By Sharon Lampton, U. C. Master Gardener
What a year! I finally have ripe tomatoes, although certainly not as many of them as I usually have by now. The peach crop was at least two weeks late, and then every peach ripened within about three days. The roses seem happy, and my tree dahlias are taller than usual. One is over six feet already.
I love the cooler weather we've been having, but it does make watering trickier. If you're watering as much as you usually do in August, you're probably wasting water. Even pots that normally need to be watered daily can go two or three days in this weather.
The most important thing is to monitor your plants and your turf for moisture. The easiest way to do that it to stick a trowel (or other tool that goes down about six inches) in the ground and see what it's like down there.
Remember that you're watering for the root zone, which is usually 6 to 12 inches deep. If it's dry at that level, you need to water. If it's not, maybe you can back off a little.
Remember to monitor sprinkler heads and drip irrigation systems often. They can plug up for a variety of reasons (earwigs seem to cause most of my most problems), and it's easy to check them by just turning them on, walking through your garden and seeing what's getting wet.
If the soil around your plants is compacted, loosen it so the water can penetrate better. Lawn aeration also allows water to penetrate better. When another hot spell is predicted, give everything a good soaking before and after. It's best to water in the morning, but if everything is looking droopy when you get home from work, go ahead and give it a drink.
And speaking of watering, the second in the series of Waterwise Gardening Workshops given by Napa County Master Gardeners will be held on Saturday, August 21, at American Canyon Recreation Center, 2185 Elliott Drive, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The workshop will be repeated on Saturday, August 28, at the University of California Cooperative Extension Office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Napa, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 am. These workshops are free. Call 707-253-4221 for more information or to make a reservation.
Workshop topics will include how to save money on water, garden design principles, designing for Napa's climate, irrigation systems "how to" and drought-tolerant plants.
August clean-up and general maintenance:
Get ready for fall planting.
Is it really that time already? Yes, it is. Prepare the beds you will be using for planting fall crops. Remove weeds and till the beds. Dig in well-composted organic matter and add fertilizer. Wet the soil and let it mellow for at least a week before planting. By the end of the month, sow seeds of beets, carrots, spinach, chard and turnips directly into the ground. Keep the soil surface moist until the seedlings have emerged and are strong.
Plant seeds of broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower seeds in nursery trays or pots and keep them in a sheltered location until the seedlings are established enough to transplant, usually about four to five weeks.
To have color in your garden from late winter to early summer, plant seeds of calendula, Iceland poppy, fairy primrose, viola, bachelor button, columbine, stock and snapdragons. These should also be planted in nursery flats before being set out in the garden. Fresh plantings of petunias, marigolds, zinnias and dahlias will keep color in your garden until frost.
If there is a section of your garden that has been plagued by disease, this is a good month to solarize. Call the Master Gardener office (707-253-4221) for more information on soil solarization.
Keep one eye on the calendar and the other on the thermometer and you should get through this year with a beautiful and productive garden. And let's hope it gets a little warmer, so we can have more tomatoes.