Seeding and Planting

There are array of varieties one can plant of any one category of vegetables. Read carefully the number of days from seed to ha

rvest so you have an idea when to expect picking your favorites. Often the long season ones will be larger and more productive, Good things take time. Also to insure a continuous harvest you may want to make staggered plantings. For example green beans can be seeded from May to late July ensuring you have some to harvest every week from late June until late September. The same can apply to Summer Squash, C

antaloupes and Sweet Corn. Cool crops like Leaf Lettuce, Peas, Radishes, Cabbage and Broccoli can be planted early spring and then again in August for a fall crop.

Bugs and Drought

The likelihood of disease, insects and drought are much less in highly organic loose soils. A soil that is healthy and rich will produce plants

that the insects and diseases aren’t interested in. Like a healthy body is less likely to be affected, plants growing in the right soil will fend off diseases and insects.

If however you do find problems with insects there are products that will control them. Pictured above is one of the most difficult ones the Japanese beetle which appears at the onset of hot weather mid to late June. They are attracted to certain trees and plants and usually over winter in the soil near these plants. To control the adult beetles in summer (when they feed on foliage and flowers) use Bayer Advanced™ Dual Action Rose & Flower Insect Killer Concentrate according to label directions. And to control the Grubs a one time application of Bayer Grub Control

Irrigation Most garden crops can make it on normal rainfall but you want to be sure to water your plants the first ten days or two weeks until their roots become established and then taper off to once a week when there is no rain, soaking the plants well and letting them get dry between waterings. The roots will go deeper to find moisture and nutrients to sustain them. Of course if your growing in containers this will vary somewhat and you need to look at your plants for signs of wilting.