The marigolds, calendula and alyssum that were planted as tomato companion plants are doing well. As the blooms of the alyssum started to fade, I cut them back and now the new growth is looking good. My marigolds, which attract many beneficial insects, appear to be attracting earwigs as well.
Greetings fellow gardeners,
Summer continues with hot, humid days along with thunderstorms sprinkled in here and there. I am eagerly awaiting tomatoes and cucumbers and peppers. Such an exciting time of year.
Tomato Companions
My tomatoes are like little green jewels right now. It is hard to be patient. As I grow my tomatoes primarily in pots, I am always poking around making sure they are not dry and of course checking for too much water. I find the tomatoes that are planted directly in the ground are easier to maintain. If I had lots of usable ground, I would plant all of my tomatoes in it instead of pots, but that is not the case. The marigolds, calendula and alyssum that were planted as tomato companions are doing well. As the blooms of the alyssum started to fade, I cut them back and now the new growth is looking good.
Waiting for tomatoes
My marigolds, which attract many beneficial insects, appear to be attracting earwigs as well. It seems to be a very busy year for earwigs. Usually I don’t mind a few earwigs, but this year the population seems to have exploded. I can see where they are feeding so I will use their habits against them. They like to crawl into cool, dark places after a night of feeding, so I will get a newspaper, wet it well, roll it and place it beside their feeding place. In the morning I will shake the newspaper over a bucket of soapy water. I could also use a 12-inch section of garden hose instead. The earwigs like the cool, dark hose or newspaper to hide in for the day.
Experimenting with Celery
My planter with chard, spinach and peas had some extra space after the radishes were harvested. As an experiment, I thought I would put the end of a celery into the soil. In the winter, I put celery ends into water and watch them grow lovely, tender pieces of celery. The celery end I put in the soil is growing and I may have some lovely, tender celery by the end of the month.
Celery leaves are forming.
Experimenting with Radishes
I have been reading about more interesting ways to grow vegetables. One way that I really wanted to try was to grow radishes in dedicated seed containers. While I would never start radishes and then transplant, this method allows the radishes to grow in each individual seed cell. I found three seed cell packs and filled them with soil and a radish seed in each cell. I will put the radishes on my outdoor plant stand, away from the earwigs. As I prepared to fill them, one of my too-many cats, Tula, decided to help. I am so lucky.
Preparing to plant radishes
As always, keep monitoring your pots for water levels. If you are growing basil, be sure to keep harvesting it before it goes to seed. If it goes to seed, then it will become bitter and not at all delicious. Enjoy your week. Judith.
Enjoy your week. Judith. Contact Judith through her Website https://www.lapisdragonarts.com/.
Find more weekly Veggie Bites experiences on the Veggie Bites page
Judith Cox is a Master Gardener and President of the Stittsville Goulbourn Horticultural Society . The many topics covered in her blogs include starting a garden, planting seeds, selecting the best seeds, identifying specific plants, and growing produce other than what is found at the grocery store. Every issue offers solutions to common issues faced by gardeners, including wildlife, whether to water, pests, snails, and other issues. During the winter, Judith writes for local journals and newspapers, give talks at local horticultural clubs on a range of gardening topics. She also finds time to run a small business selling watercolor and pen and ink cards.
Enjoy the health benefits of pineapple: it helps digestion, relieves inflammation, reduces mucous, and can protect against blood clots. Each scale on a pineapple is evidence of a different flower, and you can stop ripening the minute they are picked. Choose the best pineapple from its fresh, tropical, and sweet smell – the more scales, the smoother it is. Get all these benefits with a few simple tips from Vallarta Botanical Garden.
Discover the beauty of the white panicled aster, a perennial flowering plant native to North America found in a variety of open, moist habitats. With daisy-like rays, prominent yellow discs, and white panicles, this member of the Asteraceae family is sure to add a memorable accent to your landscape.
a lot. So in summary, I have been enjoying Joe Gardener and “A Way To Garden&lrdquo; and learning a lot of interesting information in a short amount of time. Try it, you might like it.
Experience the wonders of succession gardening to increase yields and extend the season in your vegetable garden! Follow Joe Gardener and "A Way to Garden" podcast to get amazing tips and tricks with landscape and shade gardening. Learn how to maximize your space and grow your crops in the comfort of your backyard!
Learn how to successfully plant and prune blueberry bushes for a productive crop with this easy to follow guide. Discover the importance of highly acidic and well-drained soil and how to get your blueberries to thrive with winter pruning.
Enjoy this easy to care for evergreen shrub that produces masses of blooms all year long – the Shrimp plant (Justicia brandegeana)! Discover its hardiness zones, cultural needs, and varieties for an eye-catching show in your garden.
GardeningCalendar.ca gets some funding from advertisers. If you click on links and advertisements at no cost to you, the site may receive a small commission that helps fund its operation.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.