Five things to do in the garden this month:
1. When planted now, trees of tropical and subtropical origin such as citrus, mango, avocado, macadamia, star fruit, and cherimoya, as well as passion fruit vines and palms, benefit from the warm soil that late summer has to offer. Ensure the root ball and planting hole are thoroughly saturated before planting. Initially, water daily, making sure the root ball stays soaked since it will take a week or two for roots to grow into the surrounding soil. Build a circular berm or hill of soil a few inches outside the trunk and then another berm around the perimeter of the root ball. Applying water between the two berms will soak into the root ball without settling near the crown (where the trunk meets soil). Importantly, the interior berm shields the crown from getting wet since this area is susceptible to rot.
2. Blueberry bushes with colorful foliage have recently become available. You can pick up Peach Sorbet at Home Depot, but you can also order it from online vendors. Peach Sorbet displays pink, orange, and peach foliage, May flowers, and fruit that ripens in July and August. It has a compact growth habit and is thus highly suitable for container growing. When shopping for blueberries, make sure you select Southern Highbush as opposed to Northern Highbush varieties since the latter demand cold winters to flower and fruit, whereas the former need a minimum of winter chilling hours to yield a crop. Remember that blueberry bushes and fruit trees that you bring home from the nursery or are procured online will need to be tended for a year at least – if not a few years – before they start to produce a significant crop.
3. Plant coriander seeds. Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) is the common name of the pungent leafy herb and classic salsa ingredient that grows from these seeds. If you plant outdoors, take care that the exposure is slightly shaded. If you plant indoors in a window box, place the box near a window with bright light. Half-day sun will be sufficient if you plant in a container on a balcony or patio. Seeds will germinate within ten days, and the plants will reach their mature height of around a foot and a half in fifty days. More than a dozen coriander/cilantro varieties are available in the nursery trade. Caraway seeds, which you can take directly from the spice rack, germinate in about ten days. Grow them in full sun. During the first year, caraway plants reach two feet tall; they flower in white, pollinator-attracting umbels in their second year of growth and then die. Caraway (Carum carvi) is related to fennel with an anise scent to match. Its seeds are those you find in rye bread.
4. Did you know, you can pick with confidence that it will eventually turn completely red? However, I learned from Tom Volz that even tomatoes picked when still entirely green will eventually turn red if “each green tomato is individually wrapped in newspaper and put in a cardboard box; put the box in a closet and check once a week.” After unwrapping the tomatoes, those that are green should be rewrapped and put back in the closet. This procedure is to be followed until all the tomatoes have turned red.
5. What’s the best time of day to water your garden? “Whenever you can be watching – that’s my guiding principle.” These are the words of Greg Alder (gregalder.com), a leading local expert in growing avocadoes and other fruit and vegetable crops. Alder explains that if your sprinklers are clogged or there is leakage or a break in the line, you will immediately notice the problem and make the necessary adjustments or repairs. That being said, early morning and late afternoon watering times appear to be favored by Alder.
Article provided by: Joshua Siskin For more information about plants and gardens, visit Joshua Siskin’s website at www.thesmartergardener.com. Send questions and photos to joshua@perfectplants.com.