Too much heat, not enough rain, garden pests- gardening challenges galore!
Greetings fellow gardeners,
The heat and humidity are showing their summer colours. Be very careful that you are not overwatering your plants. Often droopy leaves are an indication of your plant trying to save energy rather than a symptom of dryness. It is important at this time that we test our soil before watering; the soil should be dry up to the knuckle of your finger before you water.
With bursts of rain, it is easy to observe your plants under different circumstances. For instance, one of my tomatoes has a great deal of leaf curl and I discovered that the soil is far too wet. After checking the plant carefully, I realized that the pot was not draining properly. It had drainage holes, but they were flush against the ground. By placing a couple of pieces of wood under the pot, I think I may have solved the problem.
I have many containers of water on offer so that my juicy plants appear less tempting to the creatures that roam about in my garden. You should always include a rock or ramp in deeper water so that any non-swimming creatures won’t drown. I always have several bee-waterers; small dishes filled with stones and water that bees, butterflies, and moths can access. It is a good idea to take care of your pollinators and beneficial insects.
I have still been contending with digging squirrels and chipmunks even though I try to keep the soil covered with mulch or rocks or pinecones. Lately, I discovered a plastic mat with spikes at the dollar store. It is easily cut to fit and has saved the tiny lettuce seedlings I am trying to grow. It seems to be working well. It has been suggested that a sprinkling of bloodmeal around your plants will keep away squirrels and rabbits, but it is a yummy smell for raccoons and dogs, so I don’t use it for that. I use bloodmeal in with tulip bulbs when I am planting them in the fall, as I usually put mesh or chicken wire around the tulip bulbs.
No digging mat.
Harvests of fruits and vegetables continue. The spinach is vining so well that I am going to add strings for it to climb onto my bird-feeding tree. I made another batch of rose petal jelly and some gooseberry jelly along with chive vinegar. For chive vinegar I pick the purple flowers off my chives and soak them in good white wine vinegar. After it sits about three weeks, I strain it and keep the pale lavender onion-flavoured vinegar in the fridge to use on salads. The cherries and currants are ripe, but I need another year to get more growth. For now, I am leaving a lot of the fruit for the birds. The few cherries and currants that I get this year will go to make syrup.
Chive vinegar
Keep watching the moisture levels of your pots and keep yourself aware of the little creatures (like the one on my milkweed) in your garden. Enjoy your week.
Judith. (Email: sghorticultural@gmail.com)
Veggie Bites are available at https://sghorticultural.wixsite.com/website or https://gardeningcalendar.ca/articles/veggie-bites/
Monarch caterpillar
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