by Lisa Giroday, Sandra Lopuch and Sam Philips | We’re not sure how this happened, but we’re suddenly finding ourselves in the middle of summer. The long, scorching days are making us cut-off our overalls, slather on the sunscreen, and water with diligence. If you’re a newbie food grower and find yourself gardening on a rooftop, patio, community plot, friend’s house, front or back yard, here are our Top 10 to-dos when getting down and dirty this week…

10. Seed winter carrots and parsnips! | The Canada Day long weekend marks the time when we seed our winter carrots and parsnips. Yep, winter gardens need to start being seeded now! If you have a spot where you are saving for your last row of carrots for the season, seed away! Choose a good storage variety of carrot, like Bolero.

9. Stop watering garlic | Growing garlic? Well, here’s some good news: you don’t have to water it anymore! Now’s the time to let your garlic start dying back in preparation for a mid-July harvest. If you haven’t cut off all the scapes, do so ASAP.

8. Tomatoes – to trellis or stake? | Your tomato plants might be getting pretty wild right now, and if you haven’t staked or caged them, get on it. Remember, tomatoes that vine need to be trellised or staked, and bush varieties (or, determinate varieties) need a cage.

7. Pollinate zucchini | Zucchini plants have both male and female flowers and are pollinated by bees. Sometimes they need a little help, or the fruits will not get pollinated and will rot off before they can mature. This gets a little sexy, but when the flowers are all open and the mood is right, you cut off a male flower (on a stalk and not on a fruit), peel back the petals and rub the stamen to the female flower’s carpel (her bits that get pollinated).

6. Kelp feed | With pest season well under way, it’s a good idea to give your veggie plants’ immunity a boost. Watering in a treatment of liquid kelp will give them the strength they need to ward off pests and stay healthy. Kelp is awesome for plant roots!

5. Pinch suckers off tomatoes | These are little sprouts that grow in the “elbow” of the plant – at a 45 degree angle in the join of the stalk and stem. Pinch or prune these off so you can let the plant devote their energy to making ripe tomatoes!

4. Make a homemade spray for powdery mildew | Powdery mildew can be a royal pain. It affects peas, mint, cucumbers, squash plants and more. Once it gets a plant, you will have to keep up the battle, as it is systemic. Make a homemade spray with a little spoon of baking soda, a drop of castile soap, and a drop of oil and spray the leaves.

3. Pest control – aphids | These little pests can do some major damage if they aren’t kept in line! Aphids love sucking the life forces out of kale, broccoli, cauliflower, beans, peppers, nasturtiums, borage, and more. Look for them on the undersides of leaves and on new growth – spray them off with the hose and incorporate this into your watering regimen to cut down on time.

2. Water, water, water | We always drive this one home. During this time of year, it is crucial to water. Drought-stressed plants are more susceptible to pests, and become stunted if they can’t get the hydration they need. Water in the morning or evening, when the sun isn’t beating down – the sun will evaporate the water before your veggies can soak in the goodness. That being said, watering mid-day is better than not at all!

1. Harvest! | Peas, broccoli, carrots, beets, zucchini, greens! Keep up on your harvest! We go to all this work so we can not only bring peace to our busy lives, but so we can eat some hyper local food! Get peas before they are woody, harvest lettuce before it goes to seed, and make the most out of your garden!

THE VICTORY GARDENS ARCHIVE