After the spring flurry of gardening chores and tasks is over, the maintenance part of gardening begins. Taking care of the garden all through the summer means the difference between a weedy, neglected space and a productive, bountiful garden. With a little luck, a little knowledge and a little work, your weed patrol, harmful insect management, gardening shortcuts and healthy garden practices will pay off. A few gardening tips and tricks save time and work in the summer garden.
Seedling Strips
Start seeds on long strips to plant into borders without buying costly bedding plants or planting individual plants in the garden. Prepare seedling strips six to eight weeks before the last hard frost date for your area by cutting 2-by-1-foot sections of newspaper, two to three pages thick. Measure the border you want to fill and cut as many strips as you'll need for it. Lay the strips flat in plastic seedling trays without drainage holes or on plastic garbage bags on a utility shelf either near a window or with a plant light setup. Sprinkle seeds on the strips, cover with a single layer of paper towel and spray with a water bottle to moisten the paper towels, the seeds and the newspaper. Keep the paper towels and seeds consistently moist by spraying at least twice a day until the seeds sprout, then remove the paper towels and ensure the seedlings receive adequate light and moisture every day. After all danger of frost in the spring, place the seedling strips in the garden, sprinkle soil on them and tamp the soil down gently around the new seedlings. Use this method for borders, or for rows in vegetable and herb gardens.
Pest Patrol
Pest patrol can mean the difference between a few leaves with bite marks or losing an entire plant to a hungry insect infestation. Make it a habit to walk through the garden once a day with a bucket and a little soapy water. If you see tomato horn worms, cucumber beetles or cutworms, pick them off your plants and dispatch them in the soapy water. Other harmful insects such as scale and aphids require a spray bottle with soapy water or insecticidal soap for treatment. Finding and treating harmful bugs before they become a horde enables you to rid your garden of them quickly and prevent serious damage.
Weed Control
Use mulch, either chopped hay, black plastic garden sheeting or shredded newspapers, to control weeds. Keep an extra large black plastic bag full of mulch on hand to smother any emerging weeds you find. Don't let weeds flower and go to seed. Pull or smother them before they mature and have a chance to become invasive. Mulch also helps conserve water, allowing you to water less often.
Use a Chipper/Shredder
Invest in a chipper/shredder or mulching lawn mower and chop up everything you can before putting it in your compost pile or bin. Toss all garden refuse into the compost except weed flowers or seedheads and diseased plant materials. It speeds up decomposition, mixes compost materials quickly and creates compost much faster than larger pieces.
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