"I know a little garden close,
Set thick with lily and red rose.
Where I would wander if I might
From dewy morn to dewy night." - William Morris
* BUGS, BUGS, & MORE BUGS: People aren't the only ones who welcome the summer rains. Bugs of all shapes and sizes, wiggling, buzzing, creeping, flying, have been waiting just like us for a break in the heat and the dryness. If you avoided gardening chores during June, July is definitely the time to get back out there. In addition to caterpillars, aphids, and Mexican bean beetles, we are about to be invaded by spiders, spider mites, crickets, and GRASSHOPPERS. And, boy, are they hungry! Wise gardeners always plant a little extra for the bugs - it keeps the peace and still leaves enough flowers and vegetables for the human appetite. If the bugs in your garden start eating more than their share, however, all treaties are forgotten - it's time for swift and decisive action. Organic gardeners rely on age old methods such as homemade sticky traps; truly deadly sprays of pepper, soap, garlic, and onion juice; and "superhero" bugs like lacewings, praying mantis, and ladybird beetles. Handpicking is generally safe and effective. If you've ever come up against a blister beetle or an assassin bug, you'll understand the part about "generally safe". Other gardeners like fast-acting, man-made pesticides, and this is certainly an effective though less creative way to handle bug problems. Whatever method you choose, you'll find Tommi Martin's "What's Bugging You?" column contains good tips on pest management as well as interesting bug facts.
* ONE MORE TIME: It's easy to think that we can stop watering now that the rains are here. After all, one afternoon's monsoon drops buckets and buckets of water on our gardens. Unfortunately, most of that water runs right off the surface of our soil and down the street. The summer rains deposit so much water in such a small period of time that the hard packed soil can't absorb it fast enough. Other afternoon storms are just a lot of show and deliver very little rain to our plants. Plants have a fascinating adaptation which helps them conserve water in arid periods, but can make them more vulnerable when the rains arrive. Plants absorb and release moisture through tiny openings in their leaves called stomates. When water is scarce, the plant keeps those stomates tightly closed to reduce water loss. When water is available, as in a rainstorm, the plant opens all of its stomates wide to absorb as much moisture as possible. If a monsoon fizzles or produces little actual rain, the plant can lose more moisture than it takes in. This is why it is just as important to watch our gardens for signs of heat or moisture stress in July and August as it was during the rainless months. This obsession with water - not too much, not too little - is one of the inescapable realities of desert gardening.
* YOU CAN ALWAYS PLANT SOMETHING: Towards mid-month you can plant beans, broccoli, and short season cauliflower and towards the end of the month you can sow beets, cabbage, carrots, leaf lettuce, spinach, and chard. Call our Cooperative Extension office week day mornings to get a copy of the "Vegetable Varieties For Arizona" pamphlet for ideas on the best varieties to plant.