Bins of asparagus and delicate greens at the farmers market are beginning to thin out. Now that it鈥檚 nearly June, it鈥檚 time for summer vegetables.
WASHINGTON 鈥� Bins of asparagus and delicate greens at the farmers market are beginning to thin out. Now that it鈥檚 nearly June, it鈥檚 time for summer vegetables.
Kathy Jentz, editor and publisher of , shares some of her favorite things to plant, plus tips for maintaining a healthy summer garden.
The 鈥渃ool veg鈥� season is winding down and the soil is finally warm enough to start summer vegetables 鈥� we鈥檙e talking tomatoes, squash, melon, cucumbers and more. 鈥淭his is a great time to make a little mound, stick a couple of seeds in the middle of that little mound and watch them go and give them space,鈥� said Washington Gardener鈥檚 Kathy Jentz, who added that a 3-foot circumference for each cucumber or squash vine allows for the perfect amount of growing room.
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
Okra
In D.C.鈥檚 summer climate, Jentz has had a lot of success with okra.
鈥淎nd that鈥檚 one of my favorite things to grow, just because it鈥檚 a beautiful plant. It has hibiscus-like blooms on it,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat one takes off in July, and basically, I just have to keep up with going out there every day and snapping off the okra. If you don鈥檛 keep up, all of the sudden you鈥檒l have one okra that鈥檚 18 inches long.鈥� Don鈥檛 worry about finding recipes for your harvest. Jentz said one of the best ways to eat okra is raw and in the garden. 鈥淵ou can snap it and eat it right off the plant; it tastes just like a green bean,鈥� she said, adding that pickled okra is another favorite snack.
(AP/Rogelio V. Solis)
AP/Rogelio V. Solis
Green Beans聽
Speaking of green beans, the vegetable does very well in mid-Atlantic summers 鈥� just make sure you pick the right variety for your needs. Jentz said if you want to can or pickle a bunch of green beans all at once, go with the bush variety. Those who prefer to harvest green beans in small amounts, but over the course of several weeks, should choose pole beans.
鈥�(These are) easy to do in containers, just give them a little trellis or something to wind around,鈥� Jentz said about the vining green beans.
One word of caution: Bunnies love to eat green bean vines, so keep the plants protected.
鈥淭he second they emerge from the soil, they鈥檒l eat them down to soil level,鈥� Jentz said.
(AP/J. Scott Applewhite)
AP/J. Scott Applewhite
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a summer favorite, and Jentz said if you want to enjoy the fruit before fall, grow a few cherry tomato plants, which are 鈥減rolific and [are ready] much earlier.鈥�
鈥淪o by mid-July you鈥檒l be able to snack on Sun Gold or Sweet 100, and you鈥檒l just have them by the handful,鈥� she said.
Heirloom tomatoes tend to come about in September.
鈥淭he plants really need that cooling off period to send their energy into forming big fruit 鈥� and we just don鈥檛 cool off at night anymore,鈥� Jentz said.
(AP/J. Scott Applewhite)
AP/J. Scott Applewhite
Tomatoes
When it comes to caring for tomato plants, Jentz recommends using fertilizer since the plants are 鈥渉eavy feeders.鈥� (She uses an organic fish fertilizer and mixes in a capful each time she waters.) She also suggests adding extra calcium to the soil to prevent blossom-end rot.
When it comes to watering your tomato plant, be sure to do so at the root level, not from the top.
鈥淭omatoes have a lot of fungal disease issues, and splashing up the water onto the leaves doesn鈥檛 help,鈥� she said.
Instead, mulch around the root to retain more moisture and to prevent water from splashing up on the leaves.
(AP/Dean Fosdick)
AP/Dean Fosdick
贬别谤产蝉听
Jentz said 鈥渇leshy-leaf herbs鈥� (basil, cilantro and other soft-stem herbs) do well in the mid-Atlantic climate 鈥渂ecause they like our wet springs and don鈥檛 mind clay soil too much and are fine container-grown.鈥�
Woody herbs 鈥� rosemary and lavender 鈥� struggle a bit more.
鈥淭hey want to be on a cliff side in the Mediterranean with terrific drainage and just an occasional splash of water, and that would kind of be the opposite of our climate,鈥� Jentz said.
(AP/KENT GILBERT)
AP/KENT GILBERT
Herbs
If you plan to make a few big batches of pesto this summer, Jentz recommends seeding in new basil plants every few weeks.
鈥淭hen you could do one row of basil or one pot of basil and then start a second a couple weeks later and a third a couple of weeks later, and that way you could not feel guilty about cutting it all back at once,鈥� she said.
(AP/Martha Irvine)
AP/Martha Irvine
贬别谤产蝉听
Gathering herbs? Jentz said basil, cilantro, and other similar plants are pretty forgiving.
鈥淪o you can cut them back at least by a third, if not by a half, and you can just pinch it out with your finger,鈥� she said.
However, some of the woody herbs might not regenerate if you go too far back into the stem, and Jentz advises not to take more than a third of the plant at a time.
(ASSOCIATED PRESS/Dean Fosdick)
ASSOCIATED PRESS/Dean Fosdick
贬别谤产蝉听
As far as maintenance goes, there鈥檚 no need to fertilize or overwater, but you may have to take precautions if you find you have bugs attracted to your cilantro. Jenz said a simple covering can help keep critters away.
鈥淵ou can just use a sheet of gauze or cheesecloth from the kitchen too, if you find that bugs are really decimating your cilantro,鈥� she said.
And if you鈥檙e growing mint, make sure you give it its own container.
鈥淏ecause it鈥檚 a monster and it will take over,鈥� Jentz said.
(AP Photo/Larry Crowe)
AP Photo/Larry Crowe
Herbs
Cilantro starts to taper off as summer鈥檚 heat intensifies. It will even bolt, flower and set seed.
鈥淎nd of course, when cilantro sets seed, that鈥檚 coriander, so you can collect those seeds and use them in the kitchen too, and of course save some seeds to plant this fall for our other shoulder cold season,鈥� Jentz said.
Basils and the Mediterranean herbs, on the other hand, thrive in the heat.
鈥淎s long as we don鈥檛 get thunderstorm after thunderstorm after thunderstorm, they鈥檙e pretty happy here,鈥� Jentz said.
(AP Photo/Larry Crowe)
