Summer in the Okanagan usually involves hosting visitors, spending time at the beach or on the lake and enjoying everything that this season has to offer here in paradise. If you have a vegetable garden summer activities should also include weeding, fertilizing, watering and mulching.
Along with the plants that we purposely placed weeds got off to a quick start this spring with the cool temperatures and extra moisture. For weeding between rows nothing beats a “Dutch” or “action” hoe. The Dutch hoe comes in several variations, but it’s essentially a smaller blade, easy to maneuver amongst small plants. The action model is like a metal stirrup at the end of the handle. Both result in effortless and quick slicing of weed roots. For weeding close to the rows there are short-handled versions.
You most likely applied fertilizer back in the spring when you first planted the vegetable garden. Whether it was a quick-acting, synthetic type or an organic formulation, with the spring rains and subsequent irrigation most of the nutrient value has been spent. You’ll know when plants need another shot of fertilizer when their growth looks spindly, or when the foliage begins to yellow.
A side-dressing will address those issues so the crop will finish well. There are no hard and fast rules on what fertilizer to use. If you used a granular vegetable food in the spring, use it again. Organic fertilizers such as Organic Advantage are becoming more popular and available now. If you have compost available spreading a bit next to the plants will be a benefit. For a fast-acting shot for leafy vegetables you can even mix up 20-20-20 in a watering can and apply it. Whatever you apply, use small amounts only and water it in soon after.
Back in April and May we were treated to some lovely rainfalls, nicely spaced on the calendar and long enough in duration to really soak into the soil. We may not have liked it at the time, but our gardens sure enjoyed it! Now it’s July and rains will be few and far between.
Adequate watering is critical in vegetable gardens, because crops like tomatoes and cucumbers are mostly water. The standard rule of an inch of water a week applies here as well. Soaker hoses or drip tape work extremely well for laying between rows, where they apply moisture to roots, not foliage. Water in the morning, when it’s generally cooler and calmer, so there is less moisture lost to evaporation.
Hand-in-hand with watering is mulching. Mulch applied over soil conserves moisture, but it also keeps weed growth at bay and helps to capture heat early in the growing season, when some plants struggle to get established.
Although it’s too late for this year I’ve had good success with plastic mulch around tomatoes. It absorbs heat in May and June, and would work well for peppers and eggplants too. Organic mulch like grass clippings (free of herbicides) or compost could be applied into the garden now and would benefit the crops for the home stretch.
