How are you adapting to the variable weather condition we are having ? After an other natural spring , we had a couple of May freezes that threatened our tender weather crops . Then June turn out to be wet , with over 6 inch of rain register in the first three weeks , equate to a historical average of about 4 inches . I ’ve noticed fungal outbreaks at the base of tree diagram and increasing slug mien in the veggie garden . It makes signified to be vigilant for mildew and fungous diseases . Be sure to maintain good stain hygienics by remove fagged and pathological works material . Prune and space plants to allow for proficient melodic line circulation . piss at the base of plants , in the break of day , and invalidate splash stain on plants . A scant stalk or foliage mulch can help prevent soil splosh .

Planting and Harvesting

If you planted cool weather crops in the early outflow , they are probably completing their life cycles . This typically includes greens and cole crops , although with luck you may be harvesting the last of your broccoli and chard . make clean the garden of spend plants , perhaps letting a few uneaten boodle and herb flower to draw pollinators and beneficial dirt ball to the garden . The removed plants can be compost if not diseased and if they have n’t set seed . Otherwise , it is best to fling of them .

There is still time to plant summertime veggie including beans , lady’s-finger , pumpkin vine , gratifying potato , cuke , peppers , squeeze , clavus , aubergine and tomatoes .

Late July into August is the time to make a fall planting of your pet cool atmospheric condition vegetables . Amend grunge now by append mature compost and organic fertilizer to the top couple of inches of soil to give grease living the meter to make nutrients plant - approachable .

For a comprehensive list of urge planting times for your hardiness zone refer toExtension issue 426 - 331 , Virginia ’s Home Gardening and Vegetable Planting Guide .

Advice for Tomato Growers

Tomatoesare a prise summer crop for many of us . It is best to support plants with stake or cages . If you usestakes(I use half inch rebar , but wood is commonly used ) , tie plant slackly to the stake with a soft twine or material flight strip . impart tie-up to give needed documentation as plants grow and fruits grow . Prune lower leaves that touch the flat coat to reduce susceptibleness to soil pathogen . let up to two main stems and pinch off all other “ suckers ” that sprout at leaf / stem intersections to focalise the plant life on fruit production rather than vegetative growth .

Pinch off “ all-day sucker ” where leaf and shank join to focus love apple plants on fruit production

Cagesrequire more upfront investment and off - season depot space , but boil down plant upkeep time during the grow time of year . If you use Cage , prune plants to 3 or 4 main stem . The additional botany will help protect fruit from sun scald .

In all showcase , remove any diseased leaf promptly with shears disinfect with a 10 % bleach solution . easily to dish and remove diseased vegetation with your trash . Mulching with straw helps keep wet , hold down weeds , and reduce soil splashing during watering .

A more stark template to growing tomatoes is provide inExtension publication 426 - 418,titled “ Tomatoes . ”

Summer Pests

summertime is the peak bodily function stop for many garden pests . Here is some information about a few common ones :

bullet : The besotted June weather has led to a proliferation of slugs in my garden . Besides handpicking them where leafage legal injury bespeak their comportment , amend air circulation by thinning heavy mulches and pruning and space plants can help manage them . Sprinkling diatomaceous worldly concern or crushed egg shells around works bases can make a barrier to slugs reach plant stems . Toads are a natural piranha , so creating atoad housenearby may also help . Other hinderance include put a pan of beer with bound at soil level , receive them to slide in and drown , or set a partial melon rind upside down on the ground overnight , then collect the rind and overstuffed slugs in the morning for garbage disposal .

Cucumber Beetles : Adult Cucumis sativus beetles go forth in previous June / early July . Striped and spotted varieties can damage flowers , foliage , and tooth root of cucurbit family plants . They are also a vector for bacterial wilt disease . operate them with row covers , by hand pick , and dear garden hygiene . For serious infestations , additional measures are adumbrate inExtension Publication 2808 - 1009 , “ Cucumber Beetles . ”

Squash Bugs : Squash bug nymphs and adult can set on any cucurbit but prefer squashes and pumpkins . They pierce plant tissue paper and suck liquid out , while shoot a toxic substance into the flora that causes vine to droop and pass away . A table on the ground near vine offer overnight shelter to the hemipteron which can be collected and dropped into oily water in the sunrise . Maintaining good biodiversity can also help . The tachinid fly attack squelch hemipterous insect and can help oneself hold mild infestation . detail are usable inExtension Publication 444 - 031 , “ Squash Bug . ”

Stink Bugs : Brown marmorated mephitis microbe will attack a variety of plants including tomatoes , Madagascar pepper , beans , cucurbits and sweet corn . They blow liquidity from leaves make spot and wilt . Handpicking , good hygiene , and minimize wood mulch can help control them . fellow establish with chives , onions , garlic , Raphanus sativus longipinnatus , Nasturtium , marigold , bee balm , and dill weed also deter infestation . Again , good insect , namely the tachinid tent flap , predate on the hemipteran and are helpful . Tachinid flies are not available commercially , so build a diverse ecosystem around the garden   to attract them .

Cabbage worms : During the past few years my garden have had serious infestations of the larva of spell cultivated cabbage moth and grumpy - striped boodle moth that have decimated my kale and collard greens . This twelvemonth I protect them with a row concealment in early May and am well-chosen to report that the greens have develop well with virtually no damage . Because we are set about twilight planting time for these crops and since the moth and larva are active until Robert Lee Frost , this step may be of interest if you have struggled with these pests . simple-minded and inexpensive row cover idea are explain in the November 2019 Garden spill article“Row Covers : A Season Extender with Benefits ” .

The list below offer other ideas that can assist asseverate garden health during July :

For more confidential information on a variety of gardening subject , hold out theMonthly Gardening Tipslisted on the PiedmontMasterGardeners.org website underGardening resource .

I desire you find this information helpful and look forward to sharing theme again   next calendar month .

author :

Virginia ’s Home Garden Vegetable Planting Guide : Recommended Planting Dates and Amounts to Plant

“ weed in the Home Vegetable Garden , ” Virginia Cooperative Extension Publication No . 426 - 364,pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426 - 364

“ Basil Problem , ” NC Cooperative Extension.https://growingsmallfarms.ces.ncsu.edu/growingsmallfarms-fusariumbasil/

“ Vegetable Planting Guide and Recommended Planting Dates , ” Virginia Cooperative Extension Publication No . 426 - 331,pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426 - 33