What to do in the Garden this Month

The "dog days" of summer are here. The Romans called this time of the year the "dog days" because the star Sirius rose right before sunrise at this time.  Sirius is the brightest star of the constellation Canis Major ~ the large dog.  As time has passed, the rotation of the stars has shifted and we no longer see Sirius rise before sunrise during summer.  However, the name stuck. 

The Romans sacrificed a small brown dog at this time to keep Sirius happy.  A mad Sirius caused hot, dry weather: a happy Sirius gave the Romans a nice, tolerable summer.  Rather than sacrificing a small brown dog, let's just give thanks for the bounty of our gardens and the beauty they provide.  Take time during your day to send appreciative thoughts out to your garden and the stars.  Who know, maybe Sirius will bring us wonderful weather!

What to do in the garden this month:

• Keep watering your new woodies.
• Weed, weed, deadhead and weed some more.
• Scout local nurseries for great bargains and talk to your gardening friends and trade plants.
• When planting new perennials, water the planting hole before you plant, then water again after planting and mulch your new plant well.
• Use the hot dry weather to tend to garden srtuctures that need paint, repair or staining.
• Continue to photograph your garden and individual plants, recording in your journal what you love and any ideas you have for next season.
• Water and fertilize your container plants.  Pinch petunias and other flowering plants back to encourage more blooms.
• Later in the month, install trunk protectors on trees to keep bucks from rubbing their antlers on them in the fall.
• Harvest tomatoes regularly.  Visit your veggie garden daily to harvest, weed, and look for pests.  Squash, pole beans, cucumbers all respond from regular picking by producing more produce.
• Day-neutral strawberries may produce another crop if regularly watered.
• August 10 is the target date for your last planting of broccoli and cauliflower transplants as well as seedings of lettuce, spinach, and turnips. 
• Late August, pinch melon and winter squash vines back after they have set all the fruit that can mature in time.
• Early potatoes can be harvested.  If early blight is nearby, definitely harvest now!
• Check your fencing and make repairs as necesary.  Your gardens should look fabulous both to you AND to the deer, rabbits and groundhogs nearby. :)
• Turn your compost pile (or at least keep adding to it!!)

Ahhh, keep your tools sharp and your mulch pile growing - enjoy the bounty of your garden.