Summer Maintenance

 Tops Jobs in the garden in summer are:

Deadheading- removing dead flower heads plus a bit of the foliage

Watering appropriately-

Water in the early Morning and avoid windy

days

Keep annuals moist watering every day in hot weather and every other day on mild days

On slopes- stagger watering times breaking time into 2 segments i.e. 10 minutes twice a day rather than 20 minutes all at once. This should help with runnoff.

Deep water fruit trees and other trees once per month until October leaving a hose running slowly out at the drip line (edge of canopy) for 1/2-1 hour.

 Lawns should be aerated to allow water penetration and leave blades a bit long for better heat resistance. Give plants a shower with the hose occasionally to wash off dust and pollution.

Remove diseased foliage (rust, powdery mildew or leaf spot) from plants- clean tools with clorox wipes to avoid spreading the disease.

Fertilize- every 4-6 weeks in the warm season with organic or regular fertilizer (10-10-10).

 Wash in fertilizer deeply and off of leaves to avoid burning plants.  Give lawn a nice top dressing of compost after aerating (1/4" layer).   
 Thin- fruit on edible fruiting plants and prop branches as fruit gets heavy to avoid broken limbs. Remove all the fruit from trees when ripe to promote health and vigor of the trees. Watch out for fireblight (ends of branches look torched) and prune out diseased wood cleaning tools inbetween cuts. 

I hope you have a lovely summer and enjoy your garden!