Weed as Though Your Plants’ Lives Depend on it

They do! Your plants will be competing with weeds for water, sunlight and nutrients in July, and the weeds are, too often, better at grabbing available resources. Your flowers and vegetables win the fight only when the weeds lie, gasping for breath, in the aisles or in a bucket. 

Be Patient!

Whether it is blueberries turning blue or tomatoes turning red. The first sign of color is just that. Real flavor will develop over the next few days so as the berry and tomato increase in size and sugar content. With tomatoes, do not remove healthy foliage. Fewer leaves mean less food produced for the plant, and for you.

Leave the Lawn Long

If you haven’t already, move the blade on your mower up to 3”. The higher grass will shade its own roots, making them less water thirsty while also shading out new weeds. Consider replacing the grass in hard-to-grow areas (shady areas for one) with perennials or shrubs that are happier in shade and require less maintenance while providing flowers and interest throughout the year.

A Very Different Summer for 2023

Remember the summer of 2022? It would be hard to forget: especially the season-long watering bans and brown lawns. Thus far, 2023 precipitation is normal for the year across New England and was slightly ahead for June. Rainfall alone is no guarantee of a great perennial garden or bumper crops of vegetables, but it is a much more hopeful situation than the one we faced by August of last year.