On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

• Remember harvest intervals before spraying your vegetables Read Label it will have the harvest interval
• Follow research based practices for canning and freezing.
• Harvest early in the morning vegetables will taste fresher.
• Continue shaping up shrubbery as needed to keep them looking tidy.
• Take lower leaves off tomato plants below the first fruit set.
• Remove water sprouts and other errant growth from fruit trees.
• Summer is here keep hydrated while doing garden chores.
• Dispose of excess spray solution and empty pesticide containers properly.
• If you are going to be away from your garden for several days, have a friend harvest vegetables for you.
• Check shade trees for broken branches after summer storms. They could fall days or weeks later and cause damage or injury.

On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

• If going on vacation have someone harvest vegetables for you,
• PPE tip when using gas powered equipment: Eye protection guards against possible injury. Hearing protection guards against almost certain injury.
• Harvest vegetables in the morning and refrigerate as soon as possible.
• Learn to recognize invasive plants such as paulownia, tree of heaven, Chinese privet and others. Eliminate them when you find them.
• Make sure weeds are actively growing before using weed control post emergence herbicides.
• There are hundreds of species of bees and wasps in NC and the vast majority are non-aggressive and beneficial.
• Watering your garden thoroughly once a week is much better than watering just a little each day.
• Leave snakes alone. The majority are harmless and beneficial. Learn to recognize copperheads and leave them alone. Trying to move or kill them will likely increase your risk of getting bitten.
• Check garden each day for harvestable vegetables ex Squash
• Avoid spray drift. Don’t spray in windy conditions and set the nozzle to spray larger droplets.
• Check the product label every time you use a pesticide.

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On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

• If tomato’s lower leaves are showing signs of leaf spot and tomatoes have set fruit you can take off those leaves below the small tomatoes .
• It’s not too late for container gardening.
• Continue your fruit tree spray regimen.
• Check current references when doing any food preservation, especially canning.
• Continue your succession vegetable planting
• Learn the optimum harvest time for the fruits and vegetables you grow.
• Your vegetables may need a topdressing
• Protect yourself from ticks and mosquitos.
• Check garden for pest and disease and ID the pest before purchasing a control.
• What to do about moss.

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On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

• Scout your garden at least twice a week for insects and disease
• When it comes to irrigation, don’t follow a schedule. Timing should be based on soil moisture, temperature, plant performance, etc.
• Keep up with your weeding. Small weeds are much easier to control.
• Shape up azaleas now that they are done blooming.
• Attention: Beekeepers You may want to construct electric fence to protect hives from Bears
• If you’d like to help pollinators, take note through the summer when there is a shortage of blooming plants in your landscape. Make plans to fill those gaps by adding plants that bloom in those gap times.
• Honey bees are still swarming if you see a swarm call Cooperative extension 252-438-8188
• Succession planting

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On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

• When seedlings emerge check for areas that might need reseeding.
• Should you skip mowing this month?
• Start checking for insect pests and signs of disease.
• Make sure you have a good nitrogen only fertilizer on hand for vegetable gardens and flower beds. These areas may need supplemental nitrogen through the season. Blood meal is an excellent choice, organic and slow release.
• Check out your irrigation system
• Do you have garden areas that won’t be used this year? If so, plant a cover crop.
• Don’t over water plants check soil media first if it is moist wait another to water your plants
• It is way past the recommended date for fertilizing and seeding tall fescue, as well as spraying for broadleaf weeds.
• Wear sun protective clothing even on cloudy days.
• Growing vegetables in containers? Use large container that are clean, plus good quality potting mix. Never use soil from yard or garden.

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