Aside from watering, August may seem like the perfect time to take a break form the heat, but there are still plenty of things going on in your garden!


​Ants

While ants do help aerate the soil, they can also damage crops and spread disease. Fruit trees can be protected with sticky barriers. Boric acid bait traps can be an effective control method, just be sure the baits are placed where children and pets cannot reach them.

Apples

​Now is the time to be on the lookout for codling moth larva. From the outside, an apple will have a small, scabby spot. If you cut (or bite) into the apple, you will see that this spot leads to a trail that heads toward the core. You can interrupt the codling moth lifecycle by collecting and removing any fallen fruit that would provide an overwintering haven. Unaffected apples can also be protected by bagging them or dusting them with kaolin clay.


Apricot

Unlike other trees, which are pruned when they are dormant, apricot trees are best pruned in summer. This is because apricot trees are susceptible to a fungus called Eutypa dieback, which can infect trees if rain reaches fresh pruning cuts.


Beetles

This is the time of year when Japanese beetles, dried fruit beetles, and June beetles are the easiest to see (and eliminate). Japanese beetles will skeletonize many plants. These pests tend to cling to their favorite foods and are easy to knock into cans of soapy water. [When I lived in Virginia, I used to pay the neighborhood children a nickel for every June bug they eliminated - it was very effective and the kids had fun and earned some money!] June bugs are clumsy fliers and easy to slap down with a net. Most beetles can be fed to chickens. Dried fruit beetles and June bugs do not bite or sting and dogs can be trained to chase and kill them before they lay eggs in the soil. These eggs will later hatch and the larval grubs will devour lawn, ornamental, and other plant roots.


Citrus

Just as in April and June, oranges and other mature citrus trees should be fed one-half pound of nitrogen in August. Blood meal is an excellent source of nitrogen, without all the fillers. Ammonium sulfate is another good source of nitrogen.


Harvest

This is the time of year when all that hard work and patience really pay off. Keep plants healthy and enjoy the fruits of your labor by harvesting frequently. This reduces the number of places where pests and diseases can hide. This also prevents many plants from going to seed and ending fruit production. When harvesting tree fruit, be sure to keep a look out for mummified fruit. Remove mummies and dispose of them in the trash, not the compost pile.


Lavender

This drought tolerant shrub is a great way to attract pollinators. After it has bloomed, cut lavender plants back, close to the ground. This will prevent plants from becoming too leggy and it stimulates more flower development.


Lawn Care

If you have a lawn and it has not turned completely brown, allow it to grow longer than you would in cooler months. Taller grass protects and shades the soil and helps retain moisture. You can even let it go to seed and save money on lawn seed in the autumn! Be on the lookout for masked chafers and southern chinch bugs.

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Mites

This has been a particularly bad year for mites in my garden. Mite infestations often look like nothing more than light webbing around leaves and stems. This webbing is followed by leaf stippling, chlorosis, and leaf drop. Water-stressed plants are more susceptible, as are dusty plants. Mites are related to spiders. Adults have eight legs, but the young only have six. Spraying pesticides often backfires because mite predators, such as lacewings and pirate bugs, are killed. Often, you can use a soft-bristled brush to dislodge these pests. 


Moles and voles

Underground ridges in your lawn often mean you have moles. Moles eat insects and worms, but their tunneling can damage roots and redirect irrigation water away from your plants. Voles will devour root systems. In both cases, trapping is your best control method.


Rain barrels

By August, most rain barrels have run dry, making this the perfect time to clean out any debris in the remaining grey water, along with any mosquito larvae. West Nile Virus, Zika Virus, and many other diseases are transmitted by mosquitoes, so it is important to regularly eliminate any standing water. Mosquito dunks should be added to any standing water every 30 days.


Tree irrigation

Hot weather means trees need more water. Trees planted in a lawn that is being watered regularly will still need a deep watering 2 or 3 times during the summer, or more, depending on the weather. Solitary mature fruit and nut trees will need a deep watering every 3 - 4 weeks, while younger trees will need to be watered every 2 weeks. Ideally, there is an irrigation ring around each tree at the drip line.

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Winter crops

August is an excellent time to start seeds for California's winter crops. Spinach, beets, lettuce, arugula, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cilantro, bush beans, fava beans, leeks, radishes, and peas can all be started in small containers for transplanting after summer crops are done. This gives you a head start on the cooler growing season, just be sure to keep the soil moist. A thin layer of vermiculite can help retain moisture in those pots.


​Remember that your plants are not the only things that need extra hydration and sun protection in summer! You do, too! Be sure to drink lots of water, slather on the sunscreen, and wear that hat!

July in California can get too hot to spend much time outside. Early morning and late evening make working in the garden far more comfortable, but leave most of the heavy work to the plants as they produce leaves, stems, and fruit in response to all that sunlight. The best things you can do for your garden in July is irrigate properly and monitor plants for pests and diseases.


Monitoring for pests and diseases

You know what they say about an ounce of prevention. Well, here are a few helpful July ideas that work to prevent problems in the garden before they have a chance to get started:
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• Check on the undersides of leaves for pest damage, fungal growth, frass, or webbing.
• Inspect leaves for curling, galls, stippling, or wilting that can be caused by water stress, thrips, aphids, or other pests. Common summer pests include cucumber beetles, stinkbugs, squash bugs, mites, crickets and grasshoppers, and hornworm. Of course, we’re never done battling earwigs, aphids, or slugs and snails!
• Use trellises and other supports to lift melons, squash, and other produce off the ground to keep them away from pests and fungi.
• Eliminate all standing water, no matter how small. Mosquitoes can be a serious health hazard.
• Keep the compost pile decomposing properly with plenty of moisture. It should be as wet as a wrung out sponge.
• Avoid fertilizing in summer. New growth uses a lot of water and can stress a marginally healthy plant.
• Use netting, row covers, tree cages, and chicken wire to help protect plants against damage by squirrels, rats, birds, and voles.
• Be sure to harvest the fruits of your labors as soon as they are ready. Allowing ripe produce to sit only invites pests and disease, and it takes away from the delicious freshness you were looking forward to when you started your garden in the first place!

Trees

It’s all too easy to forget about the trees in your landscape, but scorching summer heat and an extended drought can be devastating. Trees are a big investment of time and space, so be sure to include them in your watering plan. The only exception is our CA live oaks - they are accustomed to hot, dry summers and watering them only makes them susceptible to disease.


Irrigation

There is no fixed magic formula for watering plants in the garden. There are simply too many variables, such as plant variety and age, soil structure, feeding practices, sun and wind exposure, overall plant health and life stage - you get the idea. The best way to assure that your garden plants are getting the water they need is to learn as much as you can about the specific varieties and their water needs. This information will help you to provide them with the growing conditions they need. Be sure to water tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and squash consistently, to avoid blossom end rot.


Container plants

During summer, container plants may need a drink practically every day. Just be sure to avoid overwatering - a drowning plant looks an awful lot like a plant that’s dying of thirst. An inexpensive moisture meter ($10-15) can help prevent irrigation errors. Also, be sure to get those containers up off the concrete. Even the smallest air space underneath can significantly reduce temperatures for potted plants.


Lawn

If you still have a lawn, be sure to raise the blade on your mower. Taller grass shades the ground, reducing water loss and stabilizing soil temperatures. By the end of July, your lawn will probably be brown, and that’s okay. Keep watering it. The root system will stay alive, and green shoots will come back in the fall after temperatures go down. [I use water from my washing machine with no negative results and my lawn stays green far longer.]


Basil and other heat lovers

It is finally warm enough for crops such as basil, melons, eggplant, and peppers to really thrive. These are some of my favorite plants. You can train melons up a trellis or ladder, and you can never have too much basil. If you have more than you can use fresh, simply whip up a batch of pesto and throw it in the freezer. Come January, you’ll be glad you did!


Mulch and top dressings

Summer is an excellent time to mulch unused garden areas. As it breaks down, the organic material will improve soil structure and add valuable plant nutrients. This is particularly helpful if you have compacted soil. Until it does break down, mulch stabilizes soil temperatures, reduces weed competition, and helps soil retain water. In the same way, top dressing the plants in your garden or foodscape with aged compost is a trouble-free way to add nutrients to growing plants without applying chemical fertilizers.


As you lounge in the shade with an iced tea, remember that July is an excellent time to consider what cool season crops can be added in fall!

Be sure to put on your sunscreen, wear a hat, and keep those tools clean and sharp as you enjoy the garden in June!

April is a busy month in California gardens. With scorching summers on a not-too-distant horizon, flowers, weeds, and every other living thing are striding toward sunlight. Cool nights may hold this rampant growth in check for another week or two, but most gardeners have plenty of April garden tasks to keep them occupied.


Plum bud gall mite

As of January 2019, we have a new pest in northern California. Be on the lookout for abnormal growths, or galls, on almond, apricot, plum, pluot, and many other fruit and nut trees. These tiny eriophyid mites are only 1/100th of an inch long. If you have a 20x hand lens, you may be able to see them. They can be a translucent yellow, pink, white, or purple, with two pairs of legs up near the head. You are more likely to see galls on new shoots and fruit spurs that plants produce in response to these invaders. This new pest threatens tens of thousands of fruit and nut trees in California. If you happen to see this new pest on your trees, please contact your County Extension Office right away.


Tree Trunk Painting

If you didn’t whitewash your tree trunks (and exposed branches) in March, there is still time to provide this valuable sun protection. Trunks and branches that get too much sun exposure can be damaged, causing the bark to split and peel. This provides pests and diseases with easy access to your trees’ inner workings. A simple mixture of half water and half white interior latex paint is all you need to protect your trees from sunburn this summer.


Sticky barriers

This is also a good time to replace last year's sticky barriers. The protection from crawling insects cannot be overstated. Sticky barriers block those crawlers (and slugs and snails) from getting up into your fruit and nut trees. This is especially helpful when it comes to ants, which will protect and farm aphids. Over time, the goo dries, making it ineffective. Also, the tape tends to pull away from the trunk, creating an easy trail for pests. Gently remove the old tape, inspect the trunk, and apply a fresh sticky barrier.

 
Codling moth

Codling moth larvae can devastate apple, plum, pear, and walnut crops. The larvae pierce the fruit and burrow into its core, where it then feeds on the fruit, making it inedible. On apples, look for tiny dimples with a small hole in the center. These holes are usually filled with frass (bug poop). Trees should be monitored every week for signs of infestation. Infested fruit should be removed and discarded, to break the codling moth life cycle. Pheromone traps can be hung in isolated trees, but you need to understand that these traps attract codling moths to the tree. The traps are really a population monitoring device, not a control measure. Fruit can be bagged for protection, but this is a very labor intensive method. Kaolin clay application is an excellent organic control method. Heavy infestations may require the use of pesticides on the moths, before fruit is affected. 

Deadheading

As flowers begin blooming, you can increase production by removing spent blooms. Take a look at buds further down the stem and clip just above a bud that points in the direction you want the new growth to go. Deadheading can help the plant structurally and allow for good airflow, as well as stimulate new flower development.

Thinning

As difficult as it may be for gardeners to thin out fruit and young plants, it really is necessary for the optimal growth of remaining plants. April is the time to thin fruit on fruit trees, such as apricots, peaches, apples, pears, nectarines, and plums. Crowded fruit doesn’t get as big as it could and it encourages fungal diseases. Close-quartered fruit also provides great hiding places for pests. The best fruit grows from strong flower buds in full sunlight. The basic rule of thumb for thinning fruit is to leave one fruit per spur, with fruit 4-6” apart. Apricots, nectarines and peaches are normally thinned when the fruit is 1/2-3/4” in diameter. Nut trees do not need to be thinned. Seedling plants should also be thinned according to seed packet or other reputable information. This allows each plant to reach its full potential and it reduces problems with pests and diseases.


Fungal diseases

Spring rains bring moisture that can cause many fungal diseases. Anthracnose, brown spot, powdery mildew, sooty mold, and verticillium wilt should all be watched for and treated. Many of these conditions can be avoided with pruning that allows good air flow and irrigation that does not come from overhead. Overhead watering splashes millions of fungal spores onto uninfected plants, spreading the disease (plus, it wastes water through evaporation).


Irrigation & greywater

As temperatures rise, irrigation becomes more important. Container plants will begin to dry out and need to be checked every day. If the irrigation system wasn’t inspected in March, be sure to do it now. Greywater, from sinks, washing machines, and rain barrels can be used to irrigate ornamentals and lawns. I use water collected from the shower, as it heats up,  to water edibles.


Mulch

To add nutrients, reduce weeds, and to help retain moisture, nothing beats mulch. Wood chips and aged compost both make excellent mulch. You can request free wood chips from local tree trimmers. To stop weeds from growing, the mulch should be 4 to 12” think. I used to recommend a layer of cardboard or newspaper. That was until I learned that cardboard attracts termites and voles, and slows gas and water exchanges. Be sure to keep mulch at least 8” away from tree and shrub trunks, to avoid fungal diseases, such as crown rot.


Oranges

If you have Navel orange trees, the crop will be ripening in April. Oranges left on the tree too long will dry out and become inedible. Instead, harvest the entire crop by the end of the month and you can make my new favorites, Cardamom Orange Marmalade, Orange Cumin Chutney and Spiced Oranges. Once canned, these delicious condiments make lovely gifts. You’ll want to be sure to save plenty for yourself - it’s that good! Valencia oranges will ripen during the summer and they make excellent juice. April is a good time to add nitrogen for orange trees. One-year old trees will need 1/10 of a pound of nitrogen, while mature trees need approximately 1-1/2 pounds. These amounts should be divided into three different feedings in April, June and August. Blood meal is an excellent source of nitrogen, without all the fillers.

QUARANTINE WARNING: MOST OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY IS UNDER QUARANTINE FOR CITRUS, DUE TO THE ASIAN CITRUS PSYLLID. CHECK THIS MAP TO SEE IF YOU ARE AFFECTED. ALSO, BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR ORIENTAL FRUIT FLIES. IF EITHER PEST IS SEEN, PLEASE CALL THE PEST HOTLINE AT 1-800-491-1899.


Perennial edibles

Fennel, arugula, rhubarb, and asparagus provide many years of food production and April is a good time to plant. Fennel and rhubarb will take up a good amount of space, so be sure to keep mature sizes in mind. 


Salad planting

Temperatures have finally reached the point when gardeners can plant most herbs, leafy greens, and other salad ingredients. Lettuce, spinach, bok choy, basil, parsley, cilantro and radishes can be planted every couple of weeks (succession planting) for a continuous harvest until temperatures get too hot.


Vegetable planting

Most vegetable crops can be planted in April, here in the Bay Area. Potatoes, bush and pole beans, corn, cucumber, summer and winter squash, and tomato seeds put in the soil now will begin their journey toward fruitfulness. Be sure to read packet directions for planting depth, spacing, and sun requirements for the best results.

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Weeding

One of the most important April garden tasks is to get rid of those weeds. Since they can go to seed faster than everything else in the garden, removing them out now will save you countless hours of work later on, in the summer.

Citrus

Citrus pruning should not be started until after March 15th, but now is the time to seriously inspect for mummies. Mummies are those shriveled up, fuzzy gray oranges that house millions of fungal spores. When removing mummies, try to disturb them as little as possible, or cover them with a plastic bag before removing them from the tree. If a citrus tree shows signs of chlorosis (yellowing) on older leaves, it may indicate a nitrogen deficiency. Interveinal (between leaf veins) chlorosis usually means a micronutrient, such as iron or manganese, is needed. Our soil tends to be very low on iron, but you can’t know for sure without a soil test. After the danger of frost has (nearly) completely passed, on March 15th, give citrus trees a good pruning. Just be sure to keep a look out for nests. It’s that time of year!


Compaction

Walking on wet ground causes soil compaction. This is especially true for the Bay Area's heavy clay soil. Rather than walking on wet soil, stay on paths, install stepping stones, or just wait for it to dry. Compacted soil is particularly difficult for young roots to move through, and it can cause drainage problems.


Disease prevention

Winter and spring moisture provide the perfect habitat for many pathogens. You can prevent diseases, such as fireblight on apple, pears, quince, and loquat, with fixed copper sprays. You can also reduce the chance of powdery mildew on grapes by applying sulfur at this time.

Feed young trees

As young trees continue putting out new roots, shoots, and leaves, they will benefit from being fed in March. Check the specific species of tree for more information on how much fertilizer should be provided.


Irrigation

Another common March task is to inspect and repair sprinklers, drip systems, and water collection systems. How do you know if you have an irrigation leak? It can be difficult to spot, especially if it is small. The most common indication is an area that gets and stays wet longer than everywhere else. Sprinklers should be aimed so that they do not hit tree trunks, walkways, driveways, or sidewalks. The former can cause fungal diseases and the latter creates wasteful urban drool. 


Pruning

March is also a good time to prune out dead branches and twigs from fruit and nut trees and ornamental trees and shrubs. It is easier to see the structure of each plant before it is covered with leaves.


Roses

If your roses haven’t already started producing leaves and blooms the way mine have, March is a good time to prune them for better airflow and structure. You can also start feeding roses in March, and you may need to spray for black spot. Black spot is a fungal disease that loves moisture. As dew collects on rose leaves, the fungus reproduces astronomically. You can use neem oil or a fungicide. 


Seeds

March is an excellent time to start planting your summer garden. In the Bay Area, you can still direct sow many cool weather crops, such as beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, lettuces, spinach, bok choy, fennel, kale, mustard greens, parsnips, and turnips. And it's not too late to install that asparagus bed! March is an excellent time to add cilantro, dill, and parsley to your garden, but wait for warmer temperatures before planting basil and peppers. Potatoes and radishes can be planted now, and you can start tomatoes and peppers in pots, but only if you can protect them from nighttime cold. Otherwise, wait for April, when soil temperatures rise and the serious planting begins! As you dedicate seeds to a specific location, make sure to read the seed package labels for things like mature size, thinning requirements, and sunlight needs, and be sure to use plant markers!

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Slugs and snails

Our warming temperatures and moisture work together to create the perfect habitat for slugs and snails. These mollusks can devastate seedlings in a single night, so be prepared. I urge you to follow the link to slugs and snails to learn more about the specific ingredients in different bait products. They are not created equally, and some can harm pets. Choose accordingly.


Soil test

If you have not conducted a soil test recently, now is the time. Find out what is in your soil before you start adding plants. This will help avoid nutrient imbalances that can wreak havoc on plant health.


Weeds

Walk through your garden in March and you are sure to see weeds coming up in every location imaginable (and a few unimaginable places!). Your Number One March garden task is weeding. Since some weeds can go to seed in as little as a week, now is the time to cut them off at ground level with a hoe. Wait until later in the season and thousands of seeds will already be sown. Healthy weeds make great additions to the compost pile. Personally, I feed them to my chickens.

​Enjoy the early blossoms!