LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Maintenance, clean up, and prep work. It’s not the fun part of gardening, but it must be done to produce benefits down the road.
And now is the time to get it done according to Wallitsch Gardens.
"August is a great time to go through your garden. Kind of do an inventory of your plants and see what things are doing well, what needs to be cut back," Jeff Wallitsch said.
Deadheading keeps your flowers lasting longer, almost like a second wind for many of your annuals.
"You can come in here and do a complete hack and whack. And then it will refresh for you. It will last you probably up until the frost," Wallitsch said.
Your flowers, like zinnias, and veggies, like cucumbers can often end up with powdery mildew this time of year. That’s because we’ve had a lot of rain and humidity. And once your plants have powdery mildew, it won’t go away. The best option is to maintain it with a natural fungicide especially if you'll be eating from your garden. You can also use the fungicide before powdery mildew shows up as a preventative. Watering is also key to prevent it.
"Try to do it as early as you can in the morning and ty to keep the water off the foliage," Wallitsch said.
Wallitsch also advises to pick some of your veggies, like tomatoes, a little earlier and letting them ripen on your counter.
"We like to pick our tomatoes before they're ripe. You may not get the cracking on it. It may not get damaged by the weather or bugs or some type of rodent," he said.
And don't forget, before you rip out your spent plants for the season, take a picture of your layout!
"You want to rotate your crops. Tomatoes are in one spot this year, they need to go in a different spot the next year," Wallitsch said.
You'll be thanking yourself in the future and so will the nutrients in the soil.
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