When summer is in full swing, the temperatures warm up, and you can see the effects in the garden. For most plants that's good, but for cool-season crops, they don't like the heat so much.
As temperatures start rising, lettuce will bolt, sending up flower stalks and trying to set seed. So it's very important, once the weather warms, to cut the lettuce down.
Peas are another vegetable that become stressed out by heat. Keep an eye on these plants and harvest before they become over-ripe. If you're growing peas to shell (using only the peas instead of the pod and peas together), make sure you harvest when the peas are nice and plump. If, however, you're growing peas for their juicy sweet pods, pick them while they're still thin.
With warmer weather, broccoli buds start to turn yellow and try to flower. Harvest broccoli before it starts to flower, but try to let it continue to grow until you get little broccoli heads off the sides.
Carrots and onions are vegetables that thrive in the heat. Because they're root vegetables, the growing foliage will continue to feed the vegetable below.
Tomatoes also thrive in the heat; however, if overnight lows get too warm, the flowers fall off (a process called blossom drop). This means the plant will not be able to set fruit. Don't worry though. As temps cool just a bit, the plant will once again start blooming. To ensure pollination any time you're in the garden, give your tomato plants a shake to allow some of the pollen to spread around.
While you're out gardening, stay on top of the weeds and watch the watering. Much of the moisture will evaporate on a hot day, so try to direct it toward the plant's root system.
Too much heat will stress any plant. A thick layer (about two to three inches deep) of mulch will keep the soil cool, retain moisture and minimize competition with weeds.
If you want gorgeous flowers all summer long, it's very important to deadhead them, and that means removing the spent blooms. If they're allowed to set seed, then flower production will slow down. Just give the plant a haircut, and the blooms will keep coming.
The technique for deadheading roses is a little different. You still want to remove the spent blooms but where you make the cut is important. From the top, go down the stem to the first cluster of five leaves, then make your cut at a 45-degree angle.
Besides cutting, you must feed your flowers. For the annuals, a water-soluble fertilizer works best. One option is to dilute to half-strength, then just apply it every two to three weeks throughout the summer. For perennials, it's best to use an all-purpose granular fertilizer. Just scratch it in around the base of the plant and water. Do this in the spring and then again one month after the initial application. There are many types of fertilizers available. Organic varieties work well and are available at most garden centers.
If you have a water garden, warm sun encourages growth of algae. Try to cover 60 percent of the water's surface with plant material. Also, by adding a small bale of barley straw, you can help prevent algae from growing as well.
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