As we approach the summer solstice, get all your warm season vegetables, herbs and summer flowers in the garden. After the solstice, we will have slightly shorter days, which means the garden overall will grow slowly overall compared to the exuberance of spring.
If you'd like more pollinator-friendly annuals in the garden, look to plants such as marigolds, yarrow and alyssum, to attract birds, bees, and other beneficial insects.
Water established California natives sparingly, if at all, in the warmer season, unless they are in their first year and need to get established.
If you need gardening help or advice, we invite you to submit a question to our hotline (with photos, if possible).
Food Gardening
- Warm season veggies should be planted out in the garden, including summer squash, pole and bush beans, and peppers. It's getting a bit late for eggplants and tomatoes, so get them in the ground as soon as you can. Tip: choose varieties that require fewer days to maturity.
- Central Coast gardeners can grow leaf lettuces, greens, radishes and carrots nearly year-round if you're in an area that is relatively cool in the summer.
- Try succession planting -- planting additional sets of carrots, radishes and greens, for example, every few weeks or once per month, for harvesting throughout the season. Choose varieties which are heat tolerant as we move into the warmer months.
California Natives, Flowers and Ornamentals
- Transplant annual flowers, such as calendulas, marigolds. and zinnias.
- If you are having issues with roses, UCANR has a helpful pest and disease guide.
- Deadhead spent flowers to prolong seasonal blooms in the garden.
Fruit Trees
- You may see fruit tree ailments.
- If you haven’t already, thin the fruit on your trees for a better harvest. Read about fruit thinning here.
- If you see oozing on fruit tree branches or branches and leaves which look “scorched”, it's possible the tree has developed fire blight, which affects plant tissue. Development is influenced by weather and should be removed with clean tools. Disinfect tools immediately after pruning.
- Fertilizing later in the year may affect fruit quality. Read about fertilizing citrus, which recommends fertilizer application based on the age of your tree.
General Maintenance
- Managing pests: We encourage Integrated Pest Management, ongoing strategies to manage pest damage. Direct, regular observation is a good practice. For example, carefully check kale, cabbages and broccoli for aphids or caterpillar activity. Take a flashlight tour of your garden at night to catch slugs, snails and other critters you might not see otherwise!
- While the garden dries out, this is a good time to take a look at your irrigation system. Run it to check for any leaks. Make repairs and seasonal adjustments.
- It's best to remove weeds in your garden before they flower and set seed so the population remains manageable. But better to not compact the soil and damage the underlying soil structure and return to the weeds another day.
- For planted areas, or preparing fallow beds, suppress weeds while amending your soil by adding compost and mulch to help retain moisture, and/or sheet mulch. Keep mulch at least 6" away from tree trunks and plant stems. Read UCANR publication Mulching for Landscapes and this guide to applying mulch.
Evergreen Tips
- Sterilize planting containers if you are reusing them. Wash with mild soap and water to clean. Disinfect planting containers with a 10% bleach solution, meaning 1 part bleach to 9 parts water.
- Sterilize your pruning tools regularly to not spread disease.
- Remove diseased plant material (or discard in your green waste can) to keep your garden as disease free as possible. Do not add diseased plant material to your home compost or leave them in your garden beds. Some pests and diseases can overwinter.