Mark Cullen's FREE e-newsletter.
Mid-Summer's Night Dream

I am dreaming of rain.
 
Truth is, I wrote this early yesterday and the good Lord sent us over an inch of the stuff later in the day and overnight.  I have never looked forward to a drenching rain quite like this before.  

Watch the video

How is the weather where you are?  I know that some of you have received plenty of rain lately (hello western prairies and B.C.) and others not so much (Maritimes and Newfoundland/Labrador). 
 
While I start out in a bit of rant about the drought here in Central Canada I beg you to be patient with me.... I get to the practical stuff in short order: my attempt to help you enjoy your best crop ever.    
Mid-August
 
This mid-month newsletter, as you know, is dedicated to growing and harvesting food. 
 
I must admit that I am a bit distracted by the drought at the moment.  I was up at my brother's cottage this week for a couple of days - beyond Ottawa near Edmonston.  Population 1,300.  Nice.   About 4 ½ hours from my place north of Toronto.
 
Driving through some pretty prosperous farm country, I saw a lot of food.  Much of it in a highly distressed state.  Soybeans lying down, as if saying their prayers.  Corn standing not very tall, tasseling without a lot of ears to show for the effort.  Saying goodbye to the soybeans.  It is sad. 
 
I can't say that I have seen a summer quite like it in Ontario.  Records tell us that we have not experienced a summer as dry as this one since 1962.  I can't say based on personal experience.  My research tells me that the Maritimes and Quebec are challenged by a lack of water also.  While greater Calgary was being flooded in July. 
 
All of this is to say that the success of your veggie crop may depend on your access to water and ability to apply it.  I recommend that you do so by hand, preferably in the evening or early morning.  Tomatoes do not like to have wet foliage as it encourages blight.  Public enemy #1.  I have over 200 tomatoes and water them all by hand.  Well, it is not always ME doing the watering but... as my friend Harvey Hunt says, "If you paid for it, you did it."  I like that. 
To Do List
  
Tempting as it is to hang out in the hammock in this weather, there are some things that I must alert you to.  If you really want the most from your veggie/herbs and fruit, here is what I think.  Remember that you have invested much time, energy and money to get the crop to this point and now you are 'this' close to harvest, please don't blow it.   
That would be like riding your bike up a steep hill for a picnic and calling your wife to come pick you up afterwards.  Everyone knows that you should have brought your wife on the picnic in the first place. 
 

1. Tomatoes.   Some people will only read this part.  Mostly because we grow more tomatoes in Canadian backyards than any other veggie.  I repeat: water by hand and avoid the foliage.  


 

If you have not applied Bordo mixture, it is a bit late for it to do any good, so forget about that.  If you have been applying it every 2 weeks since June, as I recommended earlier, do it one more time.  No need to fertilize any more as the plants are about to produce in abundance using their own resources and the water that you apply in dry weather.


 

Note that tomato plants enjoy being dry (not BONE dry) between waterings.  Let the plant drive its roots deep in search of water before you apply more.  This is good.  As fruit becomes red, pick it.  Whether you eat it or not.  Eat it. Preserve it.  Give it away.
 

2. Peppers, eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, corn, beans... ALL of the veggies that produce fruit will be coming into their own now... as they produce, pick.  If you can't eat or preserve all of the produce that you produce (English is such a weird language) give it to your local food bank.  

They love it and will thank you for it.  Participate in Plant a Row, Grow a Row by visiting www.compost.org.  You will get all of the details there. 


 

3. Weed.  Funny thing about watering: when you do it, not only do your veggies grow but so do the weeds.  Weeds are just competitors.  Like in the Olympics, competitors want to win the medals.  Unlike the Olympics, you can eliminate competitors (weeds) by pulling them, or better still, using your new Marks Choice Back Hoe from Home Hardware.   Like my sister Nora, who just acquired her first Back Hoe last week, you will discover the ease with which you can keep your garden weed free and lovely without bending over.  "I can almost weed with one hand" she said, which is good as she broke her wrist last month while riding her bike and it is still in a sling.  That will teach her to be athletic.    

 

4. Herbs.  Harvest and dry them in a cool (ha ha ha!!) place out of direct sunshine.  Best to hang them where there is a breeze to help dry them without eliminating the essential oils in the leaves and stems: this is the stuff that gives them flavour.  Keep them cool, dark and in air movement... where would that be?  In my potting shed, your garage (because chances are you don't have a potting shed) or even the basement IF you turn a fan on to circulate the air.  And have a dehumidifier. Ok.  The basement may not be a great idea. 

 

5. Garlic.  As I mentioned in my last letter, it is now time to pull it, dry it in the same environment that works for your herbs.  Come early September, it is ready for consumption.   If you have pulled your garlic already it is ready for use today.  Or give it away to your garlic-eating friends.  Save some bulbs to plant in October (more on that in two months).

 

6. Fruit.  I picked my first apple last week!  Well, it fell to the ground and looked pretty 'full size' to me so I bit into it and you guessed it.  Pucker face!!  If your apples or other fruiting trees start to drop fruit this is a sign that they are stressed.  If you live in an area where there are drought conditions, I recommend that you allow water to trickle from the end of your hose for an hour or two.  Apply enough water to get to the roots: deep.  Apply it long enough to get to the roots: deep.  You get the idea.  Peaches, pears, plums... they are all the same in this regard.

 

7. Japanese beetles.  I have had many emails about the large, shiny coated black beetles that have shown up in droves (understatement for many parts of Southern Ontario and Quebec).  They love to chow down on my grape plants and defoliated a bunch of them in one fell swoop.  If this sound familiar to you, hang a Japanese Beetle pheromone trap near them.  They are attracted to the lure that you use to set the trap and bingo, they fall into this minnow-trap-shaped bag by the dozens.  Be sure to empty it from time to time as the flies can become a problem (too much detail, I know).  Just saying, that these Green Earth Japanese Beetle traps work.  No kidding.  In the winter, pray for minus 30 C weather for a week or two.  This might, with some luck, kill the eggs of next year's Japanese Beetle crop and you will be happy once again.  
Trees

Speaking of trees, as I was a moment ago, a mention about the trees on your property, fruiting or not: if you live in the drought-stricken areas of the country, 
I recommend that you perform some magic (assuming that you have access to water) by dribbling water from the end of a hose at the root zone of your trees for at least an hour.  


The bigger the tree the longer the dribble-time.  Again, you want to get moisture down deep, to the feeding roots of the tree.
 
You will notice that many trees will begin to turn colour early this year: a sign of drought stress.
 
I apologize to readers in parts of the country where the drought is not a problem.
 
When you have a drought in your community I promise to talk about it then too.
 
With best wishes for a record crop,
 
Mark
Merchant of Beauty
____________________________________________________________
 
Killing Trees softly with a song... about green grass.
 
In my August newsletter, I wrote about the habit many people (more to the point 'businesses') have of leaving their in-ground watering systems on 'auto'.  They apply enough water, usually at night, to keep the grass green, regardless of the weather, hot and dry.
 
The problem, I pointed out, is that maturing trees do not appreciate regular applications of water.  If you do this often enough and long enough, you will kill your trees. 
 
I was overwhelmed by the response of readers who read this and had heard it for the first time: "It makes sense when you put it that way!" one reader said.
 
My friend Rohan Harrison, who is responsible for maintaining the grounds around Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, wrote to me to confirm that this is, indeed, a problem.  He understands it and does not water the grass but takes time to water trees infrequently and deeply.  Trouble is, many of the patients and staff at the hospital don't get this.  His is a political problem that can only be helped through education.
 
Please help Rohan and others like him.
Spread the word: turn off the auto feature on your in-ground watering system and apply it once every couple of weeks or so, deeply. 
 
The trees thank you.
Operation ReLeaf - Fort McMurray
A message from Tree Canada's Michael Rosen, R.P.F., President

"The fires that ravaged through Fort McMurray last May were devastating to both the community and the forests. We all sat as onlookers praying for no loss of life as we witnessed caravans of vehicles narrowly escaping walls of fire engulfing highway 63. 

It is hard to believe that this fire jumped the mighty Athabasca River at its widest point (almost a km) on Day 2 of the fire! I recently had the opportunity with my staff to view firsthand the aftermath by helicopter and once we were up in the air all we saw around us was burnt forest. The estimated burned area is approximately 587,000 hectares (greater than PEI)!


Most of you know that fire is a normal part of the Boreal forest - we witnessed regrowth already occurring under the charred debris, but the urban forests won't grow back.  There is no natural formula to bring back the street trees or those mighty leafy giants that once cast shade on now nonexistent homes.  For the next few months, the community will be in the debris removal and planning stages. We may see some reconstruction of homes this fall, winter or even only next spring. 

Once the families start to rebuild they will need a sense of normalcy in their lives and nothing symbolizes normalcy more than a tree.

Canadians and corporations heard the call for support and generously donated to the people of Fort McMurray to assist in their most basic needs (shelter, food, water).  Next spring those same people will be craving the sense of normalcy about their lives that only trees can bring.
 
We at Tree Canada hope you will join us in reforesting one of Canada's hardest working communities.

Please take the time to donate to Operation ReLeaf - Fort McMurray."
Harvest Contest

My veggie garden is producing a bountiful harvest. I take a daily walk with my wheelbarrow. I start with a harvest basket and quickly switch to a wheelbarrow.

I would really enjoy seeing what you are harvesting in your garden.

Email one photo to [email protected].

I will post all photos on my facebook page.  I will randomly select two winners.

The winners will get a signed copy of my new book 'The New Canadian Garden'.

A few samples of my harvest: 
 









Deadline for entry is August 19, 2016.
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