'Goldilock'-like
This summer has been like a fairy tale for fruit and vegetable gardeners alike.
Specifically, “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” according to Lewis Palka, Master Gardener with the Penn State Extension Service.
“From my perspective, this has been 'Goldilocks'- type conditions,” he said. “It's not been too wet and it's not been too dry. The rainfall average in June and July was 3.5 inches each month.”
Growing conditions were near-perfect.
Palka said while it wouldn't be bad if there was a tiny bit more rain, there really wasn't anything climate-wise to complain about.
Summer much better
Palka, who's been a Master Gardener since 2018 after passing an 18-week course and putting in volunteer hours as well as taking continuing education classes, said this summer has been much better for gardens and gardeners than 2020.
He called last year's heat, excessive rain and humidity “unbearable,” and said this year's relatively temperate conditions have put the breaks on plant pests, such as fungus.
This has proved to be a good thing, since fungicides are one of the items that remain in short supply in area home and garden centers.
Last year, because of the pandemic and the increased demand of people forced to remain home, there were shortages of supplies and even plants.Betty Paugh, an employee at Oesterling's Lawn and Garden Center, 101 S. Monroe St., said while most supplies are in stock, copper fungicides and neem oil, an organic spray for vegetbles and potting soils, are still in short supply.“It was hard to get in stuff last year, the way stuff has been with COVID affecting transportation and kinks at the factory,” Paugh said.Shortages smallCody Stephenson, the manager at the Butler Agway, 500 Evans City Road, agreed shortages this year have been confined to a few specific gardening supplies.“While certain items are in short supply, overall things looked a little better this year than last year,” he said, noting shortages depended on an item-by-item basis.“Some gardening chemicals have not been available; some containers,” he said. “Canning supplies are in short supply again this year.”Palka said 2020 was unique.“People got caught off guard with all the restrictions,” he said. “Garden centers weren't opening at all last year or at least had lots of restrictions.“Seeds and plants were hard to get, if you didn't get them early,” he said.
He said this year has been different, with pretty much everything available.“The only exception, I recall, this spring I tried to purchase a variety of seeds from Italy. It's a very unique importer.“I went to the website, which said due to COVID restrictions it was not allowed to sell seeds this year,” said Palka.But for the most part, he said, local suppliers and greenhouses are well supplied.Number hasn't declinedSome gardening supplies might be in short supply, but the number of gardeners hasn't declined significantly, according to Stephenson, while Paugh said she believes the number of flower and vegetable gardeners has declined slightly as people return to on-site work.Palka said his fellow Master Gardeners were concerned that the number of home gardeners would drop off this year. It doesn't seem to have happened. Palka said people grew used to having homegrown items and the harvest at the end of the season.“I know a lot of gardeners; I have a feeling a lot more people are doing a traditional garden or a patio-type container garden,” he said.Some crops have already been harvested: green and yellow beans, lettuce, onions and garlic. Now's the time to put in another crop of lettuce and beans that will be ready to be picked at the end of September.“Right now you should have been pulling garlic and onions out,” Palka said. “Open that real estate for another bean crop or another row of lettuce.”Another roundPaugh suggested planting another round of peas, lettuce and radishes and then, after harvesting them, planting a cover crop of wheat, rye or oats.
These plants will put nitrogen back in the soil and will grow up like grass. The plants can be mowed and tilled back into the soil for next year's garden.Mary Reefer, chairman of the Master Gardener Garden Hotline, said now's the time to spruce up flower gardens.“Deadheading your flowers makes your garden look neater, encourages repeat blooming and prevents self-seeding plants like purple coneflowers, black-eyed Susans and gaillardia from crowding out your other plants,” Reefer said.“For those who have been removing the faded flowers on roses, consider stopping this practice in August,” she said. “The rose hips will provide a nutritious meal for birds and other wildlife. Likewise, leave the seed heads on your coneflowers; the finches love them.”Reefer said there is no need to use supplemental fertilizers in August. It's counterproductive if plants are coping with high heat and drought.Fertilizers stimulate green growth at a time when plants should be conserving energy.“Woody plants start preparing for winter dormancy in the coming weeks and don't benefit from fertilizer that encourages late-season growth that might not harden sufficiently before winter,” Reefer said.She added the exception is flowers growing in pots or baskets. Frequent watering that is necessary for container gardens leaches nutrients quickly, and they will benefit from a water-soluble fertilizer at half strength once a week.Little rainReefer said August is a month with high heat, stifling humidity and little rain. “Summer moisture often comes in the form of thunderstorms, and the water may run off before soaking in,” she said. She recommends using a rain gauge and the rule of thumb of one inch a water per week.She recommends minimizing evaporation by watering early in the morning or early in the evening.Paugh said for now people need to watch out for tomato blight and Japanese beetles, both of which seem exceptionally bad this year.Palka said fungi and insect pests, other than an early infestation of Japanese beetles, have been fairly minimal.He suggested tending to vegetable plants by hand and picking off the bigger, more visible insects.And he recommends using a copper-based fungicide as a preventative measure to fungus-infecting plants. It should be sprayed on the lower parts of garden vegetables every 10 days.Stephenson said, “We've seen different fungi on different plants.“It's black spots that people are asking about. As with most things, the earlier you catch it, the better. An advanced case is a lot harder to treat at that point,” he said.Reefer said many of the questions coming into the hotline were about fungal diseases in everything from tomatoes and other vegetables to perennials.“August is the time when the frenzy of pruning, planting and mulching of springtime is over and harvesting begins,” she said. “Take some time to relax and enjoy your efforts before the marathon of cleanup and cut-down begins this fall.”
