Episode Transcript

Hi! John Morgan here, and welcome to this week’s episode of the Keep Growing Podcast. Each week we take a look at the forecast and gardening tasks for the week ahead for the Mid-Ohio Valley.  This week we’re covering Week 28 of 2024, Saturday, July 6th to Saturday, July 13th.

This weekend we’re heading back into the oven with no rain and temperatures in the 90s.  Aaaand it’s going to be like that most of the week.  However, a bit later in the week we’ll see scattered showers and storms returning.

Today is a great day to order garlic cloves for fall planting.  Last week on the podcast we covered why you want to plant garlic in the fall.

Monday, July 8th, is the time to go scouting for Japanese Beetles. Japanese beetles will primarily feed on the upper leaves of plants, so check the top leaves for their presence or look for a cut-out leaf appearance.  If you catch them early enough, an application of neem oil works great.  However, it will take a couple of follow up applications.

On Tuesday, July 9th, plant napa cabbage, also remove raspberry canes after fruiting.  A bit of summer pruning goes a long way to keeping your raspberries healthy and productive.  Once the bush has fruited all the canes can be cut back to ground level ready to regrow in spring.

Wednesday, July 10th, harvest new potatoes, and seed borage.

Thursday, July 11th, pinch the *tops* of black raspberry canes. Unlike summer-fruiting raspberries, you just want to pinch the tops.

On Friday, July 12th, is an excellent time to deadhead flowers.

Finally, Saturday, July 13th is the first quarter moon. It is also a great time to seed dill, and also keep your compost pile healthy by giving it a turn.

To care for compost in the summer, keep it moist like a damp sponge by regularly watering and using a cover to retain moisture. Turn the pile every 1-2 weeks to introduce oxygen and regulate temperature and place it in a shaded area to prevent overheating. Balance greens (nitrogen-rich) materials like kitchen scraps with browns (carbon-rich) materials like dry leaves. Bury food scraps under brown layers to deter pests.

Head out to the garden, turn your compost, and Keep growing!

For a full transcript and show notes, check out bobsmarket.com/keepgrowing

Cover image via pxHere - CC0 Public Domain