A Guide to Caring for a New Garden During Summer Weather

Here’s the scene: You got really excited this spring and found us, and bought a bunch of lovely native plants for your garden that you aren’t completely sure what to do with them. You put in them the ground and now the summer is beating them up a bit. You don’t want to lose any precious plants, but it can feel like one thing after another is trying to sabotage your efforts! Here are a few simple tips to help get your garden through the heat of the summer and safe from hungry (THIRSTY!) animals. 

Caring for new plantings: Even if you planted drought resistant plants, they still need to become established for a solid growing season before they can handle this kind of heat. Water deeply and on a regular schedule (every 2-3 days for first season), drip irrigation is best, avoid overhead watering as much as possible. Water in early morning for best absorption with less chance of encouraging fungal issues. 

Rain barrels: can help bridge the gap when there is a water ban instituted, use water from shower warm up as well. Rain barrels that are connected to any roof source will collect a surprising amount of water even in short storms. Place a barrel off gazebos or sheds to save every drop. 

Mulch: When you are working on a new garden bed, you can use mulch to help keep weeds down and moisture in the soil. I’m not talking about those dyed wood mulches from the store, use Use compost in ring around plants, keep pulled away from stems, straw, light-colored material

wait for cloudy or overcast day to plant, water really well, do not add additional compost or fertilizer to the hole! Top dress only as needed. 

If full sun plantings, consider adding temporary shade during extreme weather, burlap over tomato cage

Rain barrels can help bridge the gap when there is a water ban instituted, collect water from your shower warm up as well. 

Wildlife: Between the rabbits and Asian beetles, I don’t know what is causing more damage this year! While we are building our native gardens to support wildlife, that doesn’t mean we want them eaten to bits either. While rabbits are cute, they sure are destructive little creatures. There are a few practices that can help mitigate loss. Protect small and new plantings. No one likes having to cage up their plants, but does it really make sense to put all of this time, effort, and money into building a garden only for it to be mowed down overnight? I encourage using decorative wire cloches and simple fencing to protect plants as they are establishing. It won’t be forever, and as your garden fills in over time, any munching will be mitigated by sheer volume. You can also try planting for them, using clover in your grass, or planting sacrificial plants that you know they love, like peas! Planting a plot of peas can help distract them from your flowering plants, plus peas are cheap, you can grow them continuously through the summer, and they are nutritious for wildlife as well... 

Add shallow water sources throughout your garden. In this heat, wildlife are often trying to find water more than just eat, and they obtain a lot of their water from plants! Placing shallow water dishes around your garden can help (a little!). Make sure you are placing pebbles or small rocks in the dish to give perches for insects, and keep the dishes clean and filled. If you are worried about creating mosquito breeding grounds, you can add a few granules of BT (Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis), which will kill mosquito larvae without harming other insects and wildlife. 

For the flying pests, the best thing to start with is…nothing. Practice IPM, integrated pest management! First, identify the problem. If your leaves have holes, it doesn’t automatically mean something bad is happening. Remember, we are planting food sources for our native insects, and many of them will use the leaves for food and nesting spaces for their larvae. This has been a banner year for the American Lady butterfly on it’s preferred host plants, Antennaria spp and Anaphalis margaritacea (Pearly Everlasting). The larvae can make the leaves look pretty gnarly, but they won't destroy the plant. On the other hand, we have some non-native insects that absolutely can and do cause true damage to plants. I am thinking about the Willow leaf beetle and the brown asian beetle, both of which are doing a number on our willows and other plants. IPM dictates that we tackle the problem in stages. Once identified, manual removal should be the first step. You can get a glove and vent your frustrations if you don’t mind the squish, you can knock the bug into a cup of soapy water, or you could blast them off with a hose. Keep in mind you don’t want to cause more damage to your plants! If the infestation is too large and your plant is in danger of failing, you could consider a pesticide. Remember that even organic pesticides like Neem oil are broad spectrum insecticides, meaning they do not pick and choose what they kill. If you determine that an insecticide is required, follow all of the instructions on the bottle, and only spray what you must in order to get the situation under control. Pesticide use should always be a very last resort. 

Drought: While technically speaking we are not experiencing drought in eastern MA right now, it certainly feels awfully dry! I have noticed a change in the lower areas of my own yard, and have lost some plants that prefer more moisture. That’s how the cookie crumbles, but there are some ways to mitigate this stress on plants. Use the watering tips above, but also consider planting more! That may feel counterintuitive, but more plants help to shade the ground and can keep the ground up to 6* cooler, and can reduce water loss through evaporation. This is different than mulch, which, especially dark colored mulch, attracts heat and holds it, as well as acting like a sponge with that overhead watering. Consider the mulching tips I gave above, if it is needed. If your plants are properly situated and well established, they should get through this heat with little damage. Keep an eye out for drooping flower heads or wilting leaves. Water the base of plants, not overhead! Avoid fertilizing at this time, regardless of the age of the plants. 

Flooding: Jeez, we have to worry about drought and flooding? These two things go hand in hand! During periods of prolonged heat, soil can become extremely dry on the surface and sometimes even hydrophobic (repels water). Take super dry soil and add a sudden afternoon rainstorm, and you have a flooding issue. The best way to prevent erosion and flooding is to add more plants! I’m not trying to push sales here (ok, maybe a little), but even the US Government agrees with me! I’m not sure that’s a plus in most cases, but in this instance it is. Adding more organic matter to the soil helps it remain porous, like a sponge. Organic matter includes plant roots, so the more roots you have, the better the soil will be at absorbing water and nutrients. In addition, I have another brain bender for you. When we are expecting a rainstorm, head out to your garden and give a quick once-over with the hose. Yes! I am telling you to water before a storm! If you moisten the top layer of soil, the rain will be able to penetrate instead of running off. This gardening thing is wild, I tell you!

So there you have it, a few of our best tips to keep your garden healthy and growing through this crazy, hazy summer. Best of luck!

Kristen