12 Early-Summer Chores: What To Do in the Garden Now
https://www.almanac.com/12-early-summer-chores-what-do-garden-now
LOTS to do right now. Do it early and stay out of the heat when you can! :) For starters:
Harvest Garlic Scapes
Cut the garlic scapes! Mine started to twirl every year right at the time of the solstice. By cutting them off as soon as possible, the plant will direct its energy into making bigger bulbs. Plus, the scapes are a delicious early summer treat in any recipe that calls for green onions or garlic. They make a great pesto, too, even without basil.
Prune Spring-Flowering Shrubs
Prune spring-blooming shrubs such as forsythia, lilacs, weigela, viburnums, daphne, quince, and deutzia by mid-July at the latest. If you do it any later, you will cut off next spring’s blossoms. See when to prune shrubs.
Perform the Chelsea Chop
Do the Chelsea Chop! To keep fall bloomers like asters, mums, and phlox shorter and more full and inspire them to produce double the number of flowers, cut the plants back by half. Doing it before the 4th of July will give the plants time to form new growth and extra blossoms. (See my article on Chelsea Chop for more info.)
Fertilize Shrubs and Perennials
Fertilize. By the 4th of July, give shrubs and perennials the last side-dressing of compost, rotten manure, or fertilizer. This will give any new growth time to harden off before frost.
Replace Early Vegetable Crops
Most spring vegetables, such as bok choy, radishes, peas, lettuce, and spinach, have been harvested by early July. Pull them out and make room for some new plants. In most areas, there is still time to plant more beans, summer squashes, and cukes. Seeds should germinate fast in the warm soil. Check your first frost date and add an extra two weeks for fruits to mature since light and heat will start to wane as fall approaches.
Continues at link...
My apartment community has small 3x4 plots. This year I am only growing tomatoes with an emphasis on San Marzano tomatoes for drying and serving on crustini with white cheese
Last year I started my zucchini in large peat pots in the last half of July and put them in the ground in early August. I have THE. BEST. zucchini crop ever!
I completely avoided squash vine borers and the weather and soil temps were perfect. A suggestion though, for those of us in the northeast, is to get a very quick maturing variety. That removes an early frost from the equation.
I grated my zucchini and froze it for use in zucchini bread and zucchini cookies.
How to get endless hollyhock blooms every single summer (with zero effort)
https://www.tomsguide.com/home/gardening/how-to-get-endless-hollyhock-blooms-every-single-summer-with-zero-effort
I was unaware that the hollyhock plants actually died after year 2 when they flower (year 1, no flowers). This is a good article on how to reseed every year without much effort.
Great gardening suggestions there.
I am asking for help in finding a SMALL pocket or purse sized paperback BOOK that describes growing herbs indoors from containers.
My oldest sister (73 y/o Birthday Girl) had a late June birthday. I could not find such a book online before her B/D, but would still like to get one for her. Any suggestions on something I could order online, Amazon or Ebay?
Not a Kindle, a “BOOK-book” she can hold and study at leisure w/o messing with a Tablet.
Something with a lot of photos or realistic illustrations.
Not meant for children, a serious book on growing advice.
She lives back in my Hometown of Detroit Michigan in the nice redeveloped area near Belle Isle Park.
She is one of the better cooks in the family, having learnt a lot from our Mother. Basil, Sage, Tarragon, Pumpkin Spices, Cayenne, Cray-Zee Coffees, World of Garlics, etc.