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July 13, 2005

Future Memories...
I
t is almost mid-July and I am beginning to wonder where the summer has gone. It is hard to believe that a month from now the kids will be starting school and summer will be just a memory. We've been busy attending baseball games, going to the pool, trying to squeeze some reading in here and there and catching the latest family movies. Herbie - Fully Loaded was the latest and it was very cute.

The garden still looks good although I must admit that my spirit is waning. It is pretty typical this time of the year for me to fall off the gardening wagon. Tired of weeding, watering and all of the other things it takes to keep the garden looking presentable. The good news is that it doesn't last for long and once I spend some time regrouping I will again look forward to spending more time doing my every day gardening chores. Soon fall will be here and it will be time to change the look of the garden. Tired looking annuals will be replaced with pansies and mums - fall favorites. It's fun anticipating fall and change. Always something new to look forward to. It refreshes the spirit.

~ Shelly  

Invigorating Irises...
To promote growth, vigor and optimum flowering, iris clumps may be raised and divided every three years or so.  Dig up the rhizomes carefully to avoid damage to rhizomes and their roots.  Examine them for the presence of worm-like insects called iris borers, which may seriously damage or destroy the plant.  If they are found, remove them, cut out the affected tissue and dust with a garden insecticide, such as Sevin, before replanting.  Select sound rhizomes with two or more growing points.  Rhizomes may be cut apart with a sharp knife, or snapped apart by hand.  Be sure to preserve as many rhizome roots as possible.  The best time to divide iris is in mid-summer while the plants are dormant.  Late July through mid August is preferred.

Source

Trees Shedding Bark...
Trees naturally shed bark as they grow. The amount of bark shed varies significantly from one year to the next and is usually not noticeable. But some trees, such as sycamore, London Planetree and silver maple, shed bark in large patches or strips. During a year with heavy shedding homeowners may become concerned that the tree is sick or dying. Such usually is not the case. Sycamore and London Planetree normally show a bright green color on the branches when the bark first falls off but soon return to normal. Maple reveals an orange color after shedding but it, too, soon returns to normal. There is nothing wrong with the tree as long as the shedding bark simply reveals underlying bark rather than bare wood.

Source

When Is A Tomato Ripe?
Early July starts tomato ripening time in Kansas. We’ve all heard of ‘vine ripe’ flavor but does a tomato have to remain on the vine until it is completely ripe? The answer is no. When a tomato reaches a full size and the fruit becomes a pale green, it begins the ripening process which is regulated by an internal gas produced within the fruit called ethylene. After the tomato reaches a stage when it about ˝ green and ˝ pink (called the ‘breaker stage’), a layer of cells forms across the stem of the tomato- sealing it from the main vine. At this point there is nothing moving from the plant into the fruit. At this stage the tomato can be harvested and ripened off the vine with no loss of flavor, quality or nutrition.

Red pigments in tomatoes don’t form above 95° F so tomatoes ripened in extreme heat will have a orange-red color. Tomatoes held at cooler temperatures will ripen slower. You can speed up or slow down the ripening process by raising the temperature (to an optimum of 85° F) or lowering the temperature (to a minimum of 50° F). Tomatoes develop their optimum flavor, nutrition, and color when the tomato is in the full red ripe stage but this doesn’t have to occur on the plant!

Source
 

When To Pick A Pepper...
Depending on what variety of bell pepper you are growing and what color you want it to be you have different guidelines to follow for the timing of your harvest.  Green bell varieties are usually picked when they are fully grown and mature - 3 to 4 inches long, firm and green.  Colored bell peppers start out green but should be left on the plant until they develop full flavor and ripen fully to red, yellow, orange or brown. 
 


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Fall Crops Begin Now...
A fall harvest of cabbage, vine crops, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts means setting transplants in late July.  For lettuce, radish, carrots, beets, turnips, kale, and spinach, you should sow seeds in late July to early August.

Brussels sprouts are especially good fall crops as their flavor is enhanced by a mild frost.  They are hungry little guys so make monthly applications of 5-10-10 fertilizer at a rate of ˝ cup per square yard from the time the plants are 4 inches tall through harvest.

 

One More Reason We Don't Like Squirrels...
Followers of this newsletter know that we are not too fond of the squirrel population in our area.  Cute?  Maybe at a distance, a great distance.  Anyway, we submit a recent photo as further evidence of their malicious ways.  Please don't write in defense of these creatures.

Shady Characters...
Looking for a good, low exertion chore for the hot weather?  Try inspecting your shade trees and the grass below them.  They may be getting so full of branches that not enough sunlight filters through to your grass.  If your grass is just not making it under a particular tree you can stand in its shade and make some notes for future pruning.  You'd be surprised how well grass will respond to even a moderate amount of increased sunlight.

 

Finally...
"We belong to no cult. We are not Nature Lovers. We don't love nature any more than we love breathing. Nature is simply something indispensable, like air and light and water, that we accept as necessary to living, and the nearer we can get to it the happier we are."

~ Louise Dickenson Rich, Writer, 1903-1991

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