Any regular gardener knows that a garden has to be tended to daily. As

your plants continue to grow and produce, continued weeding, spraying

for insects, harvesting and most importantly watering is part of that

daily routine. With the drought conditions we are experiencing, watering

regularly and deeply is vital to a healthy garden. Morning watering is

best as it gives the foliage of your plants time to dry during the day.

Late evening watering can procreate mold and give insects an environment

to flourish. If you're trying your hand at organic gardening, keeping

pests off your plants is a constant, time consuming effort. Hand

picking cutworms, brushing off aphids and using a water spray to remove

them are the recommended ways. If you treat your plants, using a

product such as Sevin dust, this is a favorite for green beans, squash

and okra. There are also many new mild insecticide soaps that can be

used right out of their container or mixed with water to repel insects.

Harvesting your vegetables daily will keep your plants healthy and

productive. Anyone who's ever grown squash or okra knows that one day's

growth can take you from a tender pod or squash to a hard or seedy

product. Continual picking of your beans allows for more growth and a

second or even third picking. With our temperatures hovering around the

nineties this year and the lack of rain, many plants aren't producing to

the maximum. More often now, gardeners are planting a second garden in

early to mid August, some even waiting until the beginning of September

to plant the summer crops. Our first hard frosts have moved into late

October, even November allowing an additional small crop of tomatoes,

beans and squash. And don't forget to plant your second crop of

cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. If you have a

favored remedy for garden pests please send your solutions in to

lifestyles@elkintribune.com or The Elkin Tribune, PO Box 1009, Elkin, NC

28621. Until next time, Green Gardening to You.