|  Insect and disease prevention. Key word: prevention. I apply Bordo mixture to my tomatoes every second week beginning now (mid-June) until late August to prevent early and late blight. Fruits and berries too! I apply garden sulphur and insecticidal soap to all of my fruit trees now and every two weeks until harvest to control a wide range of insects and diseases. An ounce of prevention!! Don't forget to apply to your currants, raspberries etc.  Be a competitor.
Cut down weeds, in other words. Do it now or regret it later, when the ragweed grows into a small tree later in the summer. Vegetables do not like the competition of weeds and now is the perfect time to get in the habit of cutting them down with a sharp hoe to keep them under control. Mulch. I am mulching my tomatoes with 30 cm of loose, clean straw. You could do the same or use finely ground up cedar or pine bark. Asparagus and rhubarb. We are about at the time (in most of Canada) when you should stop pulling rhubarb and cutting asparagus. Let them go, as they convert the energy of the sun into food and natural sugars that will strengthen them for next year's crop. Pick strawberries and cherries (and other fruit as they become ripe). You nurtured them and waited for this moment: don't miss it!  Harvest lettuce, radishes and other early veggies. As they mature and are ready for picking, be sure to do it! Sow successive crops of all fast-maturing crops for mid to late summer harvest. We are fast getting into the summer season when fresh garden produce is available. Remember that if you didn't grow it, a local farmer just might have! Give your local farmers market a boo and see what surprises are in store for you. I will be in touch in two weeks with my July gardening newsletter. Keep your knees dirty. Mark Merchant of Beauty. www.markcullen.com |
Spiral stakes that do not need tying. They are stainless steel, store easily and are so easy to use. Just give the plant a twist around the spiral every couple of weeks (and rub out the suckers as you go). 
