Answer:
Hi Danielle
It’s always the right season to put some time in the garden. You can do what I did this week.
I went to Ron & Cindy Simon’s Nursery in Scituate and got a great deal on Summer and Fall Blooming Perennials. Ron told me it’s been a tough summer to keep the potted plants watered, so he is eager to get rid of left overs. The six inch pots are going two for $7.99. I got 4 Chrysanthemums for less than twenty dollars. These mums are a little different though. Montauk Daisies look like regular Daisies, but they are bigger and tougher and bloom all fall, and they are mums. Ron says we should cut them in half next July to keep them from getting unruly next fall.
Also I found some yellowish hearty perennial flowers (forgot the name). And also a red mum that looks like no mum I have ever seen. I will get pictures of these to post when they bloom next month.
And yes, you can plant fall peas, lettuce, and spinach. Hopefully we get some rain soon. We would hate to have these fall flowers wilt and fade too.
Happy Digging, Tim

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Thanks Paul!

Last week we received a number of ‘Ask The Gardener’ questions that we need some help with. Perhaps some of our readers, like you, may be able to help us answer some of these questions. If you have any help for us, please post a comment below for us all to read.

Pam Chaplin: We have a woodchuck that just loves our bush beans. We have a fence all around the garden and the devil avoids the trap that we have set. Any other suggestions?

Rozetta Hughes: I have a ten year old kousa dogwood that has flowered for the past four years, this year we have not had a flower. The dogwood looks very good.
Why no flowers???

Nicole Inglis: What should I do to keep my roses blooming all summer? How should I prune them to keep them blooming?
Thank you.
Nicole

And we have advice from Muriel:
Hi, Tim Kelley… Really enjoy your “take” on TV… and appreciate your sharing your interest in gardening…
I learned this a few years ago and thought you might like to share it with your listeners (as well as apply it to your garden)!
Keep up the good work.
Muriel Thomas, Centerville, MA
http://www.papillonsartpalace.com/secrdets.htm

I just went out to Wal-Mart and bought $60 worth of tomatoes, basil and peppers to plant this weekend. As soon as the rain stopped and got a little warmer, I wanted to there before the weekend rush came in and picked over all the plants. Do you think the ground is warm enough this weekend to plant the tomatoes and peppers?

Answer:
Hi Terry O
You are very smart getting to the nursery ahead of the bog crowd.
Sounds like you are ready to launch.
Yes, the ground is warm enough, this is the warmest spring on record. The low this morning was 60°!
Our forecast is for summer warmth a couple days this week. But, believe it or not, we have frost potential next Monday or Tuesday. Seeing as that is after Memorial Day, the time we are suppose to plant tomatoes and peppers, go ahead and plant. You can not be held responsible for frost in June
Best, Tim

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Answer:
Hi Allison
You may want to hire a team, or set out with grit and determination, on your own. The lawn soil has to be weeded and softened using an iron rake. The roots of the creeping juniper need to be allowed to go where they want, or pulled out and clipped back. Once you soften the soil, grass seed may be applied. This is the highest sun angle of the year, so watering must be thorough each morning. The dead tips of the juniper may be showing signs of life, if so leave them alone, in not, clip them back. This season is much kinder on our lawns and gardens thanks to not to much rain, and plenty of warmth.

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QUESTION: “I am wondering if there is a single resource- like a big chart maybe- of when to plant different crops in New England. I am in southern NH and never know when to start things or what to put in next, etc.”

ANSWER: Hi Alyson,
Thanks for your question. For region specific information about planting windows, time to maturity, frost dates etc. you can’t do any better than your local Cooperative Extension service. The Cooperative Extensions were created to make sure the public has access (usually free!!) to information and resources from their state universities. I checked out UNH’s cooperative extension website and immediately found what you’re looking for. Just download the “Planting and Maturity Dates of Vegetables in New England.” Cooperative Extensions are also a wealth of information when it comes to pest problems too. Happy Gardening,

Amy

Hi Al
Sounds like you may want to get someone to thin out the branches that create the shadows on your lawn. You need more sunshine and a breeze. The moss can then be tilled into soil and you can plant ’shady area’ grass seed.
I also found these answers from Dr. Google.
Found this web site http://turfgrass.com/ubb/Forum10/HTML/000014.html
Two items you can try. Dawn Ultra dish soap at 2-3ounces per gallon of water or an iron sulphate at 6 ounces per gallon of water. watch it turn color within hours.
Hay,
What about Copper Sulfate. If you are trying to control Spanish Moss or Ball Moss or others for that matter find some Copper Sulfate and spray moss after a rain for best results and then it will be dead. Now getting it off. Wish for real high winds. I’ve never tried soap but thanks for the hint I will experiment.
Burlap_Etc

I’ve just returned from a trip to Seattle. I live along the New Hampshire coastline. My friends out west had daphne plants/flowers in their garden. The smell was so beautiful that I was hoping that it would be possible to have some daphne plants in my back garden. Please help me determine if this region is suitable for such a plant. Thank you for your help!
Sean Conant

Why not plant Daphne? Our latitude and climate is similar to Seattle. Here is a link to get started.
http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/b/bp/DAEFP.html

I have a pear tree which has been neglected for years. This year I put in some fertilizer for fruit trees. I’m not sure how to prune this tree. It seems to be very tall. Should it be? When is a good time to prune it and how do I do it?
Thank you
Christine

Every plant I have ever met likes to be pruned.
You will need a sturdy latter and a sharp bow saw. I found an answer from this web site.
The author says late summer is best, but you can do it any time you want, it will just take a year or more to get new fruit.

http://www.orchardsedge.com/qanda/fruit_and_nut_bearing_trees_and_plants#a8
Question:
Is it O.K. to prune pear trees just like apple trees?
Answer:
It is fine to prune pear trees. It is generally best to prune pear trees late in the summer. You will stimulate the least amount of re-growth by pruning after the trees have finished growing for the year and have hardened their wood. If you live in an area where there’s a chance for winter damage, wait to prune until late winter. While your pear trees are young, prune them to keep them from growing too tall. This will make it easier to harvest the fruit on the top branches. If you wait until the tree is too old to control the height, there is a great chance of inviting blight into the branches. Pear trees are generally easy to grow and maintain. This is one type of tree that tends to be self-thinning to save you some work. Give your pear trees the proper growing environment. Then maintain a regular pruning schedule to enhance the best possible fruit production.

Driving around New England this August makes me think of how little I know about all the variety of flowering plants, shrubs , and trees available to us. The July rain may have hurt the tomatoes, but the August flowers are brilliant!
At my home, we have the traditional New England Favorites. Hydrangea and Roses are a must. Daylili, Black Eyed Susan’s, Azalea, and Oregano are all over the place. Iris and Gladiolus bloom in June. Rose of Sharon are in bloom right now. Ornamental Grasses are easy to grow, a bit tough to cut back though. You will learn that burning bushes are invasive species, and no longer sold in New England. But the Blueberry Bush has a similar color to Burning Bush, and you can have your own family berry picking days. Another one in bloom now is the Butterfly Plant (attracts butterfly’s). In the fall you can put some tulip and daffodil bulbs in for bloom in early spring. When you shop, there is no need to get real big plants. You can start with cheaper small plants, then with pruning and feeding, they will grow fast. Be sure to put them in the ground 3 or 4 feet from the foundation, that space will fill within a few years. Then prune the plants so they do not touch the house.
Enjoy creating your new garden, a never ending project

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Answer:
Hi James,
Most of the plants in my garden grow from the smallest, non-brand name sprouts, I find at the local nursery. I count on Ron and Cindy Simon at R&C’s in Scituate MA to buy and sell quality plants and vegetables. They do sell Proven Winners, but I am not looking for labels. The only reason I do not start from seed, is the time and effort it takes to do it myself. Once I get the plant home it is up to me to become a proven winner. That is, I make sure the ground is wet, (or as is the case this summer, not too wet), and the soil is well tilled with plentiful worms, and not too many weeds. I will do more hand pruning and pest removal, and feeding, than application of chemicals or letting growth go out of control. Like anything else, the more love you give, the more love you get. In my opinion, our TLC will take a plant to Proven Winner Status. Please let us know if you see better results from the Proven Winners you may have purchased.

Many Happy Returns, Tim

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Early stages of Late Blight on tomato plant. Note the brown lesion. These lesions grow rapidly. Also look for brown discoloration on stems.

Late Blight, the fungus that caused the Irish Potato Famine back in the 1840’s, is moving rapidly across New England this summer and it’s much more prevalent and destructive than first anticipated. At first, only gardeners who purchased seedlings from big, box stores were told to be on the lookout, but the spores travel for miles through the air and thrive in moist conditions. As a result, this blight is showing up everywhere. Sadly, our entire crop at the community garden here in Maine had to be pulled this week and my plants in the Just Add Water garden are going to have to come out too. All these plants were started from seed locally, not purchased as seedlings from box stores. Here’s what gardeners should know.

Do you have it on your potato or tomato crop?
Look for nickel sized brown lesions often ringed by dying yellow foliage and brown discoloration on the stems of plants. This link about late blight shows a few more photos and has helpful information about how to control it.

What should you do? It pains me to say this, but, if you’re dealing with Late Blight, the experts say you must pull your plants. Once a plant is infected, it will spread rapidly killing the entire plant including the fruit in less than 2 weeks. Don’t put the infected material in the compost pile. Bag it and leave it in the sun to kill the spores. Then discard it. If you’re unsure whether your plants have Late Blight, or another less serious disease (like Early Blight) cut off an infected branch, bag it, and take it your nearest Extension Office for diagnosis.

Entire Crop of Tomatoes had to be pulled and bagged due to Late Blight

How can you prevent it? This is critical and I wish someone had told me this a week ago. If your plants are not yet infected, You can AND SHOULD treat them preventatively with copper or another fungicide. This will probably keep the disease at bay, especially if Mother Nature provides some hot, dry weather.

What about next year? I’m still trying to get good information. I’ve read that the fungus can overwinter on plant debris, but I’ve also heard the fungus can’t survive our New England winters. I’ll post better information when I have it. But it’s clear it will be especially important to do a thorough clean up in the vegetable beds in autumn.

Ach. This is such a bummer. I’ve been looking forward to home grown tomatoes for months…..

Thank you,
Michael Christoferson
Exeter NH

Hi Michael.
The photo above shows a yellow branch I will remove from my one of my tomato plants The lowest leaves on tomato plants usually turn yellow this time of year, but this year the rot is going to the extreme. Today at the American Legion redemption center I heard from Jim ‘The Weatherman’ that his summer squash are thriving, but his tomatoes are dying.

He described the same problem as you. He said that not only were the leaves rotting, but so are his main stems. The stems are turning black with white spots. Sounds like this wet windy and cold summer is taking a toll on our usually easy to grow tomatoes. I am no horticulturist, so I can not diagnose blight, but this sounds like too much water and not enough sunshine. If the stem is rotting through, it is likely the plant is doomed, I would pull it and bury in my compost, though it is recommend to remove the blight far from your garden. So far my stems are mostly surviving, though this one was decapitated by the strong Friday wind action against it’s growing cage.

I also have other plants with topped ripped off. All these broken and or rotted tomato branches should be clipped and removed from our gardens. My experience has been that tomatoes are highly resilient and will fight to produce fruits. Jim also reports what so many of us know, the tomatoes are late this year. Our sunshine and warmer air this week should help. So will some ordinary pruning. After all the yellow and rotted branches and stems are removed, we should remove the sucker branches and thins the foliage. This will allow main stem fruits more energy from the roots, and more sunshine to dry the ground.

The sucker branches sprout between the main stem and horizontal branches. You can this here. The one in the middle is the sucker. The sucker, fools us into thinking there will be fruit. But the fruit is low grade. If you have not removed any suckers yet, they may be as tall as the main stem itself. It is not that it will hurt the plant, the sucker increases quantity, but reduces quality of our tomatoes. Clipping suckers will also increase the amount of sunshine for the other leaves, and to dry the ground, to hopefully reduce the rot. I also will not allow my leaves to overlap from one plant to the next, I believe tomatoes are happiest after liberal pruning.

Let us hope for sunnier, and less rain for August.. though the weather pattern does not support our hope. This week, July 26-31, 2009 is the warmest since May 21st, and we may not see temperatures running this warm again until 2010. But what good are long range forecasts anyway?

Next week we can talk about saving the pumpkins and ridding the crab grass.

See Ya in the weeds,
Tim.