July in the Garden

Jul 1, 2014 | Home and Garden

[title subtitle=”words  Tiffany Selvey”]

July is one of the best gardening months as you harvest a seemingly endless supply of fresh food daily. The only thing left to do is weed and water.

{ Watering }

July in the South, otherwise known as oppressive heat. With the hot weather comes evaporation. Plants get stressed easily by extreme heat so it’s important to stay on top of watering.

HOW

A drip irrigation system, the most efficient watering option, can be purchased at your local Farmers Coop, and it is easy to customize for the size of your garden. However, a plain old garden hose with a sprinkler works well too! Regardless of your watering method, it’s important to keep your crops, particularly tomatoes, mulched with wood chips or straw. This will prevent fungus spores from splashing up from the soil and causing problems such as blight.

WHEN

Water early in the morning when the soil is dry to the touch one inch below the surface. Morning watering will allow time for the water to sink in, eliminating loss due to evaporation. Evening watering is another option but can cause mildew issues because moisture remains on leaves overnight. You should never water during the heat of day, as most of the water will be lost to evaporation. Water your garden any time the soil is dry one inch below the surface. The amount of time it takes to get the garden sufficiently watered will depend on your watering method, but generally it’s time to turn off the water when water starts to puddle on the surface.

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{ Weeding }

You know the phrase “growing like a weed”? I’m pretty sure that phrase was coined in July. Weeds are rampant this month and prevention and regular maintenance are the keys to success.

REMOVAL

If you want to remove weeds by hand, use a hoe or hand cultivator to loosen the soil and remove the plant by its roots. Weeds without blooms can go into the compost bin, but if there are blooms on the plant, you’ll want to put it in the garbage. Returning weed seeds to the compost bin will potentially create more weeds for you in the future.

PREVENTION

Mulch is good for water retention, but it’s also the best weed preventative. If weed roots and seeds are not exposed to the sun, they’re far less likely to spread and sprout. Straw (not hay) and wood chips make the best mulch, but shredded leaves and newspaper will also do the job. In areas where the weeds have already gotten away from you, put down a layer of cardboard and top it with mulch to suffocate existing weeds.

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{ Harvesting }

Sure, there are heat and bugs in the summer but there’s also food, and lots of it. All that fresh food needs to be harvested frequently to make the most of all your hard work.

HOW

Many vegetables, like tomatoes, will pop right off the vine with a gentle tug, but thicker-stemmed veggies like squash and okra can be cut off with a sharp pair of pruning shears. Avoid pulling on a plant, since stems can break easily.

WHEN

Harvesting should always be done in the morning. I call this pajama gardening. If you’re concerned about the neighbor’s judgment, share a few fresh tomatoes to win them over.

Morning is when the moisture and sugars are most dense in fruits and veggies. During the heat of the day, plants draw more moisture away from fruits and into roots, leaving still tasty, but not optimum, produce. For obvious reasons, the harvesting process is more pleasant before the heat of the day hits. Reserve your garden work for early morning and late evening. There’s no point in pouring sweat, risking sunburn, and being miserable if you can avoid it.

Do South Magazine

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