August is my favorite month of the year. Who could not love tomatoes, peppers, corn and basil? Once again I planted too many tomatoes and peppers. The extras I will donate to the local food bank.
Two years ago, the Napa County Master Gardeners were treated to a workshop by the Master Preservers from Del Norte County. I have been putting up veggies for two years, and now I make my own ketchup, tomato sauces, and can or freeze a number of veggies for use in the winter. This year, I made zucchini pickle relish, and it tastes better than the cucumber relish. It also uses up some zucchini.
For the home gardener, August and September can be the busiest and the most rewarding. The No. 1 thing to remember is to watch the irrigation in the garden; keep it on track by checking the soil daily. These hot and windy days can speed up evaporation. Squash has a propensity to wilt in the afternoons; if it looks OK in the morning, then it does not need water.
Veggies do need to be fed on a regular schedule. Check the back of the fertilizer box for the recommended schedule. I use a blend of four parts compost, one part worm compost, and organic fertilizer with a low nitrogen number. Nitrogen is the first number on the box. Too much nitrogen will produce much vegetation, but little fruit, and a tomato is botanically classified as a fruit.
Weeding is an important chore right now; do not let weeds flower or their seeds will sprout in your winter garden.
If you had a viral soil problem this winter, July and August are the best times to solarize your soil. Put a layer of clear plastic over the infected soil and tuck into the soil. It takes about 60 days to get rid of the viruses, pests and their eggs. The soil will be ready to plant this September.
This is a good time to shear your alyssum and other ground covers. Water them and they will come back as new, or even better in September. Many perennial woody herbs can be cut back now. Save some cuttings and start with new, not so woody plants.
Other chores this month include: cutting back perennials after flowering; removing any spoiled vegetables or fruits before they attract pests and keeping the yard clean. The cleanup helps discourage pests this year and prevents overwintering of viruses and insect eggs.
Deep water your trees and shrubs to help them fend off borers and other pests during the stress of the hot weather to come.
To harvest, you will have tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, herbs and peppers. Plant lettuce, parsley and cilantro in the shade of other plants and you can enjoy them throughout the summer to fall. The shade keeps them from bolting so fast.
Fruits to watch for are: figs, stone fruits, apples, pears and plums. Thinning these fruits will produce larger and more succulent fruit. Keep an eye out for the many pests that attack these fruits.
In the vegetable garden, watch for pests. Those pretty white moths produce larva that can damage your plants.
It is not too early to start seeds indoors for the fall and winter garden. As you pull up each plant in your summer garden; refresh the soil by adding compost and scratching it in about an inch. Research has shown that rototilling is not good for the health of your soil. The flora and fauna that inhabit the soil are disturbed by the deeper invasion of their habitat and have trouble returning. Besides, as one of the local Master Gardeners likes to say; “The noise of the rototiller gives the worms a headache.”
Invest in a Ball Blue Book to preserve some of your harvest. This is still the best book for all types of preserving. It covers safety, non-pressurized canning, freezing, and other methods of preserving your harvest.
Enjoy the fruits of your labor this month. You deserve it.
Vegetable Workshop: Napa County Master Gardeners will lead a workshop on “Cool Season Veggies” on Sunday, Aug. 18, from 2-4 p.m. at the Yountville Community Center, 6516 Washington St., Yountville. Register through Town of Yountville, Parks and Recreation. For additional information, call (707) 944-8712 or visit their website.
Open Garden Days: Napa County Master Gardeners welcome the public to their demonstration garden at Connolly Ranch on the first Thursday of every month, from April through October, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Master Gardeners will answer questions. Connolly Ranch is at 3141 Browns Valley Road in Napa.
Napa County Master Gardeners (http://ucanr.org/ucmgnapa/) answer gardening questions on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to noon, at the UC Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Ave., Suite 4, Napa, 707-253-4143.
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