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. If you get too many, you can preserve them by drying them, canning them or freezing them.
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.
11. Plums are ripening now. Pick them once they are fully ripe. Tip: When canning plums use a heavy syrup. The light syrup does not sweeten the plums enough and you end up with sour plums.
12. Raspberries are ripening now as well. Making raspberry vinegar is an easy way to preserve your harvest. Wash the freshly picked raspberries, put them in a glass jar and cover them with vinegar. Put a non-metallic lid on the jar and sit it in a cool dark place. Add more raspberries as you get them. I usually let mine sit for close to a month. Strain the raspberries out of the vinegar, heat and can. Raspberry vinegar is delightful on pork chops!
13. Remove faded flowers from your daylilies every day.
14. Remove the faded flower stems of geraniums to encourage them to continue to bloom.
