Is your garden summer ready? Sunshine and warm days create the perfect environment for your vegetable garden to thrive! But with this growth spurt comes the need for a little extra TLC. It’s also a good time to plant your warm season vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash, cucumbers and beans if you haven’t already.
If you haven’t planted already, get those seeds in the ground or transplant seedlings from the nursery. Remember all of these vegetables require full sun which is at least 6 hours and preferably 8+ hours of direct sunlight each day.
- If you want to plant your garden now, or add additional vegetables be sure you know your first frost date, and the maturity dates of your vegetable you are planting. You want to be sure it matures before your first frost. You can find this on the seed packet or transplant tag.
- Tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers can’t be sown by seed. You’ll need to purchase transplants.
- With hotter temperatures, consistent watering becomes crucial. Aim for deep watering less frequently (think soaking the soil, not just misting the surface) to encourage roots to grow deeper for moisture. Early morning watering is ideal to minimize evaporation. No overhead watering with sprinklers. You can cause sunburn on the leaves, or invite in disease. Water at the soil level with a watering wand, or use in bed irrigation. Tomatoes and peppers like consistent moisture.
- Weeds can steal valuable resources like nutrients from your vegetables. If you have planted intensively, like square foot gardening, your growing vegetebles with cover the soil and suppress weeds.
- Apply a 2-inch layer of organic mulch around your plants to retain soil moisture, and to keep the soil cooler. My favorite mulch is compost or a product called soil conditioner. My favorite is Fox Farm Soil Conditioner. It has bat guano and worm castings. Your plants will love it. Avoid heavy bark mulch, it will deplete the nitrogen in the soil and is a great place for pests to hide.
- Keep your garden soil clean of dead leaves and fallen fruit. Prune off any lower limbs that touch the soil. You are inviting in soil borne disease with a messy garden.
- When you harvest your cool season vegetables, add a 2 inch layer of compost, and plant a warm season vegetable in that space. Stagger your plantings of seeds such as squash every 14 days to have a steady supply. Stop planting when it will not have time to mature before your first frost.
- Make a note of where you are planting. Rotate your crops next year to help prevent pest and disease problems from building up in the soil.
- Monitor your plants regularly for signs of pests or diseases. Early intervention is key to keeping your garden healthy. If you haven’t already be sure and add herbs and flowers to your garden bed. Marigolds and chives to deter pests. Sweet alyssum, and dill to attract beneficial insects, and flowers such as zinnias and cosmos to attract pollinators.
- Enjoy the process! Gardening is enjoyable and connects you with nature and provides you with delicious, homegrown food.
By following these tips and providing your summer vegetable garden with the care it needs, you can a successful garden.
Additional Resources:
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Download my Square Foot Spacing Guide Here