Anyone else feeling a little overwhelmed in the garden right now? Well, first take a deep breath…then, check out this gardening check list with tips courtesy of SJ Mag’s resident gardener, Toni Farmer.  

Happy gardening! 

It’s harvesting time! Be sure you’re checking your plants regularly to harvest your food when each is ready. June is harvesting time for: cabbage, carrots, garlic, onions, peppers, tomatoes. 

Harvesting season is also succession planting season. If you haven’t already, begin to plant more of your crops bit by bit, week by week, so that you will have a steady supply of each of your crops instead of getting a large quantity at one time. 

Look out for bugs. You might be seeing signs of bugs on your plants – like cabbage moths that like to eat the leaves on our cabbage. Luckily, Toni shares regular updates on her Instagram page with tips to handle these pesky insects. 

Speaking of pests…Toni and Marianne shared some tips for keeping pests out of our gardens that you can still implement in your garden. 

Up your watering. It’s hot, and that means our plants are going to need lots of help surviving these sunny summer days. Use methods like watering early in the day, mulching your garden and installing a drip hose to conserve water in the hot months. 

Check your soil. Hot temps also mean it’s important to check your soil when you water to make sure that it’s soaked through and isn’t just wet on the top layer. 

Time to trellis. If you’re growing cucumbers or tomatoes this year, you should be noticing those plants are ready to start climbing their trellises. Take some twist ties and tie your cucumbers to their trellis and attach your tomatoes to their cages. 

Prune. Things are growing – and we’re so excited. But that also means it’s time to get to pruning. Keep an eye out for any plants that have gotten out of control and cut them back.