Summertime is Sweet

   Now that you have planted your vegetables or colorful annuals, you get to sit back and enjoy them.  Or maybe not.  Aphids and mildew can be early problems and if you can catch them early won't take over your garden. 
   Consistent watering is critical to healthy plants.  The best way to water is less often for a longer time.  Instead of watering every day for 20 minutes, water every 3rd day for an hour.  Plants thrive on a deep watering, with time in between for their roots to dry out a bit.
  The other key to successful gardening is fertilizing.  Depending on your soil, every 2 weeks or once a month we give our plants a liquid fish emulsion or you can scatter a pelleted fertilizer. Dogs love to eat the pelleted fish fertilizer so make sure to scratch it into the soil so they can't get to it.  It won't harm them but it sure does make their breath stink (worse than it already is)!


Horticultural Oil
Look for early signs of scale, which looks like crusty bumps on the stem of the plant. Spray with Horticultural Oil at first signs.

Neem Oil
Powdery mildew is often seen in the springtime and looks like white powder on the leaves of a plant. Roses also may need spraying to prevent Black spot and powdery mildew throughout the season.

Insecticidal Soap
Aphids and whitefly get an early start so keep an eye out for infestations and spray with insecticidal soap at first signs to prevent larger outbreaks.

Sluggo
Snails and slugs are always looking for your favorite plant to eat so sprinkle this around to keep them from taking over.