Summer is here in all its fiery glory and the June sky is a relentless, cloudless, rainless blue. All sorts of interesting and troublesome creatures begin visiting our gardens. The first tomatoes are ripening, the last broccoli is harvested, and everyone - plants, creatures, and gardeners - wait patiently for the first of the summer rains, only a few weeks away.
* KEEP DEEP-WATERING: If it seems we are harping on deep-watering, we are. Wise watering is one of the most critical skills of desert gardening, and often the hardest to master. Continue to deep-water every 10 - 14 days, but watch your plants for signs of heat stress: drooping leaves, white sunburned patches on leaves, dropped buds or flowers. A plant's primary means of cooling itself is through evaporation (plant sweat, if you will). The dryness of the air, the high temperature, the extra hours of sunlight, and high winds all sap water from a plant and it will quickly show signs of heat stress. Do not over compensate for this by over watering. The plant's roots will become too waterlogged to absorb oxygen from the soil. Aim for a balance of moisture suited to each plant.
* MULCH PLANT ROOTS: An excellent way to conserve water and keep plant roots cooler is to apply a mulch around the base of your plants. Use wood chips, gravel, hay, even shredded newspaper, but avoid plastic sheeting. Plastic does help soil retain moisture, but it can also prevent moisture from reaching your plant's roots during irrigation. There are a handful of plastic mulches on the market that permit water to penetrate, but block weed growth. You may want to try these to see if they work well (then, let us know). In general, mulches reduce weed growth by blocking out the sunlight needed by some seeds for germination.
* FERTILIZE ROSES: By now your roses have feasted happily on the fertilizer you applied in April and are hungry again. Give them and other plants in your garden an extra boost this month with a side dressing of ammonium sulfate, ammonium phosphate, fish emulsion, blood meal, or any of the other nitrogen-phosphorous fertilizers. Watch plants for signs of iron or zinc deficiency - a problem in our soil.
* COOL COOL-SEASON CROPS: If you're planning on extending your cool-season crops into June, you'll need to give them extra protection. Use shade cloth to shield them from the mid-day sun and mist them with water daily to lower the surface temperature of their leaves. You may also want to shade heat sensitive perennials if they begin to show signs of stress.
* PLANT WARM-SEASON CROPS: You can continue planting warm season crops such as melons and peppers. You will want to plant warm-season crops so that they will mature before the first frost, but that is five months away.
* WATCH FOR NEW PESTS: Caterpillars of all sizes and colors (some quite beautiful) will be happily munching on your garden this month. Those beautiful black swallowtails, stunning sphinx moths, and cute little white butterflies that enlivened your garden this spring were busy laying eggs. Cabbage loopers and tomato hornworms (ick!) will be particularly troublesome. The best control for caterpillars is handpicking, but this must be done daily and is not for the squeamish. Check out this month's "What's Bugging You" for the inside scoop on cabbage loopers.
* GIVE YOUR TOMATO PLANTS SOME EXTRA TLC: Stake tomato plants that need extra support as soon as possible. Don't wait until they are too big and sprawling, and hopefully weighted down with tomatoes, to stake easily. Don't be concerned if your tomato blossoms are dropping or if fruit production has stopped. Temperatures may be too high for the pollen to remain viable. Be patient. Your plants will be fruiting again in another month. If you already have green tomatoes, be certain to keep a steady moisture level in their soil (damp, not soggy). Although there is still some debate, moisture stress is considered the leading cause of blossom end rot in tomatoes.