Pick Your Beans!

Summer vegetables that are actually fruits will produce more if they are picked two to three times a week. If the fruits of summer squash, cucumbers or beans get too large, the plant begins to die back and yields are reduced.

Plant Ahead

Now is the best time to get started with many winter vegetables:

• Sow slower-growing, hardy, overwintering root crops and members of the brassica family in early July.
• Sow the quicker-growing crops, like leafy greens, later in the month for fall harvest.

Watering Practices

For a good germination environment in July, it is important to limit water evaporation and reduce soil temperature with shade cloth or floating row covers. Be sure to keep the seed bed moist for the first 7 days after planting seed. Optimize your plantings and plant beneath the shade of other plants. This will help to discourage the new plantings from going to seed.

You can cut down watering significantly for tomatoes once they start to produce fruit. This practice can reduce fruit split. Avoid overhead watering to reduce disease incidence.