Summer Gardens in Ohio’s Zone 6

• Keep watering as needed. A general rule of thumb for established plants and turf is 1-inch rainfall every 10 days or so. A rain gauge will tell how much rain has fallen in your yard. Don’t count on the weather reports! Newly planted trees, shrubs, annuals and perennials may need watering more often. Check soil moisture before watering.
• For established trees, evergreens and shrubs, try using a “Ross Root Feeder”. For landscape beds, try stationary sprinklers or soaker hoses. “Tree Water Bags” are good for newly planted (or up to 3-inch diameter) trees.
• Water deeply and thoroughly each time, water the soil, not the foliage, and try to water between 5 am and 9 am.
• Keep fluffing the mulch to prevent crusting of the top layer. Mulch helps to prevent weeds, control soil temperatures, and maintain soil moisture.

Can I Plant Trees in the Summer?
Absolutely! With so many things being grown in containers, plant selection has never been better for summer planting. As for watering, it’s no different watering a plant planted today, then watering one that was planted 2 months ago. They still need regular watering. The only big drawback is that you may sweat more! Make sure to ask our tree experts or research to find the perfect tree.

Tip: Add support to fruit tree branches that are heavy with fruit.  

Vacation Plans:
Plan to have someone tend to the basics of your garden, especially watering and harvesting. Reward friends and neighbors with the treat of your harvest while you are away if they are willing to spend some time nurturing your crops.

It’s Time to Plan for Your Fall Crops. Start Cool-Season Seeds Indoors for Fall:

• For fall crops, pick the hardiest and most frost tolerant seeds, so they can survive the first frost. Some of our favorites include broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, beets, carrots and spinach.
• Find your first fall frost date. Look at the number of days to harvest on each seed packet. Use that number to count back from the first frost date, so the seeds have time to mature. Play it safe and add two weeks since plants can grow slower during short fall days.
• Fill seed starting trays within ¼” of the top with a high-quality organic seed starter, like Espoma’s Organic Seed Starter. Read each seed packet to learn how deep and far apart to plant seeds. Cover with soil, press down, label and lightly water.
• Lightly cover the tray with plastic wrap. Keep in a sunny spot near a south-facing window.
• Keep seeds moist by placing the tray in a pan of shallow water until the water seeps up from the bottom. Refill when empty.
• When leaves start to poke from the soil, remove plastic wrap. Feed with an organic fertilizer, like Espoma’s Organic Garden-tone.
• Two weeks before planting outside, begin hardening off seeds. Move outside for a few hours a day, increasing time outdoors daily. Also, reduce watering without letting the soil dry out.
• Gently remove plants from see starting tray, and plant in a prepared bed. Mix-in organic starter plant food to help them adjust and grow strong, such as Espoma’s Bio-tone Starter Plus.

Tip: When planning for a fall vegetable garden, don’t forget about planting some fall flowering plants for pollinators, so they will stick around and nurture your crops. Think about flowering fall perennials; add sunflowers, marigolds, alyssum, nasturtium, cosmos, and more. Meadow View carries I wide variety of perennial pollinators. 

Control Weeds in your Garden:
You can keep weeds under control by hand weeding, spot spraying, pre-emergent herbicides, and mulching. -Garden during the cooler hours.

Garden Pruning:

• You want to keep deadheading spent flowers on annuals and perennials to encourage new growth and new flowers. And, cut back leggy annuals to rejuvenate the plant.
• As you prune away dried-up blooms, save seeds from your best-performing plants and save them in seed envelopes for next year.
• Cut back nonfruiting blackberry and raspberry canes.
• Continue to remove tomato suckers and prune tomato plants to push more energy back into the plant.
• Continue to shape hedges and shrubs as necessary, avoiding spring-flowering shrubs.

Shrub Tips:
Avoid any further pruning of spring-flowering shrubs. These bushes should be setting their buds for next season by this time, so you will want to let them be, so they will have bountiful blooms come springtime!

Fertilize Your Plants and Lawns:

• Give lawns a second feeding with Triple Action Lawn Fertilizer Plus.
• Fertilize rose bushes with Rose-tone fertilizer. 
• Hanging plants and containers may need an additional boost of nutrients. Feed them with an organic fertilizer to keep plants happy and productive.

More Useful Tips:

• Side dress potato tubers and onions to ensure that they are entirely covered.
• Monitor gardens for pests. Spider mites love the heat, and Japanese beetles are making their presence known throughout July. Learn how to control pests here.
• Remove any dead leaves from around the base of plants. Plant debris can draw pests, encourage disease, and diminish airflow around your plants.
• If you have unused garden spaces, plant a vegetable garden cover crop to enrich the soil.
• Continue to take care of the wildlife in your yard by refilling feeders and birdbaths.

Check out these ideas to help your vegetable survive the summer.