I just took a stroll around the yard — sweat dripping off the end of my nose — as I surveyed the beds and garden.
I blinked the drips out of my eyes, and looked at the wilted everything. Leaves drooped, trying to retain as much moisture as they can, as the unrelenting ball of fire tried it’s best to cook everything on the place.
Weeds are wilted, clover leaves are curled and limp. The ground has cracks, big enough to put my fingers in. The rain has abandoned us again. Other parts of the county have seen plenty. Not here.
This is the part of the year I dread the most. Summer. If I don’t get outside chores before ten, I’ll need to wait until after 5, because my tolerance is nonexistent. I have other dirtfolk friends who love this. I smile and nod, and go inside.
Regardless of the swelter and sweat, there are things to do, if you’re responsible for a piece of ground. I’ll go over a few.
• Mowing: Don’t mow if it hasn’t rained. And mow only after the grass has dried. Yes, the bucktails will spring up everywhere, but the grass will become dormant. Is it really that important to mow because someone might complain? And with the price of gas now, I want to know I’m not wasting time and money.
Set the deck as high as it will go, to reduce stress on the grass. Leave the clippings, to return nutrients to the soil. I don’t water the lawn. It’ll either make it, or not. Also, we’re not into “icides” so there are plenty weeds in our lawn, and they all have a job to do, as soil band-aids. We welcome clover, and the other tenacious groundcovers. Those plants will survive when lawn grasses brown out, helping shield the soil from direct sunlight.
• Pruning: This is for the shrubs that bloomed earlier. Also deadhead flowers, and remove dead parts from the plants. Annuals that have spent blooms, should be deadheaded, and pruned, if they’re getting leggy. In the veggie garden, keep an eye on the lower leaves of the tomato and pepper plants. If they start turning brown, or curling up, prune them off. This will help slow the progress of summer blight, which is pretty inevitable. Prune out dead parts on squash, or any other veggie plant that’s struggling. It may reward you with a few more fruits before the summer heat takes it out.
• Watering: My wish is for a long watering to come from the sky, but that doesn’t happen often, in deep summer. If you have container plants, daily watering is probably necessary. If you’re watering, do it early in the day, to maximize the effort. Are you travelling this month? If you don’t have someone who can water for you, put all the containers close together, in a sheltered spot, preferably in afternoon shade. Put trays under each pot, and water well before you go. Hopefully, that’ll take care of them until you return.
Our vegetable garden is no-till, and has a nice layer of organic matter on it. Even now, in the middle of no rain, when I scrape back the mulch, the soil is cool and moist underneath. The only water the vegetables get, is dirty duck water, from the duck enclosure. If there’s no rain, I rely on the ground to have what the plants need. If plants die, I’ll replace them with native plants, which are more adapted to the climate. The way things appear right now, we’re not going to see cooler summers, so plants need to adapt.
• Vegetable garden, in particular: Watch for insect or disease problems, which can come on quickly. If it’s insects, handpick, into a small bucket of soapy water. If it eggs, smush them on the leaves. As for tomato hornworms, I don’t bother them. They’re a necessary nursery for a tiny parasitic wasp, and they really don’t eat much. If they survive the wasp, they turn into a beautiful moth, which is a great pollinator. For issues that need more, there’s insecticidal soap spray (you can make at home), or careful applications of diatomaceous earth (DE). Both of these products can also kill beneficials.
So, put on your bandanna, get your gloves and knee boots, and head for the jungle around your house. Early and late is mostly doable. C’mon, I’ll go too, but I’ll need a break soon!
Greene County resident Sherrie Ottinger, aka “The TN Dirtgirl,” is a regenerative Earth thinker, teacher, columnist, author and speaker. Her passion is all things “dirt.” Email her at velokigate@yahoo.com with any comments or questions.
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