Summer is in full swing in San Diego gardens. And, if you’re up to anything more than just relaxing in the shade and enjoying your garden, try these tips for keeping it happy and healthy.
Native Plant Care
Other than recently planted native plants and those adapted to damp environments, California native plants will do best with less summer water. They are adapted to our wet winter, dry summer environment. If you water them too much in hot weather, they can suffer from fungal diseases and rots.
Use drip systems and soaker hoses with them and water them less often but deeply. Some native plants will thrive getting watered just once a month or less. It’s also best to wait until fall to transplant California native plants. They will be happier. The California Native Plant Society has a lot of great information on watering, planting and care for native plants.
Fight Ants Responsibly
This time of year, we are all battling ant invasions in our gardens and homes. One way to beat the ants is to use insecticide sprays. But insecticides only kill the foraging ants, not the ants in the nest. They also kill many other insects, and they contaminate surface waters which kills aquatic organisms. Insecticide use is one of the reasons insect populations are declining rapidly. Studies show that in the past 50 years, insect populations have plummeted by up to 75%.
If these insect populations collapse, they will take entire ecosystems with them. This is because insects are critical to those ecosystems for multiple reasons. They are an essential part of the food chain. They pollinate approximately 80% of all plant species, disperse seeds, decompose animal and plant material and are important biological pest controllers.
There are safer ways to control ants that won’t be as harmful to other insects and aquatic environments. Take a look at the University of California Pest Management Program for less toxic ways to keep ants out of your home and manage them in your garden.
We use borate bait traps around the exterior of our house. They are safer than many other broad-spectrum pesticides, but can harm bees. Because of this, you want to make sure the bait is in traps that ants can access easily, and it isn’t applied to plants or contaminates water accessible to bees including puddles.
What to Plant in San Diego Gardens in August
Although you are probably better off grabbing something cold to drink and enjoying your San Diego garden from the shade, August is still a good time to get some plants started. If you want your sweet peas blooming by December, starts seeds now. Plant them at a wall or trellis to give them something to climb.
Continue to plant spring bulbs. More should be showing up in nurseries this month.
If you have transplants ready, you can set out tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and squash. I’d do it early in the month though. We got our eggplant in too late last year and our beautiful plants didn’t end up fruiting because the weather had cooled off too much by the time they were mature.
You can start sowing some cool season vegetables this month too. Start cole crops (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower) and peas in flats. You can plant seeds of other cool season crops too, but it’s best to wait until September for most of them.
San Diego Gardens Tips Source
A lot of information for San Diego Gardens comes from the Master Gardener Association of San Diego County. They are a great resource for all of your gardening needs including planting, pests, vegetables, and water use. They even have a free hotline where you can get your home gardening and pest control problems answered.