Our Drought Conditions Worsen

For the past two years, New England has had above-average precipitation and well-above-average soil moisture. All that has changed in 2020. As the attached map shows, almost the entire region is ‘abnormally dry’ and much has slipped into a ‘moderate drought’. Almost as bad, much of our precipitation in July was in the form of pop-up thunderstorms which did not provide the deep watering our soil needs. For gardeners – especially those with watering bans – August will be a month of triage. Your priority for watering should be 1) vegetables, 2) trees, shrubs and perennials planted this year, and 3) containers. Your lowest priority should be your lawn. It may brown out now, but it is a perennial that will re-green with cooler temperatures.

National Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Night

August 8th is National Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Night! Especially in this most unusual of years, we all need a gardening tradition that we can celebrate; ‘just because’.

Annuals

Annuals, particularly those in containers, need additional fertilizer throughout the summer. If you are using a slow-release fertilizer (as many potting mixes do), check the container to see how long it should last - usually three to six months. If you planted in early May with a three-month fertilizer, you will need to add more by late July. Some gardeners prefer to apply a diluted liquid fertilizer to containers in order to ensure that the heavy feeders get all they need without overdosing the plants that like a leaner diet.