July
2010
This has been a cool Spring,
extending the blooming season for many plants. The coastal fog has
made it to our garden far more often than usual this year. This has
been hard on the roses. The Roses have developed a lot of fungal
diseases. Some sunny days will help much more than any sprays.
I trim off the dead rose flowers with more stem than I do in the
Spring. This has two effects, the leaf surface to root ratio is more
appropriate to hot Summer days. And much of the diseased foliage is
removed. Cleaning up the fallen leaves, or mulching over them to
keep the fungus spores from finding their way back to the leaves is
helpful too.
Sprinkler systems are demanding a
lot of attention. It is fatal for way too many plants if they fail
to work for any length of time. I have been installing quite a
few Smart Sprinkler Timers, both because there are
quite a few rebates for them and because they save quite a lot of
water.
I have been spending a lot of time
on weeds and dead flowers as always. I am also working hard to keep
the plants from swallowing one another. All that Spring growth must
be contained. Planting, except near the coast is pretty pointless
with the heat. It is far better to wait for Fall. And even at
the coast it is easier on the plants to wait. So I am working on
walkways, walls, and other hard-scape projects.
The fruit trees are starting to
really produce a lot. Canning season is upon us. In general 4
cups of fruit and 3 cups of sugar boiled until it thickens, makes a little
more than a quart of the best jam in the world. The jam that came
from your own yard.
Basil by the fistfull, Kalitari
Oregano, Cilantro, hard neck garlic is ripening there is lots of
flavor for my morning eggs.
Watering is a major concern. I
am still favoring deep irrigation rather than frequent irrigation but am
putting the hose to the thirsty plants much more often. Now is the
time that all of the deep waterings of the spring are paying off.
Watering containers is a different story. I thin, or trim back the
plants so they have a leaf surface that is appropriate for the amount of
roots that fit in the container. Buying plants from a nursery often
requires multiple soakings each day, since that is what they were doing in
the nursery. Mostly I don't buy plants at this time of year.
Corn is on its way. I only
grow enough for our family. Therefore the block is smaller than would allow for wind
pollination so I hand pollinate. When the silks come out I break off a bit of the
tassels where the anthers are and brush it on the silks. The ears will
have many more kernels. Greens require shade and only live a short
time in our inland location. Tomatoes, basil, squash and peppers are
kings in the garden. The fruit trees are producing like mad.
With 40 trees, it seems that a couple of them are ready at any given time
all summer. It is often easiest to figure out what wood is dead in the fruit trees at this
time of year. And fire blight is a problem in our area. so
frequent trimming is necessary to keep it in check. The berries can be ready by mid month and tomatoes too. Actually
tomatoes can be ready much earlier but not without a lot of work. I
plant them in early May because that is when they really start to grow.
I am deadheading like a maniac, there are a huge number of flowers
that don't drop off naturally so they must be cut to keep the plant looking its
best. Once a plant goes to seed it thinks its job is done and it
stops. So to keep the flowers coming, deadheading is a must. It
seems that the bermuda grass is growing almost as fast as I can run and faster than I can
pull it. A gardening friend once bought a house and his primary deciding issue was
whether there was bermuda grass on the property.
I have shifted to doing more hard-scape projects
through the heat this summer. Walkways that need building, sprinkler
systems to new sections of the yard, fences and arbors. I have
collected a lot of wood scraps for bird houses. They will be cut to
size in the next week or so. I am building a copper pipe arch to go
over a hot tub and support vines.
The bugs keep climbing into the sprayers of the
drip system looking for a drink. They expand with their drink and
can't get out but block the opening when the water comes on. It is
kind of like the monkey and the cookie jar. I check
the sprinkler systems frequently at this time of year.
There is a new crop of Summer
weeds, doveweed, bindweed, mustard, wild lettuce, and a buckwheat relative that I only know by its
Latin name polygonum aviculare, are all growing like mad. They all can regenerate
from their taproot if the roots are not removed. Dig deep. I am pruning some
of the lower and inside branches off the trees as they are being shaded out by the new
growth and looking like they will die soon anyways. I am also tip pruning some of
the longer tree branches so they will thicken and bush out a bit. It is common for
branches to break due to excess weight of the new growth particularly on a hot day.
It is never a bad time to put down another layer of mulch if you have some on hand.
I have cut back the calla lilies hard as they are at the end of their season. The
bamboo shoots are coming on strong. I chose clumping varieties and harvest some for
timber so the advent of new shoots calls for celebration. I am watering them heavily
so they will really grow well. The only exception to this is the 'budda's belly'
bamboo which will have better belly's if it is drought stressed. Water makes the
internodes grow too long on this variety.
Particularly with drought tolerant plants it is important not to water
them with the heat. Irrigation
under oaks often invites fungus problems. Containers
will require water but will do best if the irrigation is early or late in
the day. Xerophytic plants in the ground are best watered when the
next cool period comes. Then a deep watering is in order.
Typically we get a week of heat and then the temperatures dip down for a
few days. During this cooler period is the time to give the plants a
deep soaking. I have also been spending time cleaning deadwood out
of trees and shrubs. This is not only nice for the garden's visual
and to minimize the fire hazard it is nice for the gardener to hang out in the shade and still be useful.
This is a good time to adjust your irrigation timer
to match the season.
It is hot, too hot to plant, too hot to have much
fun in the garden unless you do the work in the early morning or
evening. I consume great quantities of water before and during my
gardening day. I wear protective clothing, ie long sleeves and a
broad brimmed hat. I am monitoring irrigation systems. Trying
to keep dead flowers trimmed. Generally I am lightly trimming plants
when I work on them to keep the shock of the rough weather from damaging
them. It is often damaging to plants to try to water them during the
heat of the day. The roots will often cook.
The summer weeds are doing well (better than I am
I think). I have kept them at bay from my favored beds but little
more. I have been making applesauce by the bucketful. The kids
grumble about the processing but not about the what is on the dinner
table. I have made berry preserves and am ready to make plum jam.
The summer fruit is in full swing. I have done some serious rose
thinning to promote new growth and remove slow growing branches.
These thickets in the middle of the plant are the most prone to disease
because they are so dense, the leaves stay on so long, and there is no air
movement or direct sunlight. They are the first place to get black
spot and rust. It is important to keep picking in the vegetable
garden. If the plants think that they have set seed they will often
stop producing new vegetables. Squash and tomatoes are great
examples of plants that need to be picked regularly.
The fruit trees are in full swing. Several
branches are overburdened by their fruit. To keep them from breaking
off I am pruning off a portion of the fruit and branch and giving that to
the pig. I get many happy grunts in return. My fruit trees are starting to ripen all at once, isn't that the way of
it? It will keep my canning technique up to speed. I am picking the
vegetables regularly to keep them from losing momentum. It is a
great time of year to get caught up on the weeds. I am drafting
plans for this Fall planting season. It seems a shame to use up
planting time then if it can be done now. I am thinning deadwood out
of trees. This serves the dual purpose of finding work in the shade
and removing a fire hazard.
My roses have slowed down a bit due to the
heat. I have been thinning out blind shoots and twiggy growth.
I have been watching for sections of the canes that have not grown yet
this year and am trimming them off. I have been watering heavily to
compensate for the heat. Many of my plants can use a serious
deadheading and trimming. I have been catching up with the wayward
spring chores that got away from me. There are a lot of those.
