My Word!

 

July, 2024

Pickaway to Garden

 

My Word!

 

By Paul Hang

 

What’s in a name? “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” So said Juliet in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. She made the point that names don’t define the essence of things. Names, words, are funny things. They stand for things, ideas, emotions, actions, places and people, among others.

 

I have tried to come up with a name for my place ever since I saw a dentist’s place named  “Tooth Acres”. When I had more property I referred to my place as “Nagginbak Acres”. Now that I have less than an acre and after spending several hours pulling Canada Thistle ( I eventually counted how many thistles I would pull in an hour (( 188)) and after 6 hours I calculated I had pulled over a thousand of those prickly invasive nuisances) I decided to name my place “This Ole Thistle Patch”.

 

There are a lot of names in gardening. I read an article that said peppers, chilies and aubergines should be pinched after getting a certain height, 12 inches. Aubergines? I  hate it when people use an unfamiliar word without explanation. (I plead guilty) It is aggravating when the word stands for something familiar. Why not say so? I am all in favor of expanding my vocabulary, particularly in gardening (horticulture). That can best be done by telling people what you mean.

 

Not being familiar with the plant named Aubergines, I looked it up. The name stands for a color of purple and is used to refer to eggplant. EGGPLANT! No where in this article did they say eggplant. We are all familiar with people who insist on calling plants by their Latin scientific names and refuse to translate into a more familiar name. Some are just showing off and some are oblivious. The Latin scientific name can be more confusing, not less, if the user doesn’t educate us as to a common name or names for the plant.

 

Some plants have many local names which can be confusing. Science has come up with a system of assigning names to organisms called binomial (two names) nomenclature (a system of names) which is an attempt to be more precise. For instance they use two Latin names denoting the genus and species of a plant or other organisms. A Silver Maple, I’ve heard them called Water Maples, has the scientific Latin name Acer saccarinum. Acer, the genus Maple, is capitalized, the species is not. Sugar Maple’s Latin name is Acer saccaharum and is commonly called Hard Maple or Rock Maple.

 

Would you like to see my Tithonia rotundifolia? It sometimes called Tithonia or Torch sunflower, tree marigold or more commonly Mexican Sunflower. If it is a yellow one it might be a cultivar, an intentionally bred variety, in which case the cultivar name will be in single quotation marks, Tithonia rontundifolis ‘Goldfinger’. The system can be even more precise when referring to hybrids and varieties but for now, call me finis.  

 

Things to do in the garden:

 

The Great Reversal has begun. The sun is on its way back to the equator and beyond. July is the first full month of summer. By the end of the month days will be noticeably shorter and we will have lost over a half hour of daylight. The dog days begin July 3^rd. The year is half over. Thoreau said, “How early in the year it begins to be late.”

.

Are you waiting on cucumbers and squash to start bearing fruit? Remember, they get male flowers first then later the female flowers come on. Then, after pollination, the fruit can form. This is the time to dry herbs. Harvest just before they flower. Pick on a sunny dry day and in the morning. Tie them in small bundles with rubber bands. Hang them upside down in a hot, dry, dark, well ventilated spot in an attic, barn or shed. It is time to harvest garlic. Harvest when leaves are turning yellow but there are still one or two green leaves. Hang them or lay them out to dry and cure.

 

Weeding, deadheading and watering are high on the list of routine activities. If July turns out to be bone dry water the equivalent of one inch or more per week. Don’t let your plants wilt. This will cause blossom end rot in tomatoes and other solanaceous plants like peppers and eggplant (aubergines).  Mulch to conserve moisture and keep down weeds. If you haven’t mulched yet do so after a soaking thunderstorm or a good watering. Vegetables higher in water content need more water e.g. tomatoes, watermelons, onions, vs. green beans.

 

Keep your mower blades sharp; cut your grass long, 3-4 inches is ideal. If you use a pesticide for grubs you are also killing the ones that produce fireflies. Consider organic methods if you have a grub problem.  Kill Japanese beetle scouts before they let their comrades know about your garden. Brush them off into a cup of soapy water or alcohol (not Jim Beam). Repeatedly letting the lawn go dormant and reviving it by watering can kill the grass. Either keep watering or wait for Mother Nature to do it for you. Don’t forget to water your compost heap. It needs to remain moist for fast decomposition.

 

Going on vacation? Water well before you leave. Place container 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. Container plants in the hot sun may need watering daily.

 

If grafted trees or roses are suckering below the graft, cut the sprouts off. Keep picking seed pods off the annuals and clipping spent flowers (deadheading) to encourage bloom all summer. Pinch back mums July 15^th for the last time. Thin out fruit on heavily laden fruit trees. Prune climbing roses after bloom. Divide bearded Irises and do not re-plant too deep. Plant gladiolus up to mid-month. Add soil to potatoes as they grow.

 

Always read the labels on your plants for fertilization. Most woody plants have completed their growth and their buds for next year so fertilizing trees and shrubs after early July is a waste of money and may harm the plant. Keep watering trees and shrubs planted in the past 2-3 years. Ten gallons for every inch in diameter every week is good.

 

Consider planting a fall garden later this month. Plants such as cabbage, broccoli, spinach, collards, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts (plant seeds now, seedlings later), kale, Swiss chard even beets and parsnips thrive in our fall weather. Consider starting your plants indoors (except for root crops). Acclimate seedlings to the sun before putting them out in the garden. You can still plant beans, cukes, summer squash, greens and corn.

 

Have gardening questions? Call the Gardening Helpline 740-474-7534. To read about problems facing those of us who “grow things,” check out bygl.osu.edu.