by Mark Levisay
August peak harvest time and there are plenty of other things to keep you busy in the vegetable garden too. You should be picking buckets of ripe tomatoes now, but there are a few things you can do to prolong your harvest. Continue to sucker and tie up your tomato plants until they’ve reached the top of their supports.
This is an excellent time to watch for and remove hornworms if you find them. If you see a hornworm with what looks like grains of rice attached to it, leave it where it where it is. These are the eggs of a parasitic wasp, which will hatch and kill their host..and then go look for more hornworms!
Remove any yellowed or brown foliage as often as daily, if you can. Consider this material to be contagious and dispose of it in the trash. There is nothing you can do to “fix” really sick plants and they should be removed if they get too bad. Fertilize monthly, especially if the plants are not growing strongly. Water deeply several times each week if it’s dry. If you see blossom end rot then you’re not watering enough.
Brown, wilted leaves should be removed from your plants and destroyed.
My peppers are producing now, and usually don’t need much help other than watering. As they get bigger they tend to flop over after thunderstorms, and may need support.
Squash plants are probably suffering from both squash bugs and vine borers. Adult squash bugs can be “squashed” by hand-I often water the plant which encourages the adults to come out where you can get them. The juveniles, which are typically light grey, are easier to squash when you see them. The eggs, which are tiny golden brown balls attached to the leaves, can be removed by hand or with a piece of duct tape.
Squash borers, which kill the plants very quickly, are really hard to deal with. Try preventing them by mounding up mulch or soil over the base of the vines, or even wrapping the vine with aluminum foil to prevent the moth from laying eggs. If the vine does die, slit it open with a knife and kill the white “grubs” which are tunneling inside the vine. Throw all of these infested plants away if possible, as composting is unlikely to kill the pests. Proper garden cleanup is essential, as adult squash bugs can over winter in plant debris.
Last, but not least, keep all of your plants well watered, including asparagus, to increase their vigor and resistance to pests.
Good luck with your August harvest! Any questions, e-mail me at marklevisay@gmail.com.