THIS MONTH
• It's hot and rain is scarce, so watering is the main chore in the garden. Containers dry out daily, so pay attention.
• The more you water, the more quickly nutrition leaches from the soil. Fertilization is important to keep flowering plants blooming and fruiting plants setting, whether the plants are in containers or the ground.
• Make sure there is ample moisture in the soil before fertilizing, and use the fertilizer at a lower rate. Applying a high dose of fertilizer to a dry plant that is heat stressed leads to burned foliage. You can always add more fertilizer, but you can't un-damage plant foliage.
• If you have annuals and perennials that set seeds, deadhead them frequently. Deadheading is removing the spent flowers to prevent them from setting seeds. Plants that bloom all season will have more flowers if you remove the spent blooms, since the energy they would expend forming seeds goes back into the plant to set more flower buds. Many new varieties are self-cleaning, meaning they drop the spent flowers on their own without setting seed heads. They do not require deadheading.
• Tomatoes have been struggling across the state. If you are not sure what is wrong with your plants, take a sample to your county extension office. We have seen a lot of early blight, late blight and septoria leaf spot. Early in the season we had a lot of rain, and many of these diseases are soil-borne. Heavy rains splash the soil up on the stems, which can help to spread these diseases. Some of the plants are too far gone to salvage, but continue to harvest as tomatoes ripen.
• Consider planting new tomato plants in a different section of the garden, for a later harvest. Rotation of crops -- not replanting in the same spot for three years -- can lessen the chance of diseases attacking young plants.
• Be on the lookout for tomato hornworms. They camouflage themselves quite nicely and can quickly decimate a tomato plant.
• Aphids and spider mites are also out in large numbers. Walk your garden at least a couple of times a week to look for problems and to harvest.
• Roses are blooming well, but even some of the hardy, "earth-kind" roses have leaf spots. (These are roses tested in trial gardens by agricultural extension service programs in several states, including Texas and Missouri.) We have seen fungal diseases on many roses this summer due in part to all the rains this spring and early season. I do not advocate spray programs for roses other than the hybrid tea roses, but you can do a little cleanup. Deadhead spent flowers; give the plants a light shearing if they are between bloom cycles; water and fertilize. Even though some of the older leaves have damage, the new growth is clean. The more new growth you get, the better they will flower the rest of the summer.
• If you need some color in your garden, nurseries and garden centers still have plenty of selections. Tropical flowering plants are still arriving and this is their season -- they love it hot and humid. Water and fertilize weekly, and they will bloom without ceasing. Many summer-blooming perennials are in their prime, from the dinner-plate size blooms on hardy hibiscus to nonstop color on coneflowers, Shasta daisy, coreopsis, liatris and rudbeckia. (Many of these flowers require deadheading after bloom.)
• It has been a stellar year for blooming hydrangeas of all types. For the first time in several years, our big leaf hydrangeas were covered in blooms, ranging from blue to purple to pink depending on soil pH. They love water and shade in the afternoon, and will wilt daily if they get afternoon sun or if temperatures are really high. If yours need to be pruned, the time to do so is as soon as the flowers start to fade. You can remove up to a third of the older canes at the soil line -- but only prune if needed. The white-flowering (and occasionally pink) panicle and smooth hydrangeas are kicking into high gear and will continue to bloom for months. They bloom on the new growth and will tolerate more sunlight, but they still want a bit of water. There are many new varieties to choose from.
OKRA
Okra is a true Southern vegetable belonging to the Mallow family, which includes cotton and hibiscus. The Latin name is Hibiscus esculentus, and if you have ever seen an okra bloom, you will notice the similarity to hibiscus.
Okra likes warm, well-drained soil, and so is usually not planted until May. It thrives in the heat of an Arkansas summer and can grow 6 feet tall, or taller.
This is a plant we typically grow from seed. Broadcast a complete fertilizer at seeding and again when the plants are 6 to 8 inches tall, then again in three or four weeks. Don't overdo it with too much nitrogen, or you will get huge plants with limited production.
Okra plants begin to flower within a month and a half of seeding. Harvest the immature pods when they are 2 to 4 inches long. People have different preferences about the size of okra, but if left too long on the plant, the pods get tough and woody. If you don't harvest frequently -- every few days during production -- you will also limit the number of new pods produced.
It is best to use scissors or pruning shears to harvest, as the pods are firmly attached and the small spines on the fruits and stems irritate some people's skin.
Okra plants continue to produce until frost, as long as pods are removed or harvested regularly. Most pods are ready for harvesting four to six days after the bloom opens.
The immature pods are used in soups and stews and are also served fried, boiled and pickled. Okra is a staple in Louisiana cooking, common in gumbo, which is another common name for the vegetable in some Southern states.
"Clemson Spineless" is the most common variety, but "Lee" and "Jade" were developed by the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. A red-podded form called "Red Burgundy" can be quite showy in the garden. Its pods turn green when cooked.
Janet B. Carson is a horticulture specialist for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.
HomeStyle on 07/02/2016