When you plan a summer garden be especially aware of the time and energy that will be spent maintaining it.  If you wish to keep your summer garden looking good through the end of summer and perhaps until the first frost, there are several items which must be addressed.

Purchase a calendar and list items relating to routine maintenance that must be done throughout the summer. During the growing season you’ll need to follow it is as closely as time and the weather will permit. You’ll need to realize that there may be obstacles such as a downpour of rain or perhaps a week where there is no rain. Both of these conditions will make working in the garden an impossibility. Periods of intense heat will make it uncomfortable to work in the garden as well. Pick a prominent spot in your home to place this calendar where it can be seen. Perhaps mounting it near the back door to the gardens will keep it fresh on your list of things to do. 

Some of the most important maintenance items are weeding, watering, mulching, and fertilizing according to the needs of specific plants within your garden. Leaves that begin to turn yellow and pruning should be taken care of on a weekly basis. Keeping the area clear of weeds and dead or dying leaves will help keep the overall look of the garden green and healthy. Use more mulch towards the end of the season to contain the spread of weeds.

Once you’ve finished mowing your lawn be sure to trim those areas between the lawn and the gardens to keep a neat and clean appearance. The time you spend on your lawn will help keep that part of your yard looking green and healthy.  Try to match that look with the gardens around the lawn as well.

Keep careful notes of the plants you have within your gardens. What kind of soil to they require? What amount of light do they require? Is there pruning involved? Do they like their roots moist or do they prefer to dry out between waterings. Once you are aware of the special needs of each plant you can better care for them. Once you understand their needs you lower the risk of losing the investment of time and money you have already made in procuring and growing these plants.

When it does come time to clean up the gardens for the winter, you should now have enough notes and knowledge to  learn each year what works and what doesn’t.  Each year you will become more successful and may wish to take on more challenging kinds of plants or plant groupings. Take the time to learn from those successes and most importantly – share your knowledge with others.

For many of us, especially in the upper Midwest, the gardening season can never be quite long enough. We may choose a garden for its colorful blooms; something we can cut and bring in to put on the table that freshens up the stale air. Or maybe something that brings us a fresh taste of a vine ripened tomato instead of those from the supermarket with their unnatural faded peachy-red color. After a long hard winter, we all long for the joys brought by a summer garden. So why not find out how to extend that growing season a little.

The first thing to consider is using the raised bed method. This form of gardening utilizes the sun’s rays to heat up the ground which is set higher than the other areas of the garden by a form – usually rectangular in shape. Since the air heats up quicker it also cools down slower – allowing more time for growth. You may find that growth continues past the first expected frost in comparison to gardens that are planted below ground.

Another possibility is to start your plants indoors. Many garden catalogs will give you approximate times to plant inside so that your seedlings are ready to be hardened off and put into the outside gardens. This gives you a “jump start” at the beginning of the season, but does prolong the life of your plants.

Using garden row covers will also help. If you are like me, the first warm day of the season you are out there measuring, digging, amending the soil and putting in the planting furrows. If you find that you have gotten a bit of an early start and may be in for cooler temperatures in the evening, putting the row covers over the areas you have planted will help insulate these young plantings from the cold. The warmth from the earth can be contained by the row covers and insulate the area. These row covers can also be used to extend the season. Leave the cover off during the heat of the day and cover the plants in the evening to hold in the warm air of the day. Be very careful that you remove the covers during the day. Heat and humidity build up under the cover and can burn the plants or cause diseases to occur if fresh air does not circulate.

Most gardeners have learned the approximate length of their growing season and are very happy to spend whatever time they can in it. Some may just enjoy the fresh air and the exercise they get from spending time there. Others will do it because they have a special fondness for fresh fruits and vegetables. Others may enjoy the challenge of a need breed of seed or an heirloom variety that they have received.

 If you are a gardener who has a garden to raise fruits and vegetables which sustain you and your family or have joined the many who feel the need to help feed the others, that day, week or even month extension can mean a great deal. I hope that the information contained in this article will be helpful in meeting your needs.