Caring for your garden

By Rennie Phillips

Most of the time I keep a watchful eye on the tomatoes in our high tunnels. I was checking them last year when I discovered some of the big tomato worms had a feast on the plants. They had stripped all the leaves from the top branches on several of the tomato plants. Marge and I both went to hunting the big green caterpillar worms. Boy they are hard to find. But little by little we found a good number of the worms. The very next day I sprayed all the tomato plants in the high tunnels with BT which is a great pesticide for worms. Most places will have BT in Dipel Dust. You can spray it on as a liquid or you can dust it on. Really safe. Google "BT pesticide" or ask for it at your garden center.

Last year I added a date in my phone as to when the worms showed up which was mid June. So this year I sprayed all my tomato plants about the first of June with BT. After that I plan on spraying the tomato plants with BT every 10 days or so all summer. Once I knew about when they showed up last year I could figure they'd do the same this year.

Pretty much the same with squash bugs. I can figure on squash bugs showing up on my zucchini right after I pick my first zucchini. It's like they know when to show up and kill my zucchini plants. They do the same with my cucumber plants. They show up when my cucumbers really start cranking out the cucumbers.

There are probably chemicals to kill squash bugs but I hesitate using therm. So I plant a good number of zucchini so that if they kill a dozen or so plants I still will have a few left. Same with cucumbers. But I do start some more plants that I can transplant once the first bunch has kicked the bucket. I try to get the zucchini blooming before I set it out. That way I won't have to wait long before I can pick a zucchini.

Another problem that most tomato growers will experience is blossom end rot. Your tomatoes will develop a black spot on the opposite end from the stem. The tomato will look good but the black end just ruins the tomato. Blossom end rot is caused by a lack of calcium. When we get too much rain or we water too much it causes the calcium to leach from the soil. Treating the symptoms will work but not nearly as well as being in a preventive mode. When the tomatoes start forming on the vines water in some calcium. You can get some blossom set or blossom end rot preventative at most garden stores. I buy some Calcium nitrate, a commercial type of fertilizer, and add it to my watering system when the plants start setting tomatoes. Blossom set or blossom end rot preventative aren't that expensive so I'd add it every time you fertilize. I try to fertilize a little every week.

One of the trickiest tasks in the garden is knowing when to water and how much. Plants will suffer if they are watered too much but they will also suffer if they are not watered enough. Watch your plants. Many times they will let you know when they need a drink of water. I was checking some of my cucumber plants last week and noticed some of the leaves were dropping. They weren't wilted but just drooping. The ground wasn't dry necessarily but they needed a drink of water on a hot June day. After a little time the added moisture had them revitalized. The cool water around the roots had cooled them down as well. Stick your finger down in the soil and check out the moisture level. Mulch around your garden plants when you can. Not only does it help with moisture but I also think it helps keep the plants cooler.

Every two or three years I have my soil tested. This will let you know how much fertilizer or lime to add to soup up your soil. The best time to have your soil tested in my opinion is in the Fall. Once you know how your soil tests you can add the lime that fall. This will give the lime time to work through the soil and it'll be ready in the Spring. Wait till spring to add your fertilizer.

I do one thing different then some. I mark off my row and then fertilize just the row and not the ground between the rows. I scatter the fertilizer about two feet wide the length of the row so I know how many square feet which will tell me how much fertilizer that particular row needs. Your soil test report will say how much fertilizer you need per 1,000 square feet. I usually add some 12-12-12 or triple 13 or 13-13-13. Nitrogen is the only one you want to be careful with. Most plants if given too much nitrogen will have awesome tops but that's about all.

Many plants need fertilizer throughout the summer. Tomatoes need a regular dose of a balanced fertilizer. Not too much though. I believe onions need balanced fertilizer but also a shot of nitrogen every couple weeks. Most everyone I know side dresses their sweet corn when it's just under knee high. Dig a shallow trench along the side of the corn and scatter a little nitrogen in this trench. Cover and water in. Miracle Grow is a good product or one of the look a likes. They are cheaper and will do a good job as well.

I think one of the keys to gardening is don't get real radical about anything or get in a hurry. Don't go to extremes in watering or fertilizing or mulching or tilling or even planting too much garden. Be sure to keep your gardening enjoyable.

Hope you are having a great growing season and picking a bunch of veggies.