Chapter 1. Summer is almost over!

Hello. My name is Jerry Black, and I am A Webb City Gardener. I want to help you learn about your garden, things to try during the growing season, offer solutions, share some recipes, and just discuss things I’ve been thinking about doing in my yard.

Summer is almost over! I never gave up watering and weeding and, as a result, my vegetable garden is far from finishing. I have been giving my plants a little Miracle Grow fertilizer weekly too. My tomatoes and peppers are still alive. I had a great crop of yellow squash too, but the plants finally gave up and died last week.

And, it finally rained on Monday. Boy did we need that! I hope things start to cool off finally!

Summer Squash: If your plants have given up – no more blooms, no more new growth, and they’ve just given up the fight –  you should remove them from your garden. You have to assume that there are squash bugs (and eggs) and squash vine borers in the dying plants. You should pull the old plants and remove them from the garden. Take one of those lawn refuse bags you can get from Walmart or Menards and just put the plants in one. Then, I just put them in my trash and have it hauled away.

I don’t recommend putting old squash plants in your mulch pile, as the bugs will overwinter and return next year in greater numbers. I’ll write an article in the spring about fighting squash vine borers and squash bugs.

If you still have a bunch of squash left like I do, you can make a casserole. It’s my favorite squash recipe, and it will follow this article.

Tomatoes: My plants are putting on a nice growth spurt. There are lots of flowers and some new fruit starting to develop. And, I’m keeping them tied up.

Keep pruning the dead vegetation, leaving only rich green leaves on your plants. I

And, keep inspecting the plants for hornworms! They will wreak havoc on your plants if you miss them for a few days…

I have high hopes for a nice crop through October!

Peppers: I’m very disappointed with my peppers this year. They just kinda sat there all season. I hope they turn around for a fall flush, but I’m not bragging about them this year at all. I have seen a few plants start to show a few blooms – maybe I’ll get some yet!

My trees have been losing a ton of leaves this week due to the drought. If you have time, try to rake some and put them in the garden to help mulch what is left growing. I love using extra grass clippings and leaves as much as possible.

Here’s my favorite summertime garden casserole. It’s savory and buttery and feeds 6 to 8 people!