We are in peak garden production season and there’s a lot happening out there.  While you enjoy some satisfying harvests stay alert to new pests showing up now and how to prevent serious damage.  Do you know there are some great things that can be planted now?  Garlic harvest is almost here, what’s the best way to harvest, cure, and select next year’s crop?  This week let’s look at these topics plus a couple key tips to make your garden even more productive.

What can I plant now?  Many of our early plants are now past their prime, bolting, or turning bitter and can be removed to make room for new ones.  Yes, it’s hard to take away those first lettuces and greens but they can add to your home compost and the space is valuable.  For example, if you like fresh garden salads and greens, you can keep planting new rows including leaf lettuces, mesclun mixes, arugula, spinach, chard, kale, radishes, etc.  I like to start a new planting every 2 weeks to keep fresh harvests coming in.  They need some watering to get started and some mulch between the rows keeps them cooler and conserves soil moisture.  Go ahead and start a couple rows and you’ll be pleased with how fast they will grow for you.

Tomatoes:  I have a suggestion.  This may not be a popular practice but it’s worth considering if you have had foliage diseases (early blight, septoria, canker, etc) gradually overtake your tomato plants.  Prune off all the lower branches of your staked or caged tomato plants up to 12-18 inches above ground.  Leave no branches that have yellowed, turned brown, or look aged.  This accomplishes at least two things: 1. It gets rid of older, non-productive leaves that are no longer feeding the plant but are very susceptible to infection and 2. It creates a ventilation gap between the soil (where many diseases start) and the upper, productive part of your plants.  Yes, they will look a bit odd with bare stems but it seems to slow the progress of diseases up the plant.  Additionally, keep pruning those “suckers” and be sure you have mulch under the plants to suppress weeds and keep the soil moist.  Applying a weekly spray of compost tea (see the previous article for details), Serenade, or fungicidal copper are all good organic practices to prevent diseases from getting started.

Pest Alerts.  It’s always something, but if you stay on top of things they won’t get ahead of you.  Japanese Beetles are emerging from the lawns and moving onto raspberries, roses, and whatever is available.  Handpicking works, traps placed away from your valued plants help.  Every adult that you remove from the population is one that won’t reproduce. The second generation of Colorado Potato Beetles are emerging.  Get the young adults to prevent them from reproducing and save yourself future troubles.  Cabbage moths (white with a black spot on each wing) are mating and laying eggs on cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, etc.  They will hatch into “cabbage worms” that can spoil a great plant.  Snag the flying adults with a children’s’ butterfly net (you’re allowed to play too!) and apply weekly treatments of Bt or Dipel (caterpillar killer) to the plants.  These are naturally occurring bacteria that will stop the caterpillars and are harmless to us.

While you’re out watering, weeding, and picking be sure to look under leaves for insect pest eggs and caterpillars.  When you find single eggs, rows, or clusters you can eliminate them easily to prevent potential pest outbreaks.  Be careful not to disturb clusters of yellow eggs as they probably are beneficial lady beetles that will become your ally by eating many of your garden pests.  See the images below with lady beetle eggs, larvae, & adult. Another effective organic pest preventer is to apply Diatomaceous Earth (DE) on plants showing leaf damage.  DE is made from fossilized diatoms (no chemicals) that acts like microscopic broken glass to crawling pests such as slugs, snails, earwigs, and ants.  Ouch!

Garlic is almost ready! If you were lucky enough to plant garlic last fall, it’s getting close to harvest time.  Watch your plants as they mature and gradually turn yellow to brown.  As the leaves decline the bulbs are enlarging and you want to get them when they are full sized but still tight together, just before the cloves loosen apart.  Tight bulbs will store better, loose bulbs should be used sooner.  Garlic needs to “cure” and dry for storage so plan for a place where you can place them for a few weeks after harvesting.  Of course, freshly dug garlic can be eaten without any dying or curing.

It’s best to dig (rather than pull) the garlic.  Use a soft hand brush to clean off the roots and lay the entire plant out to dry in an airy place, some direct sunlight helps.  Do not cut off the plant tops yet.  After drying (1-2 weeks) the bulbs need to cure for another month.  Hang the whole plants or lay them in a warm location and let them complete their maturation.  These bulbs are the strongest, juiciest garlic you’ll ever have so go ahead and use some in your cooking.  After the stems above the bulbs are completely dried you can cut them off about 2 inches above the bulbs.  You can also now trim off the dried roots to prepare your bulbs for storage in a ventilated basket. 

Finally, be sure to select the Largest of your bulbs to save for planting next year’s crop.  By using the biggest bulbs for planting you will be developing future generations of bigger and better garlic adapted to your specific soil conditions to enjoy.  We have been selecting our own garlic at Fenn Farmstead & Gardens for 8 years and now have bulbs about double the typical size found commercially with incomparable flavor.  If you didn’t grow your own garlic, now is the time to begin planning for next year’s crop, don’t miss this great New England harvest again!

Remember to compost your food and yard wastes for the best garden fertilizer.  Here’s a short video to help you get your own compost started.

What are you seeing on in your garden?  Got questions?  Bring your plant or bug samples to the Mount Holly farmers’ market Plant Clinic on Saturday mornings.