Written by: Melody Davis, Colorado Master Gardener

In the spring we’re coming out of the cold winter months; months where we’ve been looking outside longing for some color, something emerging from the soil, some signs of life. We’ve been mulling over those nursery catalogs for weeks now getting all kinds of vision for what can be: then the plans begin, the garden mapping starts, the wish list is lengthened, and excitement and energy rise as we see the daffodils pushing up through the soil and the lilacs beginning to show tiny flashes of green.

Mid-summer is different. The green is there, the flowers are blooming, the fruit is growing, and the vision is materializing before us…together with the weeds and the bugs. We have to get out earlier to beat the heat, some plants are bolting prematurely, bugs and critters are taking more than their fair share, the grass is creeping into the flowerbeds – again – and we’re trying to remember just why we were so excited that spring was here???

Summers here are hot, and we will always have competitors for the fruit of our labors but there are simple things we can do to stay motivated during the mid-summer doldrums. Some are very fundamental and others more a matter of managing our mental energies, but here are a few things that have worked for me.

FLOWERS

In the vegetable garden most of what is growing is green. I like green well enough, but I love to include some splashes of color by planting flowers in with my vegetables. The beauty of the flowers as I weed and cultivate and mulch and prune is refreshing. The basic rule of flowers in the vegetable garden is that they must know their place and behave, that’s not asking much. My favorites are zinnias, cosmos, and marigolds. The reason these are my favorites is that the blossoms last a long time and give you ample warning before they drop seed. If I’m alert, when I see that flower head nearing its “spent” phase, I deadhead and dispose of it. If I miss this step, then those beautiful flowers will drop hundreds of seeds that will have to be weeded out next spring. I also like the lovely red flowers of the Scarlet Runner Bean. They make edible beans, but I don’t personally care for their texture, therefore, I like to plant them on the cucumber trellis where I can enjoy those red blooms without getting the beans mixed up with my other green beans. It’s amazing how all those colorful blooms brighten up my time in the garden!

Inside your home, flowers can also be so welcoming after working outside in the heat. I love just walking around the yard snipping off flowers and greenery, twigs of plants that have interesting textures and colors to add contrast to a bouquet. Even at times when I don’t have a lot of flowers blooming, I love slipping sprigs of bright green boxwood, rosy bits of cisterna plum, or the serious looking leaves of the black lace elderberry in with a brilliant rose or cheery sunflower or colorful zinnia. This is a perfect refresher and reward after some hard work in the garden.

REALITY CHECK

Mid-summer is also the right time for a good honest conversation with myself, and I definitely need to take notes on this conversation leaving myself some direction for next spring. Things like, absolutely do not plant broccoli if you can’t get it in early before the flea beetles wake up; only plant one plant of chard even though you think it’s pretty, you’re the only person who likes it; plant lots of parsley and basil if you want to be able to make pesto and chimichurri at will; don’t plant tomatoes and pole beans next to each other, they got hopelessly intertwined…those kind of notes. You think you’ll remember those things, but often you don’t, so a few notes to reference in upcoming years help avoid some of those mid-summer challenges and disappointments.

CONSISTENTLY WEED

Weeds have to be contended with if you do any kind of gardening. If your garden is overrun with weeds, not only is it not great for your plants, but the garden itself simply isn’t as inviting for you. Consistent weeding really is key, so here are just a few suggestions for staying ahead of the weeds.

• Get them while they’re little. The bigger they are, the harder they can be to pull, you’ll end up with more mass to dispose of, and you are more likely to disrupt other plant roots nearby.
• Try your best to get them before they go to seed or you will greatly multiply your problem.
• Make pulling a few weeds here and there your habit! You may not be able to pull every weed between the house and the mailbox but pull

Play games to motivate yourself.

• Set a goal: I’m pulling fifteen weeds every day before dinner… This will likely take only a few minutes, but over a week that would be over 100 weeds!
• Play a game with yourself like, Weed this bed and you get to sip a whole glass of iced tea in the shade with a good book…(or maybe you require a scoop of ice cream).

Sometimes the weeds start winning, and we decide to either burn or use herbicide depending on the situation.  Unfortunately, in our region, windy days abound so while you’re waiting for a still day, the weeds can really grow. Herbicide is never my first choice, I do plenty of plucking and hoeing, and my husband mows and weed eats, but sometimes herbicide is needed for me to win the war with the weeds out on the open prairie. An idea came to me a couple of years ago that has helped to neutralize the wind problem. I found a butterfly sponge mop at a thrift store and mixed up some herbicide in a bucket. I have Bermuda grass that tries to creep into my flower beds together with all the other weeds and it’s challenging to get hold of the grass in the gravel mulch. I simply dip, squeeze out the excess and stamp the weed. The first time I did it I ended up with a lot of excess herbicide, so the next time I only mixed half as much; again, I had a lot leftover. So not only does this method outwit the wind, it also greatly reduces the amount of herbicide necessary. I treat herbicides with great respect: I only use them when other methods become impractical and always make sure to follow all of the directions on the product for safe application.

DON’T FORGET YOUR PURPOSE

Why are we doing all this? For the fruit! For the beauty! For the peace it brings! I have planted and watered and weeded and pruned before and absolutely forgotten to sit and enjoy; I forgot my purpose! Because of this, I have picked up several outdoor chairs at thrift stores and on clearance to place around the yard in strategic places. I can always find one that’s in the shade, so I don’t have to go indoors to rest and hydrate. I also like to keep a bale of straw in my vegetable garden where I can sit and sip on something refreshing on those hot days and just enjoy all my plants while I’m recharging. It’s a multipurpose seat because I can also pull out a handful to mulch a plant, lift fruit off the ground, or cover a muddy spot, but mostly it’s so I have somewhere to sit, sip some iced tea, and enjoy.

Don’t let the challenges and the heat of the summer rob you of all the joy of gardening. Mix beauty in with the fundamentals, continue to learn and grow as a gardener and document your observations, stay ahead of those weeds, and remember to take time to enjoy it all!