Mid-Summer Gardening Practices

It has been an unusually rainy June and beginning of July here at my home in North Texas. With the rain also came a different set of challenges for a Texas gardener. Normally this time of the year we deal with intense heat and drought like conditions which typically does the garden in, but this year the rain did a number on the plants. Plants can truly receive too much water and with our native clay soil the water tends to sit there, causing roots to have soggy bottoms and I will tell you there aren't many plants that like that!Powdery Mildew has set in too and strangely enough sunflowers need sun...wink...So my glorious crop of sunflowers has dwindled down to just a few spindly rows.

In this post I am also sharing an update and new information on the dreaded squash bore. I touched on the squash bore, an imperfect garden and oh many other things too in a recent blog post so if you have time you might enjoy a little lighthearted inspiration right here.It is all out war at Jemma's on those dreaded bores.I am sharing some pretty universal gardening practices today to keep your crops healthy as well as upcoming plants to consider adding to your garden as Summer blends into Fall.I know some of you all don't have Fall gardens, but when in Rome...

I thought I would report in to you all on the outcome of one of my squash plants. It isn't pretty, so you may want to look away, seriously how can a bug and it's babies do this to a perfectly beautiful squash plant???My one yellow squash plant did "heal," itself and was actually growing quite well again, but I was just so aggravated with the situation and the thoughts of those icky pests that had lived in the vine that I pulled it up!I honestly felt much better too!

I am just as excited as I can be that I have planted a generous amount of pumpkin and gourd seeds in anticipation of Fall festivities, neighborhood children and hopefully I'll get a grandchild or two out here to pick some too!I love Fall, pumpkins, Holiday crafts and baking!So these squash bores are not going to be attacking these plants if I can help it.(Live and Learn)

Mid-Summer Gardening Practices One:Concerning Squash Bores
1. Cover the squash with netting so bores cannot attack( you will have to self pollinate.)2. Powdered BT Microbial Pesticide.3. If you aren't using organic products use Sevin Dust.4. I have just ordered Spinosad, I have heard great things about this earth friendly product.5. Do not plant squash in the same place every year, soil has dormant larvae, cultivate the soil.6. Try a different species of squash (this was yellow squash.)7. Dig up the squash vine and toss it away.

On a happier note the garden is filled with bumble bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.I think another good mid-Summer gardening practice, at least for me is to get rid of ailing plants.Mid-Summer Gardening Practice Two:Garden Maintenance 
1. Remove ailing plants from garden.2. Mulch as needed for water retention, about two-inches is the rule of thumb.3. Keep garden weed free, weed when the soil is moist and the weeds are small.4. Summer time heat may be setting in, so water those plants an average of one inch of water a week. Depending on soil composition.

Mid-Summer Gardening Practice Three:Think Fall
1.Begin planning a Fall garden.2.Texas gardeners it is time to plant pumpkins and gourds.(90-100 days from planting to harvest)3.Keep cutting zinnias for continued blooms.4.Wondering when to plant a Fall garden...plan backwards according to your first freeze.

You know I am always learning new things about life from my garden, do you feel like you do too?Well, I saw this quote the other day on Pinterest  and I thought wow, this is a real truth.So I will sign off today and leave you this.                "Be patient with yourself, nothing in your garden blooms all year."

So while you tend to your garden, tend to yourself and be ever so gentle!See you back on Friday with a fun project that Amanda and I made in Puerto Rico....yes it does involve Modge Podge, but I promise I will give this glorious glue a rest after this one!XOXO