Hello my dear gardening friends,

Another wonderful week has flown by ending with Canada’s birthday – and a few fireworks. I was sorry not to be able to attend the first night of the Festival of Lights in Peterborough. I understand that instead of the boats being lit and “Dancing to the Music”, they are not only having extra fireworks but they are choreographed in time to music – maybe Wednesday night will be fine and we can enjoy the concert, which incidentally is still free.

It is indeed July bringing heat and bugs. I promised you a chore list last week, things to do in July:

- Prune spring-flowering shrubs after they have finished blooming.
- Stake plants that tend to fall over (Delphiniums, Euphorbia, tall sedums) pinch back if and as necessary.
- Fertilise vegetables and annuals.
- Raise cutting height of mower blades.
- Pinch back annuals to make them bushier.
- Cut out raspberry canes and narrow rows to 40cm.
- Mow lawn, weed, and water as necessary.
- Trim back strawberry plants after fruiting.
- Transplant Kale.
- Turn compost.
- Deadhead and trim perennials as necessary.

There will still be lots of time to lie in the hammock and read something uplifting – perhaps a little John D MacDonald. (I am reading The Deep Blue Good-By, a Travis McGee mystery – I am a real pushover for who-dun-its!!) This is a good time to relax – and really enjoy being in your garden.

My Grandson and his wife and friends are here – they are so busy – we took all the plants out of one flower bed – they built sides on it and filled it with earth – the plants are all nestled back in their new soil. It is so very much easier with extra pairs of hands. Something that I have been meaning to do for a long time, took no time at all when we worked together – tomorrow it is repair the leaking pipes to bring lake water back into the house and enable me to water all the plants without being scared of the well running dry – after all we have had no rain in over six weeks.

It is also a very sad day, for my dear friend and neighbour has finally gone into the hospital – I doubt if he will be coming home again. He waited for many years to build the home of their dreams, retire and live on Clear Lake all year round; he spent over 30 summers in this area, enjoying his cottage. Just a year ago they moved here permanently and now it is time to say goodbye. Sometimes Mother Nature plays cruel tricks on us.

DEATH

Death, be not proud, thou some have called thee Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;

For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow. Die not, poor Death; nor yet canst thou kill

Me,

From Rest and Sleep, which but they picture be, much pleasure then, from thee much

must flow; and soonest our best men with thee do go ------Rest of their bones and souls’

delivery! Thou’rt slave to fate, chance, kings and desperate men, And dost with poison, war

and sickness dwell;

And poppy or charms make us sleep as well and better than thy stroke. Why swell’st thou

Then?

One short sleep past, we wake eternally, And Death shall be no more: Death, thou shalt die

By: John Donne

How are those tomatoes you planted? They are delicious straight off the vine, with perhaps a little salt or sugar. Things to know about tomatoes:

Season: Fruits early summer to early fall

Best conditions: All zones in full sun and sheltered from the wind.

Some secrets of success: If you purchase plants in pots – they are on sale all over right now – look for plants with healthy green leaves. If possible, no flower bunches and their roots should be white (they are probably growing through the hole in the bottom of the pot). Do not buy any with yellow, thin and straggly stems - they are not worth the money even if they are very inexpensive.

Sun and soil: Tomato plants thrive when they are given an abundance of sunshine. Keep them in a warm and sheltered position, but protect them from the blazing heat or gusty winds. They thrive too in enriched soil; use compost or well rotted manure before planting and fertilise the plants regularly.

Special advice: For easier watering bury a bottomless coffee can next to the tomato plants and pour water in the can, allowing the water to go straight down to the roots – you can add your fertiliser to the water thus making sure that it gets to the correct place!

Ripen green tomatoes: At the end of the season, ripen the fruit indoors by placing them next to ripe Apples or Banana. They contain ripening agents that will redden the tomatoes.

Plant Doctor:

- Blight can destroy your plants during a wet summer, turning the leaves brown then the stems black. To prevent this kind of damage, clean debris off the plant. Avoid planting tomatoes in the same place the following year. Never plant the same crop in the same place year after year!

- Holes in fruit may indicate the presence of Tomato Hornworms. These huge caterpillars feed on fruit and leaves. Handpick them as soon as you spot them.

- Blossom End Rot turns the bottom of fruits brown and leathery. It is a common problem caused by calcium deficiency and moisture fluctuations. Water regularly and apply calcium.

- Spilt Skins are a common problem for tomatoes, which is caused by irregular watering. Give plants a steady supply of water rather than watering heavily after letting them go dry (quite different to other plants).

- Skin Imperfections are a normal sign of changes in temperature. This does not affect the taste. Try to keep the plants at an even temperature and protect them from excessive heat or strong winds.

Planting and After Care:

1) After the last frost plant your tomatoes in a large hole with a support. Mulch and supply plants with 2 gallons of water each week adding fertiliser as required

2) Carefully tie the tomato plant to the stake or wire cage for support as it grows taller. Fix the stake to a wall if possible for plants that are carrying heavy fruits.

3) Check regularly for those little side shoots in the leaf axles. Pinch them out between fingers and thumb when they are about ¼ inch long.

4) Pinch out the top of the plant once it has grown 4 flower bunches. Now the plant can ripen its fruit instead of growing taller.

5) Harvest the fruit until the temperatures fall. Green tomatoes will ripen off the vine if they are mature. Their skin should look glossy, leaving them on the stems if at all possible.

6) Stake tomatoes with sticks, wire cages, or twine strung from an overhead pole. Supporting their stems helps flower and fruit production, whilst also keeping the tomatoes off the ground and away from insects.

There are four basic types of tomatoes:

Cherry – small sweet fruit

Medium – Early Girl, Improved, Better Boy, etc.

Plum – Roma is the best known, it is great for sauces – to be enjoyed all winter long

Beefsteak – these are large, firm, meaty and thick walled. Bush Beefsteak will grow under the most adverse conditions

Tomatoes are wonderful in salads, with fresh Basil and raspberry vinegar. When you are in the garden pick some of the edible flowers and scatter their petals over the salad. Make sure that they are pesticide and herbicide free. Roses, violets, daisies and of course our beloved pansies work well – nasturtiums add a spicy note (their seeds are a great substitute for capers).

Sweet Treats

For a sweet treat try Rose-petal honey; this is a good time for the roses are beautiful right now. Take a cup full of pesticide free rose petals. Rinse them in cold water and then dry them in a salad spinner. Layer them on the bottom of a small saucepan. Pour in room temperature honey and cook gently over very low heat, stir until the honey is warm, about 2 minutes only. Pour the mixture into a sterilised jar and seal tightly. Store at room temperature for about a week to allow the flavours to mingle. The flowers may fade and if they do, just re-warm the mixture, strain, add fresh petals and return to the jar. This is a wonderful little gift to take with you when one is invited out “to tea”.

If a loaf of good homemade bread, with a container of sun butter is taken along as well, what more can one ask for a delicious treat? A loaf of bread, a bottle of wine and thou (or a pot of rose- honey)!!!!

I know that you will all ask about sun butter, so after consulting my long time dearest friend of 43 years, we use either light olive oil, safflower, or sunflower oil, approx. 40 percent to 60 percent of saltless butter, put it in the blender, and mix well. This is good for the summer time when you need it to be a little harder. In the winter, try 50 x 50 – keep it in the fridge, for it will spoil more quickly than regular butter. It is oh so very good and good for you.

Now with many thanks to Peterborough Green-Up I am going to tell you about Nematodes and Corn Gluten.

Nematodes, which I have mentioned before and some of you are still wondering what they are and what they do. They are microscopic worm-like organisms that come in many different varieties and make their living in many different ways. The Good Nematodes that you want in your lawn are busy eating all manner of soil- dwelling insects (such as grubs), which in turn feast on your lawns. So by increasing the number of insect eating nematodes in your soil, you can reduce the incidence of lawn pests that live in your soil. You can purchase these organisms from companies such as Loblaws, Natural Insect Control (www.natural-insect-control.com), order them from Peterborough Green-Up or several other garden centres; try your local one. They are best applied once the soil has warmed up, do it on either a cloudy day or in the evening. Water the area well for a few days to wash the nematodes into the soil.

Corn Gluten is a product derived from corn that is used to control weeds in lawns. It is NOT a herbicide! It will not do a thing for the present weeds in your lawn; however, it will prevent new weeds from becoming established. Corn gluten inhibits the germination of new seeds. This is a good thing if it is weed seeds that you are trying to prevent from growing. But do not use it if you have just seeded your lawn with new grass seed!!! So, if you are going to try corn gluten, remember that it is active for about six weeks in the soil after being applied. You can add it in the spring if you have over seeded your lawn in the fall, or apply it in the summer if you over seeded in the spring. But it is very important to remember that corn gluten and grass seed do NOT mix!

Endophyte is another confusing word in lawn care language. Endophytes are fungi that co-exist with some species of grass. The grass helps to feed the endophytes, and in turn the endophyte makes the grass taste bad, so it is less likely to be eaten by such things as insects. Insects that eat the blades of grass (chinch bugs and sod worms) will be repelled by the awful taste of endophyte inoculated grass, and find somewhere else to live. The endophyte does not kill these pests, but helps to repel them. Using endophytes-inoculated grass seed will not kill the chinch bugs in your lawn but in time, your lawn will be less attractive to these pests.

Spotlight on Native Plants – this time it is the Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi):

In the world of groundcovers there are some real celebrities, and Bearberry is one of them. A lovely diminutive native shrub, this plant is as attractive as it is well behaved.

Bearberry is a broad-leaved evergreen plant with small, glossy leaves that are deep green for most of the season, taking on a reddish hue in Autumn. It creeps along the ground growing into a dense mat of vegetation that grows no higher than 6” high.

In May or June the Bearberry produces tiny pinkish white bell-like flowers which later on become brilliant red berries – hence the genus Artostaphylos, from the Greek arktos (bear) and staphyle (grapes) which is repeated in the Latin name for the species uva (grape) ursi (of the bear). These berries are popular with many species of birds.

Bearberry is a very drought tolerant groundcover which grows well in sandy loam soils, in full sun. Its growth rate is relatively slow, so that it co-exists happily with other perennials in a flowerbed, or as a co-operative neighbour on the sunny side of a border.

For a solid mat of green groundcover, young plants can be spaced at 12-16” centres, which fill in by the second growing season. Mulch well around the plants with garden cloth, or interlock with newspaper to reduce weed growth while the plants are still young and becoming established.

Bearberry often grows wild in sandy, nutrient-poor soils, so that it is well adapted to low fertility as long as the soil is well drained. Water frequently for the first few weeks after introducing Bearberry into your gardens, but once established Bearberry requires very little maintenance.

Once you have become acquainted with this hardy plant you won’t want to be without it in your garden – Loblaws still have some for sale; they have a new one that has lovely dark pink leaves all summer.

Thanks to Peterborough Green-Up for these delightful articles.

For those of you who ask for more of the stories that I find – here is one that should appeal to the growers of seeds…

Risking

Two seeds lay side by side in the fertile spring soil.

The first seed said, “I want to grow! I want to send my roots deep into the soil beneath me, and thrust my sprouts through the earth’s crust above me… I want to unfurl my tender buds like banners to announce the arrival of spring… I want to feel the warmth of the sun on my face and the blessing of the morning dew on my petals!”

And so she grew.

The second seed said, “I am afraid. If I send my roots into the ground below, I don’t know what I will encounter in the dark. If I push my way through the hard soil above me I may damage my delicate sprouts… what if I let my buds open and a snail tries to eat them? And if I were to open my blossoms, a small child may pull me from the ground. No. It is much better for me to wait until it is safe.”

And so she waited.

A hen scratching around the yard in the early spring found the waiting seed and promptly ate it.

Moral of the Story?

Those of us who refuse to risk and grow, get swallowed up by life. I am afraid that is indeed the truth, so many things I have put aside and wished afterwards that I had taken that one chance – does this apply to lottery tickets too?

The Mowing

This is the voice of high midsummer’s heat. The rasping vibrant clamour soars and shrills,O’er all the meadows range of shadeless hills, As if a host of giant cicadae beat, The cymbals of their wings with tireless feet. Or brazen grasshoppers with triumphing toneFrom the long swath proclaimed the fate that smote The clover timothy tops and meadowsweet.

The crying knives glide on; the green swath lies, and all noon long the sun, with chemic ray, Seals up each cordial essence in its cell, that in the dusky stalls, some winter’s day, The spirit of June, here prisoned by his spell May cheer the herds with pasture memories.

Sir Charles G.D Robert

So my friends – I have said my goodbyes to a very dear friend and neighbour. I hope that his passing will be peaceful; I know that Jack is waiting for him, helping him to leave this earth. Jack has been so very close these past few days. I am sure that they will get up to a lot of mischief together! Maybe even send us the rain that we keep being promised, but never materialises!!!!

To Peter who has just had a pacemaker installed – blessings – you will feel so much better now, and to everyone who is sick or just needing our concern and love, hugs to you all. If someone is hurting – do give them a big hug, it costs nothing but is oh so meaningful.

Good gardening to us all. Hats, gloves, lots of sunscreen, insect repellent, hats, as always – good weeding, do not forget the Golden Path bed and breakfast – the beds and food are great, a little weeding is appreciated!!!!

Lovingly, Beryl