This is going to be a new feature of the blog – and although I hope to post on a daily basis, that may not always happen. You can always look at the previous post by clicking on the Daily Indiana Garden Post category to give you an idea of what might need done during any given time frame. This, of course, is the first post, so it will be going from today forward. If there are things I miss, please feel free to add those in the comments. All of our gardens are different and as you may know, different plants have different needs. So, let’s get started!
1. Continue picking cherries, gooseberries, blueberries and strawberries as they ripen.
2. Be on the lookout for tomatoes that are starting to ripen.
3. Harvest the last of the cool season crops such as peas, lettuce, radish, etc. It is getting hot enough in Indiana now that these crops are starting to bolt. If you wish to save seeds from them, quit harvesting and let them set seed.
4. Pick herbs before they flower. Harvest 1/3 of the plant at a time. These can be laid out to dry, hung up in small groups or dried in a dehydrator or oven on a low setting. Store dried herbs in glass jars in a cool, dark, dry place.
5. Deadhead faded roses. This will encourage the ones that do rebloom to do so.
6. Pick fragrant roses and remove the petals to make rose beads.
7. Keep your flower beds weeded. Remember that weed seeds can live in the soil for up to 7 years.
8. Water as needed. Most plants need an inch a week. Get a rain guage, pick a day and see how much rain is in it. This is the easiest way to know if you need to water, but don’t rely on this alone. Look at your plants. Droopy leaves are a good indicator that the plant is not getting enough moisture.
9. Continue planting seeds of crops (or young transplants) of any plant that matures in 70 days or less.
10. Add mulch and compost to any flower or vegetable beds that still need it.
