you think?

Prune: Regularly remove damaged or yellowing leaves on all plants. It’s normal for plants to have a few of these near the soil. If you are seeing yellowing or damage on the new growth, that could be a sign of nutrient deficiency or pest pressure.

If your tomatoes are starting to get unruly, it’s ok to cut off a few side branches and pinch off suckers. You will sacrifice some fruit production, but it will keep your plants a bit more tidy. You can also remove leaves at the bottom of the stem (below the active fruits and flowers) to help with airflow. If lower leaves are shaded by upper leaves, they aren’t really doing their job for the plant (capturing sunlight), but they are trapping in humidity.

Feed: Long-season plants like tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and melons need a boost of nutrients to keep them producing for months. Late June is a good time to add a side-dressing of a fertilizer like TomatoTone which has a lower percentage of nitrogen.

Pests

It’s tempting to use sprays on pests, but resist the urge as much as you can, as they often kill beneficial bugs too. Get out early and drown cucumber beetles, squash bugs, and hornworms in a jar of soapy water. Look for the eggs of squash vine borers near the base of your squash plants. They are small red dots, pick them off and put them in the jar, too. Squash bugs (pictured left) lay a diamond-shaped cluster of purple eggs on leaves (check tops and bottoms). Some gardeners have been seeing Japanese beetles over the past few weeks. Again, resist the urge to use chemicals, especially the traps which often just lure more beetles to your garden.

Diseases: We might see powdery mildew on squash, bee balm, zinnias, or other plants with fuzzy-textured leaves. Remove the affected leaves and be sure when you are watering to moisten the soil (with drip irrigation if possible) and not the leaves of plants. Striped cucumber beetles often infect plants with bacterial wilt which can kills vines very quickly. Pick these bugs off as soon as you see them. If the plant dies, shed a tear and put something else in its place right away.

Weather Notes: The high heat may mean garden soil is drying out faster this week. Check soil moisture each morning and increase your drip irrigation if needed. It’s normal for plants to wilt in the afternoon heat, but if they are wilted in the morning, that’s a sign that they are too dry.

Drink some water yourself, while you’re at it!