Beat the Heat
Keep the soil moist to help plants continue to thrive through the hot and dry spells of late summer. A good mulch cover helps keep moisture in the soil and regular watering will do wonders for thirsty plants. Even better, simple irrigation systems like a milk jugs with small holes in the bottom will cut down on your handwatering time while truly nourishing your plants.
Harvest, Harvest, Harvest
Make
sure you keep on picking fruits and vegetables at the ideal stage, as
overripe fruit can prevent smaller fruits on the same plant from
developing properly and attract pests and diseases. Not sure when to
pick your produce?
For squash, smaller tastes better -- summer squash and zucchini can get tough and woody when they grow too large, so pick when they're still small and delicate-tasting. Look under the leaves to ensure you find all the fruit! Carrots, too, are better when they're smaller; grab them when they have the diameter of a quarter or less. Let tomatoes ripen on the vine for the best flavour. Potatoes are ready when their tops are brown and have fallen over. Green beans should be picked when they're about as thick as a pencil and cantaloupes are ready when their skin is nettled and they slip easily from the vine.
Harvest any herb plants early in the day after the dew has dried. To save herbs through the winter, dry them in a dehydrator or air dry them on screens or by hanging bundles upside down in a cool, dry place. Store any dried herbs in an airtight container.
Get Ready for Fall
As early summer crops die away, replace them with autumn crops like broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. Other brassicas, like kale, do well throughout the colder months and can be eaten fresh from the garden even as winter comes in, so make sure you have plenty of room for these cooler-weather crops.
Prune Down
Prune canes like raspberries after harvest. For plants that bear their fruit in June, cut the canes that fruited this year right to the ground. For everbearing plants, prune canes that bore fruit this season in half.
Keep Your Compost Going
If you aren't already composting, now is a great time to get started. That pile of peelings and pits will be great nourishment for your plants next year. Make sure you're not adding any diseased plants or weeds that have ripening seeds on them into your compost. You can also water your compost pile in the summer to speed up its decomposition.
For squash, smaller tastes better -- summer squash and zucchini can get tough and woody when they grow too large, so pick when they're still small and delicate-tasting. Look under the leaves to ensure you find all the fruit! Carrots, too, are better when they're smaller; grab them when they have the diameter of a quarter or less. Let tomatoes ripen on the vine for the best flavour. Potatoes are ready when their tops are brown and have fallen over. Green beans should be picked when they're about as thick as a pencil and cantaloupes are ready when their skin is nettled and they slip easily from the vine.
Harvest any herb plants early in the day after the dew has dried. To save herbs through the winter, dry them in a dehydrator or air dry them on screens or by hanging bundles upside down in a cool, dry place. Store any dried herbs in an airtight container.
Get Ready for Fall
As early summer crops die away, replace them with autumn crops like broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. Other brassicas, like kale, do well throughout the colder months and can be eaten fresh from the garden even as winter comes in, so make sure you have plenty of room for these cooler-weather crops.
Prune Down
Prune canes like raspberries after harvest. For plants that bear their fruit in June, cut the canes that fruited this year right to the ground. For everbearing plants, prune canes that bore fruit this season in half.
Keep Your Compost Going
If you aren't already composting, now is a great time to get started. That pile of peelings and pits will be great nourishment for your plants next year. Make sure you're not adding any diseased plants or weeds that have ripening seeds on them into your compost. You can also water your compost pile in the summer to speed up its decomposition.
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