To all the lovely people,

I hope everyone is well and enjoying what looks like a good garden season in spite of having little water to work with. The weather has been very good and my food garden is humming along. Tomatoes and peppers are setting and the beans, corn, and potatoes are growing fast.Our first zinnia is flowering now also. Please write if you have any questions and don't forget to mulch your gardens. May we all be blessed with good health and a productive season.

Paul

Here are the garden checklists for zones 9 and 10.

June To-Do List for Zone 9

• Look for slow-moving bugs in the cool of the morning; hand-pick them, then dust below the plants with diatomaceous earth (be sure to use a dust mask so you don't inhale the dust).
• Last chance to plant sweet potato slips and peanuts this season.
• Continue planting sweet corn in small blocks, every 2 weeks for continuous harvest through fall.
• Start more zinnias, marigolds, and sunflowers to replenish tired flowers in late summer.
• Water plants in the morning so they don't become susceptible to fungus and insect infestation.
• Plant more heat-tolerant veggies: Replace spinach with Swiss chard and potatoes with taro (Colocasia esculenta).

June To-Do List for Zone 10

• Feed fast-growing bananas and summer-flowering perennials, such as hibiscus and ixora, with compost to prepare them for upcoming bloom.
• Clean up debris beneath mangoes to prevent anthracnose disease; for bad infections, spray with copper solution.
• Prune cassia trees, royal poinciana, bougainvillea, and jasmine after they bloom.
• Prune tropical fruits after the harvest this month.
• Kill pests and disease in vacant beds by covering moist soil with clear plastic for several weeks.