Dear Gardeners,
We continue to get rain when we need it and the gardens are looking fine and prosperous. I see beans coming in and the raspberries in full swing. Cucumbers and even some cherry tomatoes are getting ready. Really great summer eating is already starting and I hope you are enjoying the results of the hard work.
This Saturday, July 12 from 8 to 11 am, we'll have a workday at Eagle Heights to do mulching of the sunflowers, weeding in the common plantings and some plot clearing. Please email me if you would like to work this opportunity and I will get you more details.
This is vacation season and people are doing more traveling. If friends are watching and harvesting your garden, please be sure they can identify your plot and its boundaries. Each year, we have visitors who harvest in the wrong plots and this can lead to serious consequences including police involvement. You might try putting ribbon or tape on your plot corners or numbered sign to make your plot very identifiable and be sure visitors know the rules of the garden and don't enter other plots. We take thefts seriously so please watch over your neighbors plots as well to make sure mistakes don't occur.
The mid-summer brings some bothersome pests and Japanese beetles have been sighted in the gardens. These black and multicolor beetles are very destructive and they like raspberries, grapes and flowers as well as beans and other vegetables. The best way to get rid of them is to hand pick or knock them off into a cup of soapy water where they drowned. There are some commercial traps to attract them into a jar, but be aware you may be calling them into your plot if you use this method. Usually, they have a short run but can eat a lot of foliage during that time.
See more information here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_beetle
We are also starting to see downy mildew on basil plants. Here is some information on this pest :
http://web.extension.illinois.edu/cfiv/homeowners/140529.html
Please note that overhead watering is not a good idea for these fungal diseases and that includes the septoria leaf spot that we see on tomatoes each year. Lots of air, weeding, and watering at the base of plants are recommended to avoid spreading the diseases. Vegetables and basil are OK to eat even with the problems, and some varieties are more resistant to these diseases so make a note of good varieties to plant in later years.
In just a couple of weeks, it will be time to plant some fall crops to continue the harvest. Last year, we were harvesting vegetables into December, so be sure to consider putting in some crops in August as the spots open up.
Happy eating,
Gretel, Garden Registrar