Long summer days are here motivating the summer garden to fulfill its promise. Sunflowers are about to pop open, peppers have grown almost big enough to pick, and tomato plants are flush with green tomatoes. But before the promise is realized, we gardeners usually have a few more chores to do. As if tilling, planting, and fertilizing isn't enough--now we have to weed, stake, prune, thin and water.
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| Giant Sunflower getting ready to bloom. |
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| Peppers filling out. |
Weeding
Although there are a number of weeds in my garden that try to take over, Clover is my nemesis. White Clover originated in Europe and has become one of the most wide-spread legumes in the world. It used to be grown for animal feed, but the tricky little devils escaped to the urban landscape. In my garden this persistent intruder is a real pain in the ass. Once clover makes its debut, it establishes itself in perpetuity, spreads like wildfire, and is pretty much impossible to eradicate without drastic (read 'chemical') measures. White clover grows from a main bulb hiding underground, surrounded by numerous tiny bulblets. Tugging the clover stems upward causes the many bulblets to come apart and spill back into the earth. One thing is sure: it takes a lot of time to keep clover under control, again and again and again throughout the season.
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| White clover has bulblets that fall from the main bulb. |
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| Two intrusive clovers: White Clover (Trifolium repens) and Wood Sorrel (Oxalis corniculata) |
Staking
Vegetable plants that produce heavy fruit (cukes, tomatoes, melons), and vining plants (peas, pole and fava beans) need to be supported in some way. A trellis or cage can keep the vegetables off the ground so that crawling insect pests (like slugs) and fungus are less likely to cause them harm. Really heavy fruit like melons can be supported by a cut -off piece of pantyhose tied to a trellis. I can't think of a better use for pantyhose than that. . .
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| A baby cuke supported by a string trellis. |
Pruning--Tweaking
Pruning is too strong a word for this activity, rather it should be called 'tweaking'. At this time of year I cut off some of the bigger leaves on the tomato plants. This increases the amount of sunlight that reaches the flowers and fruit. Sunlight speeds up the fruit's growth rate as well as its sugar production. Similarly, pinching off the extra shoots that sprout up at leaf nodes on indeterminate tomato varieties helps the plant to focus energy on producing fruit. Three or four main branches are sufficient to get a good crop of tomatoes--and they will be bigger and ripen ripen weeks earlier than a plant with multitudes of sub-branches.
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| Indeterminate tomato varieties produce sprouts at leaf nodes. |
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| Pinching back Basil will make a stronger and fuller plant. |
Thinning
I hesitate to thin out vegetables that aren't worth eating when immature. It seems a waste. Carrots for instance are pretty worthless before they have some meat to them. But when vegetables grow too close together they compete with one another for nutrients and water. In the long view it's best to give veggies the room they need to grow, even if it means sacrificing some of their siblings.
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| Thinning beets |
Watering
It's pretty obvious that plants need water, especially those in the process of producing vegetables and fruits. It's not always clear how much water is enough. Usually these plants need more than a summer rain shower can produce. I water the vegetable garden almost every night. While watering I try to visualize the moisture soaking all the way down to the bottom roots. If you are in doubt about whether you've watered enough, dig down a couple of inches. If it's dry, keep on watering.
It'll be worth it
As the long days fade to twilight, while lugging a heavy pail of weeds to the yard debris can, staking the cucumber, pinching back the tomatoes, pulling the excess carrots, or trying to see how much more watering is needed, I promise myself, 'All this will be worth it when the tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, garlic and basil are simmering on the stove making the best possible dinner on earth right from my garden.'
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