July is a good time for the gardener to assess plants’ future survival
Spider mite damage is visible on these green beans in one of Kathy’s previous gardens. But any worse than this and the plants should be pulled — they wouldn’t recover. Kathy Morrison
This is another installment in our Food In My Back Yard series, devoted to edible gardening.
One of my fellow community gardeners asked me to diagnose some of her vegetable plants the other morning. What I found was a sad sight: Grean bean plants victimized by spider mites, to the point that the leaves and even the beans were mostly white, with just a little green remaining. No green, no chlorophyll, no food-producing mechanism for the plant.
Can they be saved? she asked. Highly unlikely, I replied. Better to pull them out now and maybe replant, or start something else there next month.
We turned to her pumpkin plants. Spider mite damage was visible there, too, but the leaves were still mostly green, and the little pumpkins were unharmed. These plants had a good chance of surviving until harvest. But I warned her that spider mites love hot and dusty conditions, which could be expected to continue this month. My advice: Wet the plants down in the morning, especially the undersides of the leaves, to help keep the pests under control.
This illustrates the decisions that gardeners of edible plants may be facing in the coming weeks, as July heat takes its toll on summer vegetables. Every garden is different, as is every gardener's level of patience, but here's some guidance on assessing:
Dig it up or pull it out if:
-- The plant no longer is producing new shoots. Don't worry about a lack of flowers. The plant avoids producing them or discards them when stressed. But if some of the plant is yellow or brown, yet it has been getting regular watering, examine it for evidence of new growth. If you see nothing new AT ALL on the plant, it's probably time to pull it. And some vegetables, such as corn or determinate tomatoes, might be done with their life cycle anyway.
-- It's under attack from a disease or a pest that's affecting production. A bit of leaf miner damage will not prevent a pepper's fruit from growing, for example, but a serious spider mite infestation will affect a plant's ability to photosynthesize, as in the example above. Pull and toss it into the trash, not the compost. Trying to halt an attacker at this point might be costlier, in time and product, than the value of any harvest that might yet be possible.
-- You're tired of it. Too much zucchini already? It's OK to dig it out, really. Remember to add compost to the soil afterward, so nutrients are renewed for the next crop at that spot.
Let the plant be (for now) if:
-- It was planted late and didn't produce much before July's heat hit. If the plant has vigor, even if very little fruit, leaving it in place into the fall could produce a crop when the temps are a bit lower. I found this to be true with a Black Plum tomato I was ready to give up on .
-- It’s still producing flowers. The pollen might be dried up, but the plants is still trying. This plant may be heat-resistant, even if it was never advertised as such. Lucky you! Make a note on that for next year, too.
-- You just aren’t sure. The plant’s just sitting there, but it’s clearly not dead. It may have gone into a temporary dormancy. If you’re interested in seeing what else it will produce, there’s no harm in leaving it there for a few more weeks. Be sure to keep watering it on the same schedule, and fertilize once the triple-digit heat stops. Good luck!
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Flowers in My Back Yard Series
April 28: Majestic Matilija poppy is worth a look
April 21: Celebrate roses, America's favorite flower
April 14: Small flowers with outsized impact
April 7: Calendulas do double duty
April 3: Make Easter lilies last for years to come
March 31: In praise of a pollinator magnet (small-leaf salvias)
March 24: Azaleas brighten shady spots
March 17: The perfect flower for beginners? Try zonal geraniums
March 10: Keep camellias happy for years to come
March 3: Fruit tree blossoms are a fleeting joy
Feb. 27: Are your roses looking rusty?
Feb. 24: Treasure spring daffodils now and for years to come
Feb. 17: How and why to grow wildflowers
Feb. 10: Let's talk Valentine's Day roses
Feb. 3: Why grow flowers?
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Garden checklist for week of April 19
After this midweek storm, start getting serious about spring gardening. Flowers are blooming about three weeks ahead of schedule. That includes weeds!
* Get ready to swing into action in the vegetable garden – if you haven’t already. As nights warm up over 50 degrees, set out tomato, pepper and eggplant transplants.
* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, radishes and squash; wait on pumpkins until May. Plant onion sets.
* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias. Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.
* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom. Late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.
* Transplant lettuce and cabbage seedlings.
* April is the last chance to plant citrus trees such as dwarf orange, lemon and kumquat. These trees also look good in landscaping and provide fresh fruit in winter.
* Smell orange blossoms? Give citrus trees a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants. If leaves look yellow, your tree may need an iron boost -- apply some chelated iron fertilizer.
* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.
* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.
* Spring brings a flush of rapid growth, and that means your garden needs nutrition. Give shrubs and trees a slow-release fertilizer. Mulch with a 1-inch layer of compost, which helps the soil, but keep it a few inches away from trunks and stems.
* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.
* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.
* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.
* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.
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Food in My Back Yard (FIMBY) Series
Lessons learned during a year of edible gardening
WINTER
Is edible gardening possible indoors?
Hints for choosing tomato seeds
Why winter is the perfect time to plant fruit trees
When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
How to squeeze more food into less space
Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Win the weed war by tackling them in winter
Tips for planting bare-root trees, shrubs and vegetables
Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
Ways to win the fight against weeds
FALL
Dec. 16: Add asparagus to your edible garden
Dec. 9: Soggy soil and what to do about it
Dec. 2: Plant artichokes now; enjoy for years to come
Nov. 25: It's late November, and your peach tree needs spraying
Nov. 18: What to do with all those fallen leaves?
Nov. 11: Prepare now for colder weather in the edible garden
Nov. 4: Plant a pea patch for you and your garden
Oct. 27: As citrus season begins, advice for backyard growers
Oct. 20: Change is in the autumn air
Oct. 13: We don't talk (enough) about beets
Oct. 6: Fava beans do double duty
Sept. 30: Seeds or transplants for cool-season veggies?
Sept. 23: How to prolong the fall tomato harvest
SUMMER
Sept. 16: Time to shut it down?
Sept. 9: How to get the most out of your pumpkin patch
Sept. 2: Summer-to-fall transition time for evaluation, planning
Aug. 26: To pick or not to pick those tomatoes?
Aug. 19: Put worms to work for you
Aug. 12: Grow food while saving water
Aug. 5: Enhance your food with edible flowers
July 29: Why won't my tomatoes turn red?
July 22: A squash plant has mosaic virus, and it's not pretty
July 15: Does this plant need water?
July 8: Tear out that sad plant or baby it? Midsummer decisions
July 1: How to grow summer salad greens
June 24: Weird stuff that's perfectly normal
SPRING
June 17: Help pollinators help your garden
June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests
June 3: Make your own compost
May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?
May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days
May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can
May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success
April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?
April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)
April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers
April 8: When to plant summer vegetables
April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths
March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth
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