I cannot believe July is almost over and I haven’t posted anything since June. I think that is a true sign of being in the throws of the doggiest days of summer. Several of my vegetable plants called it quits while others are just getting started and others are trucking along just fine.
I still have that little watermelon I posted about last, and it’s gotten a wee bit bigger. The vine is fading so it may be my only sugar baby watermelon, but hey, it’s my first watermelon.
My okra and eggplant are taking off just like I knew they would during the hottest time of the year. I’ll be sharing those in the days to come so stay tuned.
Since my last post, the spider mites had an explosive re-population on my tomatillo, cucumber, beans, marigolds, and sweet potato vines. I think most of the season I kept them at bay with a water and neem oil spray every couple days alternated with peppermint soap and water sprays. But in the last three weeks I got a new job, started preparations for it, back to school prep, a family visit, car shopping, and the list goes on so my consistency spraying went downhill. Also, the hottest and driest part of summer is when it is easiest for pests like spider mites to pick up pace. They breed well in those conditions. Plus, when plants are stressed (such as in triple digit heat and inconsistent watering) they become even more susceptible to pests and disease.
My strategy was lots of snipping, followed by spraying, followed by a light fertilizing in the cooler part of the day. I documented this in the YouTube video below. Lastly I intend on hosing all of it down with fresh water and releasing some live ladybugs.
My Latest Video:
Going and Growing 