Summer Vegetable Garden

Cucumbers, squash, cantaloupes and watermelon all germinate best in warm soil. Lima beans also need warm soil, and may rot before they root if soil is too cool. Air temperatures, especially at night, need to be warm for best growth of many summer crops. Tomatoes and peppers may sit and sulk when temperatures drop below 55 degrees. Their flowers will not set fruit at cool temperatures. Transplants that have been indoors should be hardened before placing them directly into the garden.

Without a gradual adjustment to outdoors, sun and wind may damage leaves. Damaged plants will be slower to recover and the harvest may be delayed. At this time of year hardening will not take long. Plants should be kept in a protected spot with wind protection and shading from intense sunlight for about one week before moving into the garden or flower bed. When seeding the summer garden, soil preparation is as important as preparation for the spring garden.

Do not over-prepare soils, especially those with a fairly large percentage of clay. A few lumps are not harmful. A seed bed worked fine as dust may form a hard crust after a heavy rain and seedlings will not be able to penetrate it. Oxygen supply below this crust will be reduced which could reduce growth of the seedling below it. If clods are a problem, or drainage tends to be poor, both problems can be reduced by hoeing up a ridge or hills for planting. When raking up a ridge, pull soil up four to six inches high. When pulling up the good soil, roll the clodes together into the center of the row.

Set out transplants with as little root disturbance as possible. Those grown in peat pots can be set directly, although in some cases it is beneficial to either tear off the top of the peat pot, or break it back so that the entire pot is covered by soil after planting. While planting, do not allow exposed roots to dry after they have been removed from clay pots or plastic containers.

Plant them promptly after removal of the container. Plants set into the garden should be promptly watered in. Starter fertilizer may be included in the water to give an added boost. Well-grown plants may still contain enough fertilizer in the root ball to provide starting fertility in good soil. Generally, about one cup of water applied to each newly set plant provides sufficient settling of the soil around the roots to develop good root-soil contact.

Starter fertilizers are those that are completely soluble, and high in phosphorus. A 10-52-17 analysis may be used at about two tablespoons per gallon of water. If this type is not available, liquid fertilizer as used indoors every several weeks for houseplants may be substituted at about half the recommended strength.

The Summer Garden, by Paullina Simons.