Julius

July is named for Julius Caesar who was born in the month. Kind of makes you wonder how he was born in a month named for him. I mean, how did his parents know? Byron said that “English winter ends in July and recommences in August.” We don’t have to worry about that here.

July is when summer is in full swing. We begin looking to see if the corn is “knee high by the fourth of July.” Around here, at least for the past fifty years or so, that is a poor barometer of the corn’s growth. Although not reaching “the corn is as high as an elephant’s eye” by the holiday, by mid-July “it looks like it’s climbing right up to the sky.” In some places in the third week of June I saw corn over my head. In Pickaway County corn is an important crop and our local farmers sure know how to grow it. With our hot and humid summers it’s perfect for that grass crop.

That other grass crop, our lawns, can go dormant when it dries up in hot dry weather. Don’t worry it will come back. Water your lawn if you must but over irrigated lawns are breeding grounds for disease and harmful insects. If the drought lasts too long, some watering may be called for but, if you can tolerate the look, dormancy is fine. They say your lawn needs water when you can see your footprints lasting as you traverse the turf. I prefer the scientific method. Watering during normal times should be the usual one-inch per week. Use a rain gauge and write down the amount of rain on your calendar. Then you will know how much, or if, you need to supplement what nature gives us.

You can measure how much water you are applying by placing an empty can on the lawn, or your rain gauge, where you are using the sprinkler. Stop every few minutes to measure how much water accumulates. Watch to see how long it takes to reach one inch deep. Don’t count the time you spend checking the depth. Also note if you have turned the spigot on full blast or not. Now you will know how long it takes to put an inch of water on your lawn and garden. Need a half an inch? Water for half that time and so on.

What else will the month bring, drought, cloud bursts, cooling, certainly hot days? In the garden we need to be prepared for whatever Mother Nature tosses at us. Get the organic mulch on the beds and rows and you’ll be ahead of the game whether dry or wet days come our way. Just in case keep the hoses handy.

It seems unbelievable to me but most trees have completed making their buds by the end of the month. Their leaves and flowers are already formed for next summer, encapsulated in those buds. Talk about planning ahead! Trees are so unique it is easy to forget that they are plants. They compete for water and nutrients with our lawns. By far the majority of their roots are within one foot of the surface of the soil. Those of you with Silver Maples can see the evidence quite clearly.

Think about reducing the grass under your trees by mulching a larger area around them. Don’t pile it on too deep. Two to three inches is all you need. More, as well as additional soil, will deprive the roots of much needed oxygen. Yes oxygen. It seems counter-intuitive, but plant roots need oxygen. If you mulch a larger area you will cut down on the time and gasoline needed to mow as well as the fertilizer you apply to your lawn. You will also cut down on “lawn mower blight” caused by nicking the tree trunk with your mower as you attempt to cut close to the tree. Enough nicks over time and you can girdle the tree and kill it.

Consider planting a fall garden this month. Cool weather vegetables can be planted this month to take advantage of the coming cool fall weather. Cool weather is coming isn’t it? Plants such as lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, spinach, even carrots and beets thrive in our fall weather. With a cover, when frost threatens, I have harvested fresh salad greens for Thanksgiving dinner.

First average frost here is October 15. Didn’t I just warn you about the average late frost? How time flies. Read the time to harvest on your seed packs and count back from then to find out when you can plant. For example, green beans take about 54 days to maturity. You can plant them as late as mid August and harvest them before the frost gets’em.

Things to do in the garden:

If we get a long dry spell, don’t forget to water your compost heap. It needs to remain moist for fast decomposition.

Keep picking seedpods off the annuals and clipping spent flowers (deadheading) to encourage bloom all summer. If your grafted trees or roses are sprouting below the graft, cut the sprouts off.

Going on vacation? Water well before you leave. Place potted plants in a shady area. They should do fine for a week depending on the weather. If you will be gone longer have someone reliable come over and water regularly.

If you are planting a fall garden and it is hot and dry, consider starting your plants indoors (except for root crops). Then acclimate them to the sun before putting them out in the garden.

When sowing seeds into the soil, wet it well before sowing. Then water again and mulch between the rows or plants. One more thing, harvest your produce! Bon appetit.