The Midsummer Garden Tune-Up

I was talking with a few fellow gardeners recently and was asked for some suggestions on what gardeners can do to keep our garden space looking its best and in the best health during the taxing, hot, summer months.  The first and maybe most important thing a gardener can do in mid-summer is to mulch the beds of the garden so that moisture levels are maintained in the soil during long hot days.  This will prevent some of the extra watering the garden often needs of those 90+ degree days.  In addition to adding mulch I also add compost to my flower and vegetable gardens to get some fresh nutrients to the plants which are often overdue to be replenished.  Most of us compost the garden in early spring and after a few months all of the beneficial nutrients have been used up and need to be replaced.  It is especially important for vegetables so that they have plenty of nutrients to complete bearing mature fruit.  This is also a good time to stake the larger vegetable plants for reinforcement and continued healthy production.  The vegetable plants will likely increase in size after the composting has been re-done and staking the plants in advance will enable continued plant growth.  The middle of summer is an opportune time to dead head old blooms and make room for fresh new ones to begin developing.  It is a little detail that makes a big difference if you have lost some color in your flower garden.  Finally, this time of year is a great time to weed the garden carefully, remove the unwanted weeds and make some space for your favorite plants to stretch out and fill in. 

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