No matter where you live, it is a nice and comforting feeling to have a beautiful garden. Summer can be one of the trickiest seasons to garden and maintain a lush and colorful front or backyard. Here are a few tips for summer landscaping.
1) Don’t Plant Cool Season Veggies:
It is a bad idea to plant things like peas, lettuce, carrots, and radishes during the hot summer months. They will bolt in the heat and will devote their energy to blooming and producing new seeds, making the edible portions very bitter.
2) Plant Hot Season Veggies:
Here are a few hot season veggies that are perfect to plant in the summer:
Chili peppers
Cowpeas
Eggplant
Okra
Sweet potatoes
Yard long beans
3) Don’t Water Unless It is Necessary:
You are probably thinking that higher temperatures mean more watering, but actually, you want to avoid overwatering. Water your plants only when they are newly planted or are wilting/dropping leaves. Even though the temperatures are higher, you don’t need to increase your watering efforts.
4) Use Drought-Tolerant Plants:
Drought-tolerant plants conserve water are low-maintenance and won’t force you to tend them as often as other types of plants. Although it is a drought-tolerant plant, this does not mean you can just plant it and forget about it. You will need to keep the soil moist until the plant starts flourishing on its own.
5) Pay Attention:
Plants can often succumb to pests, drought, damp soil or rotting in just days. You need to pay close attention to weather forecasts and keep an eye on your plants to ensure they are healthy. If you have plants taking over other plants, use your pruners and rip them out.
6) Water Deeply:
First, when you do water, water with a deep soak so that the water reaches the soil without evaporating or running off. This will encourage deeper root growth, which will help plants stay healthier and more tolerant to drought long-term. Don’t water in the afternoon either because it will evaporate quickly, and plants will go semi-dormant. Water early in the morning.
7) Fertilize Warm-Season Grasses:
Go to your local garden center and pick up a fertilizer to give your yard a pick-me-up to deal with the summer heat. Use a broadcast spreader, handheld spreader or drop spreader to cover the yard in fertilizer evenly. Don’t feed on a day with temperatures higher than 90 degrees.
8) Don’t Let Weeds Go to Seed:
Pull weeds before they can bloom and go to seed, which will spread their progeny all over your beautiful garden. Don’t just use the hand-pulling method either, utilize a hoe or cultivator for new weeds that are in loose soil or a heavy-duty weeding tool for an established weed.
Whether you are selling a home or not, you will love having a stunningly landscaped yard.
Seems like Summer is here. Stay positive and we are here to help in your property searches.
Semper-Fi
Eric